US Deportation Fallout: 1,274 Immigration Firms Raided in Punjab

According to officials’ claims, Punjab Police conducted raids at 1,274 immigration companies throughout the state on Monday in efforts to restrict the scope of illegal overseas recruiting agents. These “agents” who exploit teenagers with false guarantees of overseas employment opportunities had become rampant in the region, which is what the operation was aimed towards stopping. 

All 28 police districts carried out these searches simultaneously. 

India’s deportation concerns 

These raids were executed soon after the US started deporting illegal Indian immigrants. A sizable portion of deportees coming from Punjab and Haryana claim that their travel agents conned them. These agents charged substantial amounts and offered entry into US but could not take them through the legal ports of entry. As such, many said they were smuggled through the so-called “donkey route” which is a perilous and undocumented path to the United States. 

Superintendent Shukla went on with the claim: ‘From the information received, it is estimated that about two hundred illegal travel agents were operating within the state. Therefore, All police commissioners and senior superintendents of police were instructed to form special teams under the supervision of gazetted officers to conduct searches at immigration and travel firms. Additionally, police registered 24 cases and arrested seven agents for further investigations.’

He remarked that the violators of Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act 2012 and those cheating people by making false promises, have been asked to be dealt with severely. 

Legal Exigencies For Travel Agents
The law also stipulates that travel agents have to register with the Deputy Commissioner and receive a license which is valid for a period of five years and is renewable. There are conditions for licensed agents as well: 

They Show Licensing In The Office 

They Keep Client And Service Rendered Records 

They Notify Authorities Prior To Any Advertising And Seminar 

They Do Business Only Within Their Permitted Restricted Service Scope 

Noncompliance of any of the above can invite license suspension/cancellation and legal action. 

The high court has also asked for better enforcement of these suggestions. 

On February 17, the high court of Punjab and Haryana issued directions to the state government on a petition to restrain the so-called travel agents. The petitioner appealed to both the central government and the Punjab government to create district emigration check posts for controlling ILLEGAL transport under the emigration act 1983. 

Also, having a certified and recruited certified list of foreign employers is useful to people having real opportunities. 

Now at the hearing, representing Central government, Dheeraj Jain informed the court that most ponzi immigrants never climbed up to the Europeans apart from the study visa or tourist options before extending their reach to America.

The court was furnished with information that the office of Protector of Emigrants located in Chandigarh had received 127 complaints from the Punjab region concerning illegal agents which comprised of 57 complaints received directly, and 70 via other channels. These were sent to the Government of Punjab for action. The bench said that the case is disposed of, permitting the petitioner to address his grievances before the state government.  

From February 5, 2025, 335 Indians have been repatriated in total, with 12 being returned on Sunday. The deportations are part of a wider initiative targeting undocumented immigrants under the Trump administration.

On Saturday, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, justified the blanket deportations of illegal immigrants that his government has set in place. 

“The fraudsters, liars, cheaters, globalists, and deep state bureaucrats are being sent packing,” said Trump during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) outside Washington. “Illegal alien criminals are being sent home. We're draining the swamp and restoring government by the people.” 

According to estimates filed with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), over the past four years, more than one million immigrants from different countries have been detained and around forty thousand of them were Indians. 

The monitors provided that the parameters of detained Indians constantly increased over the years. For example, Indians detained in 2022 peaked at 9,207 compared to 1,835 in 2021. For 2023 and 2024 that number dropped, although the number of deportations continued. 

As noted by the Pew Research Center, as of 2022, 3.3% of the population in the United States which is unauthorized immigrants and around a twenty-three percent of the total foreign born population are Indians. 

It is essential for Indians to understand that entering any nation unlawfully is not a smart step. 

Those deported do not possess the easiest path to re-enter the US and indeed face many difficulties.

Ajay Sharma, the founder of Abhinav Immigration Services, said that “most legal options, especially for those on illegal status, are very limited, particularly for individuals with a criminal history. Even those who do not have a criminal history and attempt to file under any allowed category are required to leave the country at least once to have their status validated, and the chances of being denied re-entry is still quite high.” 

“He further mentioned, “As one would expect, the scope of entry and residency in other key destinations also becomes limited under the conditions.” 

Jonathan Grode, the US practice director and managing partner at Green and Spiegel, immigration law firm in Philadelphia, gave an insight into the limited opportunities available to those who have entered illegally. 

“There are no options in sponshorship employement, and there are no options for family for those who entered illegally. They are also limited,” he said.

“An overstay visa issue can be dealt with by getting married to a US citizen, and this seems to be the only type of marriage that does help – no other application really helps. There are real possibilities like having an employer, but that does not guarantee you legal status. The only real possibility is asylum, but this is based on a genuine fear of coming back home,” said Grode. 

The US still implements tough immigration policies that seem to suggest that infiltrating the country unscrupulously will not be accepted.