In an unprecedented move, Mexican immigration authorities have deported 311 Indians citizens who did not have “a condition of regular stay” in the country.
In a statement, the National Migration Institute noted that at 9:50 pm on Wednesday, 311 Indian citizens — 310 men and one woman — departed on a special flight to New Delhi from Toluca City International Airport.
The group was accompanied by Federal Migration Agents.
The repatriation was carried out in coordination with the Indian Embassy “under strict adherence to the Migration Law and its regulations,” the statement said.
The Indians had reportedly been staying in Mexico illegally and were working with international agents to cross the border into the United States.
The Indian citizens were detained by immigration authorities in various spots in Mexico, including Oaxaca, Baja California, Veracruz, Chipas, Sonora, Mexico City, Durango and Tobasco. They were taken to a detention centre in Veracruz before being transferred to the airport.
The Institute added that this is the first time a repatriation of this form and scale has been conducted. “It should be noted that there is no precedent in the history of the INM - neither in the form, nor in the number of people - of a transatlantic air conduction, such as that carried out on this day,” the statement said.
According to the Washington Post, Mexico’s immigration authorities have clamped down in recent months due to mounting pressure from the United States. Agents of the National Guard have also been deployed at major migration routes, the newspaper reported.