​​​​NEW DELHI

Authorities in Punjab state said Tuesday that police conducted raids at nearly 1,300 immigration firms across the northern Indian state.

The move came amid a crackdown launched by authorities against illegal travel agents across the state in the wake of deportations of Indians from the US.

A statement said search operations were held at 1,274 immigration firms in 28 districts in Punjab.

Around 300 “illegal immigrants” from India have been deported since US President Donald Trump took office in late January. Most of the flights have landed in Punjab.

A fourth batch of illegal immigrants from India deported arrived in the national capital of New Delhi last week.

Arpit Shukla, a top Punjab police official, said Tuesday that police teams have registered at least 24 first information reports (FIRs) against defaulter travel agents and arrested seven.

Officials said the move continued until late Monday.

He said officers were directed to ensure strict action against the travel agents who were found violating the mandatory provisions or defrauding “innocent people with false promises of facilitating illegal entry into foreign countries.”

A 2022 Pew Research Center report showed that India had the largest number of unauthorized immigrants in the US, totaling 725,000.

After the US began deporting illegal immigrants, police in Punjab started a crackdown against travel agents who send people abroad through illegal means. The neighboring state of Haryana also registered cases against the agents.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told parliament earlier this month that the deportation process was not new and had been ongoing for years.