Fact Check: US deports Indian immigrants in handcuffs and shackles? Find the facts
A video clip of shackled migrants boarding an aircraft for deportation is going viral on social media with claims that the migrants in handcuffs are Indians.
By K Sherly Sharon Published on 5 Feb 2025 9:56 PM IST
Claim: Video shows Indian deportees from the USA in shackles and handcuffs.
Fact: The claims are false. The images show immigrants headed for Guatemala in shackles.
Hyderabad: A 20-second video clip showing people in handcuffs and chains is going viral on social media with claims that they are Indian migrants being deported from the US. Shortly after being sworn in for his second term, Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and vowed to halt illegal entry while deporting millions of "criminal aliens." Following this decision, hundreds of illegal migrants have been deported, and thousands more have been identified for removal.
The viral video shows a group of people in handcuffs and chains, walking past a uniformed military officer while being led by another. The rudder of an aircraft is visible in the background.
The video was uploaded to Twitter (formerly X) with the caption:
"No other country can humiliate India more than this... Trump's practice of handcuffing illegal Indian immigrants and treating them like terrorists is an insult to all Indians." (Translated from Tamil) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the viral claim is false. The video does not show Indian migrants being deported in handcuffs and chains.
Using reverse image search, we found the full-length version of the viral clip on the verified ANI News YouTube channel, uploaded on January 31, 2025. The 6:12-minute mark of the video contains the viral footage.
According to the video description, the footage was released by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on January 27, 2025. It shows undocumented migrants boarding a deportation flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, under the supervision of US Customs and Border Protection agents on January 23, 2025.
A CRUX News video uploaded on January 28, 2025, also contains the viral clip at 0:15 seconds and confirms that the footage was taken on January 23, 2025, at Fort Bliss, Texas.
A France 24 report, titled "In pictures: First deportation flights of Trumpās presidency arrive in Latin America," published on January 25, 2025, includes an image from the viral footage. The caption states:
"This image, released by the Department of Defense, shows shackled undocumented migrants preparing to board a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, on January 23, 2025."
From this report, we confirm that the migrants in the viral video boarded the C-17 Globemaster III at Fort Bliss, Texas, on January 23, 2025.
Using keyword searches, we found a Military.com article titled, "Inside the Military's Scramble to Move Troops to the Mexico Border," published on January 24, 2025. The report states that two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft took off from Fort Bliss, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona, and reached Guatemala.
Therefore, we confirm that the viral video shows Guatemalan migrants, not Indians.
Deportation of Indian Migrants
A report published by The Hindu on February 5, 2025, stated that the first batch of illegal Indian immigrants deported by the US landed in Amritsar on the same day. (Archive)
"A U.S. military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday (Feb. 5, 2025) afternoon, sources said."
Thus, the viral video was actually taken from footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense, showing shackled immigrants boarding an aircraft from Fort Bliss, Texas, on January 23, 2025. The flight was headed to Guatemala, not India. The first batch of Indian deportees arrived on February 5, 2025.
Therefore, NewsMeter determined that the viral claims are false.
