Jaishankar: India engaging with US to prevent mistreatment of migrants during deportation

New Delhi: After videos and photos of Indian migrants cuffed in a US military plane during deportation go viral on social media, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said the government is engaging with the US to ensure that Indians are not mistreated while being sent back.

On Thursday, the minister’s statement in the Rajya Sabha came amid Opposition protests over the treatment meted out to 104 Indians, who were deported from the United States.

On February 5, a US military plane carrying 104 deported Indian immigrants arrived in Amritsar, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by US president Donald Trump’s administration. The US action came days before prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on February 13 for wide-ranging talks with president Trump.

A video shared by the US Border Patrol on social media platform X showed the deportees handcuffed and their legs shackled as they boarded the US military for Amritsar.

The minister stated that there has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5 and the government is engaging with the US government to ensure deportees are not mistreated in any manner.

Process of deportation is not new

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authority in the US deals with deportations.

“The deportations by the US are organised and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authority. The SOP of deportation by aircraft used by ICE, effective since 2012, provides for the use of physical restraints. We have been informed by ICE that women and children were not restrained. The process of deportation is not a new one and has been for the last 15 years. Thousands have been deported since 2009. It is an obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if found living illegally,” said the minister, addressing the Rajya Sabha.

He further said, “We knew 104 people were brought back. We were the ones who verified their nationality and gave clearance to the aircraft.”

Where were the immigrants from?

The illegals sent back were from Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh. The deported Indians include women and children. The deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by different government agencies before sending them to their respective districts.

Centre is monitoring Indian students

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar assured that the Indian government is closely monitoring the welfare of Indian students, particularly in regions affected by tensions or violence.

“We are carefully monitoring their welfare. Wherever there is a situation of any tension or likelihood of violence, we alert the students, as we had done in Ukraine. We are prepared for further steps like sending a flight for their rescue or any similar situation. We always have contingency plans,” he said.

Congress demands a discussion in the Parliament

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staged a protest outside the Parliament, holding placards that read ‘Humans, Not Prisoners’ while wearing symbolic handcuffs.

Speaking to the media, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “We are protesting especially on how Indians have been deported. We believe they have a legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country. And if they are proven to be Indian nationals, we have a legal obligation to admit them, to accept them in our country. But the manner in which it was done, in handcuffs, squeezed into a military aircraft, in such an abrupt manner, is not acceptable.”