External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke on the controversy surrounding the deportation of 104 Indian nationals from the United States. He clarifies the deportation process and assures the safety of those being sent back. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Jaishankar explained that deportations of illegal migrants have been an ongoing practice for years and were not a new initiative.
Deportation Process and ICE’s Standard Procedure
Jaishankar clarified that deportations from the United States are carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He further explained that the deportation policy followed by ICE includes an SOP which has been operational since 2012. According to Jaishankar, deportees will be restrained as adopted by the policy while in transport, but he went ahead to clarify that women and children would not be restrained during the deportation process.
USBP and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals.
If you cross illegally, you will be removed. pic.twitter.com/WW4OWYzWOf
— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) February 5, 2025
“The deportation by the US are organized and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authority. The SOP of deportation by aircraft used by ICE which is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraint. We have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained,” Jaishankar added.
Despite this explanation, the deportation of 104 Indian nationals aboard a US military aircraft sparked outrage in India. A video shared on social media showed the deportees being handcuffed and shackled as they boarded a C-17 military transport aircraft. The video, posted by US Border Patrol Chief Michael W Banks, was accompanied by a statement detailing the mission and reiterating the US’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws.
The stark message came in the video, “If you cross illegally, you will be removed.” The detained migrants were seen boarding the aircraft in the footage, which had dramatic music, heightening the gravity of deportation. The restrained movement of deportees as they shuffled onto the plane created an image more befitting prisoners of war than people returning home.
Trafficking and Exploitation Horror Stories
The 104 deportees, who arrived in Amritsar, Punjab, described their perilous journeys to the United States as fraught with dangerous paths, exploitation by traffickers, and extreme hardship.
Jaspal Singh, 36 years old, hails from Gurdaspur, Punjab. He revealed that he paid an agent Rs 30 lakh promising him that the route would be legal, but he ended up taking the “donkey route,” the treacherous illegal route taken through South America often used by human traffickers.
Harwinder Singh, from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, paid Rs 42 lakh for passage. He said he had to travel through Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Mexico. “We walked for days, crossed mountains, and nearly drowned. I saw one man die in the Panama jungle,” Singh recalled, providing a stark account of the dangers involved.
Political Outrage Over Treatment of Deportees
The deportation of 104 Indian nationals, particularly shackling, caused a political commotion in India. Opposition leaders, such as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, strongly protested against the deportees’ treatment. The opposition staged outside Parliament demonstrations, carrying placards that claimed “Humans, Not Prisoners” while putting on symbolic handcuffs.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed his understanding of the US’s right to deport illegal migrants but criticized the method of deportation. “If you’re in the US illegally, they have the right to deport you. And if your Indian identity is confirmed, India must accept you. However, it was quite unnecessary to transport them in a military plane and shackles,” Tharoor said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned why India did not do the same for repatriating the deportees. “Could not we have flown our aircraft back to take them? Is this the way to treat humans? Chained and handcuffed like a criminal? The Prime Minister must explain,” she said while voicing concern over inhuman treatment.
jaishankar’s Reassurance Regarding Safety
Jaishankar, in his address, reiterated India’s position on the deportation of its nationals. He emphasized that it is the responsibility of all countries to take back their citizens if they are found to be living illegally abroad. “All countries must take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad,” Jaishankar affirmed.
Moreover, the Minister for External Affairs said that India would engage with the US government so that deportees were treated as human beings and not mishandled at the time of deportation. “We are engaging the US government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner,” he assured.
