Jaishankar acknowledges concerns over treatment of Indian deportees by US amid opposition protests in Parliament

New Delhi, Feb 6: Parliament witnessed a stormy session on Thursday as opposition leaders protested the treatment of 104 Indian deportees from the United States.

The deportees, who had entered the U.S. illegally, were transported in a US military aircraft with their hands cuffed and feet shackled, a move that opposition leaders condemned as inhumane and degrading.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi joined another opposition member of parliament in a protest outside Parliament, holding placards that read: “Humans, not prisoners.” Gandhi took to social media platform X, stating, “Indians deserve dignity and humanity, NOT handcuffs.” He also shared a video of Harvinder Singh, one of the deportees, who described the ordeal of being restrained for nearly 40 hours.

“We were not allowed to move an inch from our seats. It was worse than hell,” Harvinder recounted.

The video of the deportation, posted by U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W Banks, showed the deportees being escorted in shackles to the aircraft.

“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,” Banks wrote, accompanied by a stark warning: “If you cross illegally, you will be removed.”

The images of shackled migrants sparked a wave of criticism across India, both in Parliament and on social media.

Opposition MPs slammed the ruling government for failing to ensure a more humane repatriation process.

During the parliamentary debate, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar clarified that US regulations regarding restraints on deportees had been in place since 2012 and applied to both military and civilian flights. “There has been no change in the procedure followed by the U.S. in Wednesday’s deportation,” he said, adding that the US had assured that women and children were not subjected to restraints.

Jaishankar, amid protests and slogan shouting in the parliament, acknowledged concerns over the treatment of the deportees and assured Parliament that India was engaging with US authorities to prevent mistreatment. However, he emphasised the government’s stance against illegal migration. “It is in our collective interest to encourage legal mobility and discourage illegal movement,” he said, noting that more than 15,600 Indian nationals had been deported from the US since 2009.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised the method of deportation, stating to the media, “The US has the right to deport illegal immigrants, and India has an obligation to accept its nationals. However, transporting them in military aircraft while handcuffed was completely unnecessary.”

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, along with Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, joined the protests, questioning why India could not arrange its own flights to bring back its citizens with dignity. “Colombia refused to accept deportees in shackles, forcing the US to change its approach. Why couldn’t India do the same?” asked Yadav.

104 deportees arriving in Amritsar recounted their harrowing journeys to the media. Jaspal Singh, 36, from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, revealed that he had paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent who promised him legal entry into the U.S, only to be trafficked through multiple countries via the perilous “donkey route.”

Harwinder Singh from Hoshiarpur described trekking across mountains, crossing dangerous rivers, and witnessing a fellow migrant die in the Panama jungle. “We walked for days, starved, and faced extreme hardship. After all that, we were treated like criminals on the flight back,” he said.

The incident has raised concerns about the broader impact of US immigration policies on Indian migrants.

A Pew Research Center report, as quoted by AP news agency, noted that as of 2022, India ranked third—after Mexico and El Salvador—in the number of unauthorised immigrants in the U.S., with an estimated 725,000 undocumented Indians.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares for a visit to Washington next week, the controversy surrounding the deportations is expected to be a key topic of discussion.

The opposition leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to continue pressing the government, demanding a more humane approach to dealing with repatriated migrants.