External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on February 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while making a statement on deportation of Indian migrants from the U.S. in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (February 6, 2025), said that the Centre will take exemplary actions against human traffickers.
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.
Mr. Jaishankar said that the government is engaging with the U.S. to ensure that deported Indians are not mistreated. “We are of course engaging the U.S. government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight,” said the Minister, underlining the focus should be on strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry.
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“It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad. It is in our collective interest to encourage legal mobility, discourage illegal movement. Our focus should be on strong crackdown on illegal migrants,” the Minister said.
“Deportations by the U.S. are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE]. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft, effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
The Minister also shared details of deportation from the U.S. since 2009.
“Process of deportation is not a new one, it has been there for several years. This is not a policy applicable to only one country.” he added.
The Minister further said that women and children were not restrained.
Also read | 33 Gujarati immigrants, deported from U.S., land in Ahmedabad
“Further need of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to. During toilet breaks deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed. This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft,” he said.
“There has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the U.S. on February 5, 2025,” he added.
The deportees claimed their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and that they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.
A U.S. military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – February 06, 2025 02:36 pm IST