Could have been avoided: India on deportation of illegal immigrants in shackles

India on Friday said it has registered concerns with the US over the deportation of illegal immigrants in shackles, and conveyed that this kind of treatment could have been avoided.

The remark by foreign secretary Vikram Misri came amid a nationwide uproar over the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants by the US in handcuffs during their 40-hour flight onboard a US military aircraft.

"We do make our concerns known to the United States that this kind of treatment can perhaps be avoided," the foreign secretary said in response to questions on the manner of deportation.

This is unlikely to placate Opposition parties including the Congress, which yesterday announced it would hold protests in state capitals and district headquarters today, 7 February, to strongly oppose the "inhumane treatment" of Indian citizens deported by the US and the government's "weak stance" on the issue.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also pointed out the way in which the deportees were reportedly transported in prison vans in Haryana once they landed in India.

Likewise, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and organisations affiliated to it condemned the incident. In a statement issued in New Delhi yesterday, the CPI(M) said the treatment given to Indians who were deported is "unacceptable".

"The way the deportation of 104 Indians who had illegally entered the United States was conducted by the US authorities is deplorable and unacceptable. These people were handcuffed with restricted mobility for a long journey in a US military aircraft," the CPI(M) said.

"The Modi government has shown a craven attitude by not objecting to such treatment of its citizens. Since more batches of Indians are expected to be deported, the government should ensure that they are treated in a humane and dignified manner," they said.

Misri said there are as many as 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders from the US authorities, and details of 298 people have been shared with India. He said the information shared by the US authorities was being verified.

He also said the US policy of deporting illegal immigrants in restraints has been in place since 2012. "I don't think there was any protest. We don't have any record of any protest having been made about it," the foreign secretary said to a question on whether India had registered its protest on deportation of illegal immigrants in shackles in 2012.

He referred to the statement by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in Parliament on Thursday. "The description by the EAM of the standard operating procedure relating to the use of restraints which has been communicated to us by US authorities including the immigration and customs enforcement," Misri said.

He said the minister attracted attention to the fact that these have been in practice for a long period of time since 2012. The foreign secretary said India continued to emphasise to US authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees. "We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention," he said. He also stressed on the need to take action against the "real cancer" that is the ecosystem of illegal immigration.

On Thursday, Alappuzha Congress general-secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said there was widespread shame and anger across the country over the "horrific ill-treatment" of Indian citizens by the US authorities. "Tomorrow, February 7, all PCCs will hold protests at state capitals and district HQs, with senior leaders, party functionaries and workers," he said.

Also on Thursday, Venugopal's views were echoed by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who wrote an X post questioning the Indian government and its handling of the situation, asking why the country's leadership had remained silent over the incident.

"The question is not only that America has bound Indians like slaves in chains due to circumstances and sent them to India in inhuman conditions. The question is also why have those who claim to be Vishwaguru fallen silent? What is our foreign ministry doing? What has the government done to protect women and children from such humiliating conditions?" he asked.

The SP chief also highlighted the prime minister's upcoming visit to the US, asking whether this issue would be raised during the visit. He also questioned why such situations were occurring that forced Indians to seek work abroad in the first place, and what the government's stance would be towards those returning to India under these circumstances.

A US 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.

Among those deported, 33 were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra and two from Chandigarh. The group also included 19 women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two girls aged five and seven.

Some deportees claimed their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and that they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.

With PTI inputs