The United States’ deportation of illegal migrants is not a new development, and has been going for several years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha Thursday afternoon, amid questions from the opposition over the way Washington, D.C., treated the deportees.
Mr Jaishankar – whose statement had been demanded by the opposition – pointed to hundreds of Indians deported by the US every year, for illegally entering or staying in that country.
These numbers ranged from 530 in 2012 to over 2,000 in 2019.
“The process of deportation (by the US) is not new… it has been there for years. This is not a policy applicable to only one country. Our focus should be on crackdown on illegal migrants,” he said, acknowledging also, “We are engaging with the US to ensure deportees are not mistreated.”
Videos shared by the US Border Patrol this morning – USBP chief Michael Banks posted on X – showed the to-be deported Indian citizens handcuffed and shackled together and led on to a C-17 military transport plane. They were then strapped into their seats and flown to Amritsar.
READ | “You Will Be Removed”: US Border Patrol Video Of Indians In Chains
On landing, deportees spoke of being handcuffed to their seats for long periods and denied toilet breaks, prompting opposition MPs to red-flag potential human rights violations by the US.
READ | Handcuffed, Thrown Like Boxes: Indian Migrants’ US Nightmare
Among those horrific claims was one by 36-year-old Jaspal Singh from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, who said he paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent who promised him legal passage to the US. Instead, he was trafficked through an illegal and perilous path that involves transiting via a South American country.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has turned, increasingly, to the military to carry out its immigration agenda, using its aircraft to deport migrants and opening its bases to house them, and this has been seen as the Republican leader’s ‘strong message’ on his hardline immigration agenda.
The US’ deportation of illegal migrants is not a new development, and has been going for several years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha Thursday afternoon, amid questions from the opposition over the deportation row.
