The United States’ deportation of illegal migrants<\/a> is not a new development, and has been going for several years, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar<\/a> told the Rajya Sabha Thursday afternoon, amid questions from the opposition over the way Washington, D.C., treated the deportees.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n These numbers ranged from 530 in 2012 to over 2,000 in 2019.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n