S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, assured the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that returning deportees from the United States were not mistreated. He added that the flight that landed on Wednesday did not deviate from the standard operating protocol. The Center is working with the Trump administration to make sure the deportees are not abused, he continued. Amid din, Jaishankar said: “There has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedure for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5. We are of course engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight.”
Additionally, he clarified that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials plan and carry out deportations in the United States. “The SOP of deportation by aircraft used by ICE which is effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraint. We have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained.”
The Union Minister added that if it is discovered that a national is living abroad illegally, all nations are required to repatriate them. The Lok Sabha was postponed until 3:30 pm due to ongoing demonstrations.
About 104 Indian nationals were deported by the US government after they entered the country illegally on an American Air Force C-17 Globemaster. On Wednesday, the plane touched down at the Amritsar airport at 1:55 p.m. There are 19 women and 13 minors among the deportees, who are mostly from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat.
Jaishankar’s speech in the Rajya Sabha follows the adjournment of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha till midday due to opposition protests against the repatriation of illegal Indian immigrants from the United States, which were mostly led by Congress Members of Parliament. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, meanwhile, stated that although the US government is technically permitted to deport those who entered the nation illegally, sending them on a military plane is an insult to India.
“They (US government) have every legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country and we, if they are proven to be Indians, have an obligation to receive them, but to send them like this abruptly in a military aircraft and in handcuffs is an insult to India, it’s an insult to the dignity of Indians.”
Previously, the US Embassy spokesperson said the country is enforcing its border and immigration laws rigorously. He underlined the actions taken send a “clear message that illegal immigrant is not worth the risk.” Last month, the MEA said it would facilitate the return of Indians who are “overstaying” or living in the US without proper documentation.
