The Center is working with the US government to make sure deportees are not mistreated, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated on Thursday. In a suo motu address to the Rajya Sabha about the deportation of 104 Indian nationals who boarded a US military aircraft in Amritsar on Wednesday, he stated that all nations have a duty to repatriate their citizens who are discovered to be living unlawfully elsewhere. Additionally, he stated that "ICE's standard operating procedure effective from 2012" has been to restrain those who are being deported.
Jaishankar met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day to discuss the matter with him.
All nations have a duty to repatriate its citizens who are discovered to be living unlawfully overseas. Naturally, a clear confirmation of their nationality is required for this. In a brief presentation to the House, he stated that this is a well recognized principle in international relations and that it is neither a policy that applies to any one nation nor, in fact, one that is only followed by India.
"The process of deportation is not a new one, I repeat, not a new one, and has been ongoing for several years," Jaishankar said, defending the Center on the deportation issue and answering whether or not such cases have grown recently.
He disclosed that there had been 734 deportations from the US since 2009, nearly increasing to 1,303 in 2016. He added that 1,368 Indians were deported from the United States last year, the last year of the Joe Biden administration.
Jaishankar stated that "the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012… provides for the use of restraints," despite the fact that there was significant dissatisfaction over the way Indian residents were deported, shackled, and chained.
But India has been "informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained," he continued.
Additionally, deportees' requirements for food and other necessities—including potential medical emergencies—are met, even while they are in transit. If necessary, deportees are momentarily released from restraint during bathroom breaks, he stated.
"There has been no change from past procedure for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5, 2025," he added, noting that this applies to both military and chartered civilian planes. Naturally, the US government is being consulted to make sure the returning deportees are not abused in any way while in flight.
"Encouraging legal mobility and discouraging illicit movement is in our common best interests. In actuality, there are numerous more unlawful actions that are connected to illegal movement and mobility. Additionally, our countrymen who have been involved in illegal movements themselves end up being victims of other crimes," he stated.
Agents who allowed Indian citizens to enter the US without the required paperwork would face harsh consequences, he said. "Law enforcement agencies will take necessary preventive and exemplary actions based on information provided by returning deportees about the agents and others involved," he stated.
Yesterday afternoon, 104 deported Indian people from Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra were transported by a US military C-17 plane that touched down at Amritsar airport. Eleven crew members and forty-five US officials were also on board the Tuesday afternoon departure from San Antonio, Texas.
Gujarat and Haryana have the largest numbers of deportees (33 each), followed by Punjab (30). Two of the passengers are from Chandigarh, while three are each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Twelve youngsters and twenty-five women were among the deportees; the youngest passenger was only four years old. There are 48 people under the age of 25.
