Engaging with US to ensure no Indian deportee is mistreated: Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha amid 'handcuffed' extradition row

Jaishankar issued a statement in Parliament in the backdrop of the Opposition's criticisms of the Centre over the way the deported Indians were treated.

The minister said, "Deportations by the US are organised and executed by the immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) authorities. The Standard Operating Procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE i.e. effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained.

"Further, the needs of deportees during transit related to food and other necessities including possible medical emergencies are attended too. During toilet breaks, deportees have temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard. This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft. There has been no change from past procedure for the flight undertaken by the US on 5 February 2025."

"We are of course engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight. At the same time, the House will appreciate that our focus should be on a strong crackdown on illegal migration," Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha.

"On the basis of information provided by returning deportees about the agents and others involved, law enforcement agencies will take necessary preventive and exemplary actions," he added.

A US military aircraft, which was carrying 104 deported illegal Indian immigrants, landed in the north Indian city of Amritsar city on Wednesday.

The Indians were deported on a C-17 plane that took off from San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday.

Now, the Indians who arrived in Amristsar recounted their harrowing experience of the 40-hour-long journey from the US to India.

The Indians claimed they were handcuffed and chained throughout the entire journey.

Reacting to the reports, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told ANI, ""It's not the first time we have had people deported. It's just that the media has suddenly woken up to this story because Mr Trump has done it a bit quicker than people expected. But already last year, under the Biden Administration, were over 1100 Indians being deported back.

"If you are illegally in the US, the US has the right to deport you and if your identity as an Indian is confirmed then India has an obligation to accept you. So, in both cases there really isn't very much debate.However, it wasn't good to hear that they were brought back forcibly in a military plane and handcuffed and so on. That was quite unnecessary. It should have been enough to put them on a commercial aircraft or civilian aeroplane and send them back. If you want to do a mass deportation, do in civilian charters. That would have been the more humane thing to do. "

The INDIA bloc MPs including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge protested in the Parliament premises.

In a dig at the Centre, Akhilesh, who heads the second largest opposition party, said, "Will India become Vishwaguru this way with the nationals being made captive?"

The deportation was a part of US President Donald Trump's massive crackdown launched against illegal immigrants after his inauguration on January 20.

Several such flights are likely to arrive in India in the coming days.

After a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, Trump, who is locked in trade wars with several nations, had said New Delhi would take necessary steps in repatriating its nationals illegally staying in the USA.

Trump had said India will do "what is right" when it comes to taking back illegal immigrants.

The deportation occurred at a time when multiple media reports were claiming that Modi would visit the USA and meet Trump next week.

This would be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump took charge after coming to power for a second term.

As per data released by the Pew Research Centre, approximately 725,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US.