U.S. deportation of Indian migrants: Centre to take action against human traffickers, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on February 6, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

“It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad,” the External Affairs Minister said.

“It is in our collective interest to encourage legal mobility, discourage illegal movement. Our focus should be on strong crackdown on illegal migrants,” the Minister added.

Also read | Pictures of Indians getting handcuffed, humiliated while being deported from U.S. saddening: Congress

The Minister also shared details of deportation from the U.S. since 2009.

“We are engaging with U.S. govt to ensure deportees are not mistreated,” said Mr. Jaishankar.

“Deportations by the U.S. are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE]. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft, effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints,” said Mr. Jaishankar.

“Process of deportation is not a new one, it has been there for several years. This is not a policy applicable to only one country.” he added.

The Minister further said that women and children were not restrained.

Also read | 33 Gujarati immigrants, deported from U.S., land in Ahmedabad

A U.S. military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.

Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.