Jaishankar stated that India was actively engaging with the US government to ensure that deportees were not mistreated during the process….reports Asian Lite News
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday addressed the Lok Sabha – the lower house of the Parliament – on the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States, amid uproar from Opposition MPs who argued that the statement should have been made in the Lower House first.
Jaishankar had earlier presented his remarks in the Rajya Sabha, prompting opposition sloganeering. However, he clarified that the deportations were in line with long-established procedures and that there had been no deviation from past practices.
“Deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE has been in effect since 2012. I repeat, these procedures date back to 2012 and provide for the use of restraints,” Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha.
He assured the House that the US authorities had informed India that women and children were not restrained and that deportees’ needs, including food, medical emergencies, and toilet breaks, were attended to. “There has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on 5 February 2025,” he emphasised.
India Engaging with US to Prevent Mistreatment
Jaishankar stated that India was actively engaging with the US government to ensure that deportees were not mistreated during the process. At the same time, he underscored the need for a “strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry while taking steps to ease visas for legitimate travellers.”
“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 said.
The statement comes after a US Air Force plane carrying 104 Indian nationals, who had allegedly entered the US illegally, landed in Amritsar, Punjab, on Wednesday.
Deportations Not a New Phenomenon
Addressing concerns over the increasing number of deportations, Jaishankar clarified that repatriation of illegal migrants had been an ongoing process for years and was not unique to the US-India relationship.
“It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad. This is subject to unambiguous verification of their nationality. This is not a policy specific to any one country, nor is it only practised by India. It is a generally accepted principle in international relations,” he asserted.
Jaishankar also presented a year-wise breakdown of deportations from the US since 2009, citing figures from the Bureau of Immigration and the US Department of Homeland Security. The data showed fluctuations over the years, with a peak in 2019 when 2,042 Indians were deported.
Need to Encourage Legal Migration
The external affairs minister reiterated that people-to-people exchanges form the “bedrock” of India-US ties and that mobility plays a crucial role in strengthening bilateral relations. However, he cautioned against illegal migration, which often leads to exploitation.
“Illegal mobility and migration are often tied to other unlawful activities. Those who undertake these journeys frequently become prey to traffickers and are forced to endure inhumane conditions. Some have even lost their lives in the process,” Jaishankar said.
He added that many of the returnees had shared accounts of their distressing experiences, reinforcing the need for stricter enforcement against illegal migration networks while ensuring smoother pathways for legal migration.
Despite the opposition’s protest, the government maintained that its focus remained on protecting Indian nationals while upholding international commitments on migration.
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