India is engaging with the United States to ensure that illegal Indian immigrants being deported from America are not mistreated in any manner during the flight, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

His statement came after the Opposition created ruckus in both Houses over the ”inhuman treatment” meted out to 104 Indian illegal immigrants who returned in an American military aircraft to Amritsar yesterday.

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Mr Jaishankar explained that deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by an aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints, he said.

”However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees, including during transit, related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained, if needed, in that regard,” the minister said.

This, he said, is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft. ”There has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on 5 February,” he added.

Responding to questions raised by some members, the minister said the authorities have been instructed to sit with each one of the returnees and find out how they went to America, who was the agent, and what precautions can be taken to stop illegal migration.

Mr Jaishankar said it is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad. This is naturally subject to an unambiguous verification of their nationality. This is not a policy applicable to any specific country nor indeed one only practiced by India, he added. It is a general accepted principle in international relations.

He told the House that the process of deportation is not a new one and has been going on for several years. He then went on to give the number of deportations from the US since 2009.

Mr Jaishankar said the government is of the view that it is in everyone’s collective interest to encourage legal mobility and discourage illegal movement. In fact, illegal mobility and migration have many other associated activities also of an illegal nature. ”Moreover, those of our citizens who have been inveigled into illegal movement themselves become prey to other crimes,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) addressed the circulation of the image that falsely claimed to show alleged illegal Indian migrants being deported by the US, with the visual of them being handcuffed and their legs chained.

Terming it ‘fake’, the PIB clarified that the image did not involve Indian migrants and the photograph actually depicted individuals who were deported to Guatemala, not India.
Sharing a post on X, PIB Fact Check wrote, “A #Fake image is being shared on social media by many accounts with a claim that illegal Indian migrants have been handcuffed and their legs chained while being deported by the US.”

“The image being shared in these posts does not pertain to Indians. Instead, it shows those deported to Guatemala,” the post added.