NEW DELHI — On Thursday, disruptions occurred in India’s Parliament as opposition members protested against the alleged inhumane treatment of 104 immigrants who were recently deported from the United States.
A military aircraft from the U.S. landed on Wednesday in a northern Indian city, marking the first instance of such a flight related to an immigration crackdown initiated during the Trump administration.
Witnesses and reports indicated that the deported individuals underwent shackling of their arms and legs during flight. As the Parliament session continued, lawmakers expressed their outrage by chanting slogans and demanding an urgent debate on the issue.
Renuka Chowdhury, a member of the Congress party, highlighted the conditions faced by the deportees, stating they were “handcuffed, had their legs chained and even struggled to use the washroom.”
Another Congress colleague, Gaurav Gogoi, described the situation as “degrading.”
In an attempt to restore order, Parliament Speaker Om Birla reminded the assembly that the transportation of these individuals pertains to U.S. foreign policy and that the U.S. has its own established rules.
Jaspal Singh, one of the deportees, reported that they were only relieved of their restraints upon arrival at the Amritsar airport in India. According to Singh, who is 36 years old, the group thought they were being taken to another detention center in the U.S. until an officer informed them of their deportation mid-flight. “The flight lasted 8-9 hours and then we were advised we are being deported to India,” he explained.
Typically, the U.S. conducts deportations via commercial means; however, the use of military aircraft for such returns is a relatively recent approach that began under the previous administration.
Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, staged protests outside Parliament, some even wearing handcuffs and holding signs that read, “Humans, not prisoners.”
Gandhi expressed on social media, “Indians deserve Dignity and Humanity, NOT Handcuffs,” sharing a video of another deportee, Harvinder Singh, who claimed they were also shackled and chained for an excessive duration. “We were not permitted to move an inch from our seats. It felt worse than hell,” he stated.
Later that day, India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, addressed the upper house of Parliament, explaining that U.S. regulations since 2012 permit the use of restraints on both military and civilian flights. He clarified that U.S. authorities assured them that women and children were not subjected to such treatments.
“There has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the U.S.,” Jaishankar emphasized.
He also mentioned that while India is engaged in dialogue with U.S. officials to prevent mistreatment of returning deportees, the country’s primary focus remains on curbing illegal immigration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Washington next week, and discussions regarding immigration took place during a recent phone call with President Trump, who underlined the need for India to procure more security equipment manufactured in the U.S. and to ensure fair trade relations.
A representative from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi underscored the importance of enforcing immigration laws for national security and public safety.
According to Christopher Elms, “It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.”
India has stated its opposition to illegal immigration, which it associates with various forms of organized crime, and has not condemned the U.S. for deporting its citizens.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of Indian nationals attempting to cross into the U.S. from the U.S.-Canada border, with over 14,000 arrests reported in the previous year alone, making up 60% of total border apprehensions.
Reports indicate that the majority of Indians residing in the U.S. without legal status originate from the Punjab and Gujarat regions. Indians constituted about 3% of all undocumented border crossings in the U.S. in 2024.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked earlier this week that deportation flights are an effective strategy to mitigate illegal immigration, which he characterized as disruptive and destabilizing.
The State Department maintains that such deportations serve as a deterrent for others contemplating illegal migration.
According to Jaishankar, since 2009, there have been 15,668 deportations of Indian nationals from the U.S.
A report from the Pew Research Center indicated that by 2022, India had moved into third place, behind Mexico and El Salvador, for the highest number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., totaling approximately 725,000.
