NEW DELHI: Amid protests over Indians being deported in handcuffs on a US military plane, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the use of restraints on deportees has been standard operating procedure since 2012, and the government is engaging with the US to ensure deportees are not mistreated.
Both Houses of Parliament saw intense protests from opposition members over the “deeply distressing and humiliating” manner in which illegal migrants were deported from the US to India on Wednesday.
“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 strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry, while taking steps to ease visas for the legitimate travelers,” the minister told the Rajya Sabha.
Jaishankar stated that a total of 15,688 illegal immigrants have returned to India from 2009 to February 2025, including the 104 deported on a US military plane.
“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. It is a general accepted principle in international relations,” the minister said.
Defending the Centre on the issue of deportation of illegal migrants from the US amid strong attacks from opposition MPs and addressing concerns about whether such cases have increased in recent years, Jaishankar stated, “The process of deportation is not a new one, I repeat, not a new one, and has been ongoing for several years.”
He clarified that the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft, used by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement of US Homeland Security) since 2012, includes the use of restraints but added that India has been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained.
“Further, the needs of deportees during transit related to food or other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard. This is applicable to chartered civilian aircraft as well as military aircraft. There has been no change, I repeat, no change, from past procedure for the flight undertaken by the US on 5 February 2025,” said the minister.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned until noon after MPs from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool, Aam Aadmi Party, and Communist Party of India submitted adjournment notices under Rule 267, which calls for setting aside scheduled business. All the notices were rejected, sparking intense protests from opposition lawmakers, many of whom stood in their seats and shouted their objections. In the heated verbal exchange that ensued, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chair Harivansh Narayan Singh ordered the striking of MPs' remarks from the record.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi condemned the deportation process as “degrading.” His colleague Renuka Chowdhury claimed that, "For 40 hours, these Indians were handcuffed, had their legs chained, and even struggled to use the washroom.”
