Indian Congress on Thursday caused a stir over reports of illegal immigrants deported to the country on US military planes faced abuse, including being tied up during long intercontinental travel.
More than 100 illegal immigrants were returned to India on Wednesday. Deportation is nothing new, but India is a major source of unauthorized migration to the United States. Most rely on commercial flights.
The use of military aircraft, along with allegations of abuse, appears to have hit a nerve, causing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political headache before he could be expected to visit Washington.
Modi describes the President of the United States as “dear friend.” Indian officials hoped that they had declared a willingness to work with the US to regain immigration.
In India, much of the anger on Thursday responded to reports in local media, citing the exile's accounts, saying that they were tied up for more than 40 hours and limited access to toilets .
Video released by the US Border Patrol showed the dispatcher on a plane in a shackle. A spokesman for the US Embassy in New Delhi declined to comment on reports of women and children being bound.
According to his father, Sukhpal Singh, a 35-year-old chef from Punjab, India, who was arrested when he entered the US through Mexico in January, was among them.
“He told me, like any other adult, he was handcuffed, his father, Prempal Singh, said in a phone interview.
“Everyone around him was tied up. Both adults, men and women were chained.”
Opposition lawmakers protested in Parliament on Thursday, some handcuffing and carrying signs that read “humans, not prisoners.” They demanded that the number of American Indians faced imminent deportation.
“Why didn't we send our own planes to reclaim the Indians, with dignity and respect, instead of the military planes landing on our land?” Marikaljun Kalge, president of the Indian National Congress, said I said.
In a scramble to control the damage, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told Congress that the deportation procedure “provides use of binding,” and he said that American officials were bound by women and children. He said he confirmed that there were none.
“We, of course, ensure that the US government is not abused in any way when returning exiles are not inflicted on flight,” Jaishankar said after the protest.
He told Congress that U.S. immigration and customs enforcement agencies are caring for Denner's needs, including food and medical requirements.
“During the toilet break, there will be a temporary unlimited number of exiles, if necessary in that respect,” he said.
But his response revealed a delicate balance in the need for his government to walk — between thwarting domestic turmoil and showing its strictness against illegal immigration to the Trump administration.
“Our focus should be on “strong crackdown on the illegal immigrant industry,” he said.
