United States on Thursday released a video showing Indian nationals in handcuffs and chains in their legs while they were being escorted to a deportation aircraft. The video was shared by United States Border Patrol (USBP) chief Michael W Banks amid protests by Congress leaders and the Delhi Youth Congress workers over the manner in which the Indians were deported.
The video was shared a day after a US military C-17 aircraft landed in Amritsar, Punjab, carrying 104 deported Indians.
Sharing the video on X, Banks said, "USBP and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals."
"If you cross illegally, you will be removed," he warned.
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Earlier, the Indian nationals who were deported claimed they were handcuffed and that their feet were tied with chains throughout their journey to Amritsar. One of them told ABP News that they were unshackled only after the aircraft landed in Amritsar.
A photo of showing deportees in shackles had gone viral on social media, and was shared by several Congress leaders as well. However, the government had called the image fake and clarified that the deportees in the image were being taken to Guatemala.
Later in the day, EAM Jaishanakr spoke at the Rajya Sabha on the issue of deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the United States. While he said the government is focused on ecouraging the legal mobility and discouraging illegal movement, he also assured that India was engaging with the US to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreted in any manner during the flight.