EAM Jaishankar says that deportations by the US are organized and executed by ICE and the standard operating procedure for deportation is effective from 2013
Our Bureau
New Delhi
Starting a major row, a US Air Force plane carrying Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to the US arrived in Punjab’s Amritsar on Wednesday. As many as 104 Indian nationals were onboard the plane that landed in Amritsar. As the images of handcuffed and shackled deportees circulated on social media, all hell broke loose.
Opposition leaders on Thursday criticized the central government over the deportation of 104 Indians from the United States, alleging that they were sent back in an “inhuman manner.” The Congress leader claimed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government had “insulted” the 140 crore Indians after 104 people, including men, women and children, were returned to Amritsar from the US in handcuffs and shackles.
Speaking to reporters, Surjewala said, “The Prime Minister Modi government has insulted the 140 crore Indians. The way 104 Indians including women, men and children were sent back to Amritsar from the US in handcuffs and shackles in an inhuman manner has shamed the country. Unfortunately, we expected the Prime Minister to have responded to this deportation with ‘chappan inch ka seena’ (a 56-inch).”
“We also asked why were the 104 Indians deported from the US in shackles for 40 hours. But there was no answer from the government. The other question we asked was whether the Indians who went to earn their living out of the country were terrorists. To which they did not have any answer,” he added.
Earlier, Congress MP Surjewala stated that more than 7.25 lakh Indian citizens went to the US in search of a better life because the Centre failed to fulfil its promises.
On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that it is the obligation of all nations to take back their nationals if they are found to be residing there illegally and said that the Indian government is engaging the US government to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated in any manner.
In his statement on the US deportation of Indian nationals in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Jaishankar said that deportations by the US are organized and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE is effective from 2013. He said that there has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5.
Jaishankar said, “Deportations by the US are organized and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE has been effective since 2012. I repeat, that is effective from 2012 and provides for the use of restraints. 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.”
But Opposition MPs raised slogans objecting that Jaishankar should have given the statement on deportation of Indians from US in the Lok Sabha first. EAM Jaishankar presented the statement on the US deportation of Indians in Rajya Sabha earlier.
Stressing that nations need to take back their nationals if they are found to be living in abroad illegally, he 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. It is a general accepted principle in international relations.”
He called people-to-people exchanges “bedrock” of the deepening ties between India and US. He stressed that mobility and migration has a key role to enhancing its quality. He noted that illegally mobility and migration has many other associated activities also of illegal nature. He highlighted that those who have returned have recounted experiences.
