India says engaging with U.S. to ensure deportees are not mistreated

By Aftab Ahmed, YP Rajesh and Shivam Patel

AMRITSAR, India (Reuters) - Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that New Delhi is engaging with the U.S. to ensure that illegal Indian immigrants are not mistreated while being deported after opposition parties protested against the treatment of a group that was sent back this week.

A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deportees landed on Wednesday in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in India's Punjab state, part of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.

The deportation came a week before Trump is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington and sparked a political furore in India, with opposition parties demanding a discussion in parliament over how the deportees were treated during their return.

Jaishankar told parliament that the process of deportation followed by U.S. authorities was not a new one and it allows for use of restraints on immigrants being returned to their home countries.

He also said that the women and children among the deportees were not restrained, adding that India's focus should be on strongly cracking down on the illegal migration industry.

"It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad," Jaishankar said, adding that hundreds of Indians have been deported every year for years.

"We are engaging the U.S. government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Times of India and the Indian Express newspapers said all immigrants, barring children, were handcuffed during the flight, quoting unnamed officials in Punjab who said they had spoken to the deportees.

The deportees underwent hours of scrutiny at Amritsar airport before police escorted them out in small groups in police vehicles.

"USBP (U.S. Border Patrol) and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport," USBP chief Michael Banks said in a post on X on Wednesday.

"If you cross illegally, you will be removed," he said in the post which had a video showing some men being led into a military plane in handcuffs and legs in chains.

ENFORCING LAWS, U.S. EMBASSY SAYS

"Reports have surfaced of these individuals being shackled and treated in a degrading manner during their deportation process, raising serious concerns about their human dignity and rights," opposition Congress party lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi said in a notice to the lower house of parliament.

In a separate notice by another Congress party lawmaker, Manickam Tagore urged Jaishankar to make an immediate statement in parliament clarifying the Modi government's stand and steps taken to address the issue.

Enforcing immigration laws was "critically important" to the security and public safety of the United States, said a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Delhi.

"It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens," the spokesperson added.

Migration has been among the key issues discussed by India and the U.S. since Trump assumed office last month, and is also expected to come up during Trump's talks with Modi.

Although Indian immigrants have been deported by previous U.S. administrations, it was the first time Washington used a military aircraft to do so.

The U.S. is India's largest trading partner and the two countries are forging deeper strategic ties as they look to counter China. India is also keen to work with the U.S. to make it easier for its citizens to get skilled workers visas.

($1 = 87.5750 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aftab Ahmed and Adnan Abidi, additional reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi, Sumit Khanna and Amit Dave in Ahmedabad; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly and YP Rajesh; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)