We are engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
New Delhi/Washington: Amid the deportation row, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has clarified that there has been "no change from the past procedure" in the deportation of illegal immigrants by the United States, emphasising that the process is "not a new one".
In a statement in response to an adjournment motion given by the Congress in the Parliament, the Minister shared figures of the UPA era to explain that illegal immigrants have been sent back by the US in the past as well.
“Members are aware that people-to-people exchanges constitute the bedrock of our deepening ties with the United States. Indeed, more than any other relationship, mobility and migration has had a key role to play in enhancing its quality,” said Jaishankar in his reply.
“It is the obligation of all nations 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 stressed.
Providing figures to illustrate the ongoing nature of the process, Jaishankar shared: "In 2009, the number of deportees was 734, in 2010 it was 799, in 2011 it was 597, in 2012 it was 530, in 2013 it was 515, in 2014 it was 591 and in 2015 it was 708."
He continued with the figures: "In 2016 it was 1,303, in 2017 it was 1,024, in 2018 it was 1,180, in 2019 it was 2,042, in 2020 it was 1,889, in 2021 it was 805, in 2022 it was 862, in 2023 it was 617, in 2024 it was 1,368, and in 2025 it is 104.”
The remarks followed the arrival of a US military C-17 aircraft at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab, carrying the first batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants, with the highest numbers coming from Haryana and Gujarat (33 each).
Jaishankar noted that the deportations are conducted under the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) effective from 2012, which allows for the use of restraints. “We are 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 to crackdown strongly on the illegal migration industry, while taking steps to ease visas for the legitimate traveler,” he mentioned.
He also emphasized ongoing engagement with the US government to ensure the humane treatment of deportees during transit. The flight, which took off from Texas, also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials overseeing the deportation process, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Washington, DC, next week.
We’ve policy to execute immigration laws: US EmbassyNew Delhi: The US Embassy in India said that "enforcing our nation's immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States". Reacting to the deportation row, a US Embassy spokesperson said that enforcing “our nation's immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States”. “It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens," the spokesperson added. India is reportedly considering enacting a new law, tentatively titled the Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024. The legislation aims to promote "safe, orderly, and regular migration for overseas employment" and could serve as a framework for future deportation and immigration policies. |
