New Delhi:
Amid fury in India over the way the United States deported a first batch of illegal Indian immigrants – 104 people were handcuffed and their legs shackled for a flight that lasted nearly a day – the US Border Patrol shared a video on X that showed the deplorable treatment of the deportees.
USBP Chief Michael W Banks posted the 24-second video on X with a statement that said, “… successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws…”
A combative ‘warning’ – “If you cross illegally, you will be removed” – accompanied the video.
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. pic.twitter.com/WW4OWYzWOf
— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) February 5, 2025
Filmed late at night, the video – set to rousing and chest-thumping music, possibly to inspire ‘patriotism’ among American viewers – with the rear door of a C-17 transport plane opening and a large cargo pallet being loaded, followed by a long line of illegal migrants being marched on board.
As the video pans out, shackles can be seen on the migrants’ legs, forcing a shuffled walk more commonly associated with hardened criminals and, perhaps, prisoners of war.
After the ‘prisoners’ are loaded, several American soldiers march on board and the camera shifts to inside the plane, where the ‘prisoners’ are strapped into seats before the plane taxis for take-off.
That plane landed in Amritsar in Punjab late last night.
And as the 104 Indians emerged, so too did the horror stories.
Jaspal Singh, 36, from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, said he paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent who promised him legal passage to the US. Instead, he was forced to take the ‘donkey route’, an illegal and often perilous path, which involves traveling first to a South American country, used by traffickers.
READ |Â Handcuffed, Thrown Around Like Boxes: Indian Migrants’ US Nightmare
Harwinder Singh, from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur, paid Rs 42 lakh to be trafficked through multiple countries: Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and Mexico. “We walked for days… crossed mountains and nearly drowned. I saw one man die in the Panama jungle…” he said.
READ |Â “Walked 45Km, Saw Bodies On The Way”: Indians Deported From US
The manner of these deportations triggered a furious response from opposition MPs in India, who have attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration, demanding a discussion in Parliament on the use of shackles and chains, and a formal response from the government.
READ |Â “Inhuman”: Opposition’s Shackles-And-Chain Protests Over Deportation
Led by the Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, many opposition MPs stood outside Parliament this morning waving placards that screamed ‘humans, not prisoners’ and with handcuffs and shackles to make their point.
The government has, so far, refused to set aside scheduled business for the discussion demanded by the opposition, but External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement in the House today.
Meanwhile, sources told NDTV the government is considering a new law to ensure migrants’ safety.
READ |Â India Mulling New Law For Migrants’ Safety Amid Deportation Row
The tentatively titled ‘Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024’ emerged from a report presented in Lok Sabha by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Monday.
With input from agencies
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