US deported 3.2k Indians this year, most in 16 yrs: Govt

The US has deported 3,258 Indian nationals so far this year, the highest number in the past 16 years, with the total number of people deported since 2009 touching 18,822, according to figures provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The government has engaged US authorities to ensure that people being deported are not ill-treated and that women and children on deportation flights are not restrained with handcuffs and chains, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said while responding to questions from MPs. A protest was lodged with the US after 73-year-old Harjit Kaur was maltreated before her deportation in September, he said.

Indian authorities have taken action against illegal recruitment agencies and travel agents involved in human trafficking, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has investigated 27 human trafficking cases and arrested 169 people, Jaishankar said.