Deportation in line with US norms: EAM in Parl

The US has deported nearly 15,700 Indians since 2009, and the 104 who were put on a military flight to Amritsar this week were sent back as per US immigration enforcement norms, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, while stressing that the Indian government is engaging its US counterpart to ensure deportees are not mistreated.

- Rezaul H Laskar and Smriti Kak Ramachandran

India's focus should be on a "strong crackdown" on illegal migration and steps to ease visas for legitimate travellers, Jaishankar said while making statements in both houses of Parliament amid an outcry by the Opposition triggered by images of Indian deportees in shackles following US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

The sending back of the latest group of deportees on a military aircraft marked a departure from convention, with previous deportations done using civilian charter flights, and came about a week ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned meeting with Trump in Washington on February 13.

Jaishankar addressed concerns about deportees being sent back in handcuffs and chains by saying that the use of restraints has been part of standard operating procedures of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since 2012.

"The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE, that is effective from 2012, I repeat to you, these are procedures in place from 2012, provides for the use of restraints," Jaishankar said in Lok Sabha. He laid an American document of 2012 on the restraint procedure on the table of the House.

"However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained and the needs of deportees during transit related to food or other necessities, including possible medical emergencies, are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard," he said, adding the procedures applied to chartered civilian flights and military aircraft.

There was no change from procedure in the case of the US military flight on February 5 that brought back 104 deportees, he said. "We are, of course, engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight," he added.