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Trump Mass Deportation Plan: Why is opposition outraged over handcuffs on Indian illegal immigrants? What’s the US SOP?
Trump Mass Deportation Plan: The recent deportation of over 100 Indian immigrants in handcuffs from the US has sparked outrage in India. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar defends the process amid protests in Parliament, while critics argue for more humane treatment.
Trump Mass Deportation Plan: Images of over 100 Indian illegal immigrants deported from the United States in a military aircraft in handcuffs and leg restraints earlier this week triggered an uproar in Parliament during the ongoing Budget Session, prompting questions about the Standard Operation Procedures.
Amid opposition’s protests, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Parliament on Thursday that India is engaging with the United States to ensure that the Indians being deported are not mistreated.
“The deportation by the US is organised and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authority,” Jaishankar said, addressing Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.
Illegal immigrants have been deported from the United States before. EAM Jaishankar told the Parliament that the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for deportations by aircraft US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraint.
Why is it a big deal?
So why has it become a big deal now? This may be because Donald Trump is at the helm of the US. By deporting Indians and other immigrants two weeks after his inauguration, President Trump is living up to his promise of strict action against illegal immigration.
Soon after taking over as the President of the United States, Donald Trump flagged the issue of illegal immigration. He also signed several executive orders to kickstart the US's widespread crackdown on illegal immigrants in the US.
Jaishankar, speaking in both houses of Parliament on Thursday, gave the year-by-year deportation numbers from the US since 2009. As many as 15,700 illegal Indians have been deported from the US in the last 16 years. The practice of handcuffing deportees began in 2012.
When the NDA government came to power in 2014, 591 were deported, followed by 708 in 2015. In 2016, 1,303 were deported, 1,024 in 2017, and 1,180 in 2018.
Highest deportation in 2019
The highest deportation was witnessed in 2019, when 2,042 illegal Indian immigrants were flown back to the country. In 2020 the deportation number was 1,889; 805 in 2021; 862 in 2022; 617 in 2023; 1,368 last year, and 104 so far this year.
Another reason for the uproar is that smaller countries like Columbia and Brazil have complained about the ‘inhumane’ ways the immigrants were deported.
“I have heard that they have sent them on a military plane. Well, that is the only thing that I am not happy about. I think the US is entirely entitled to deport those people who they deem to be illegally present in their country and whose nationality can be established beyond doubt,” Congress leader and parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor told the Indian Express in an interview.
Columbia sent a flight to the US to ensure the dignified deportation of its citizens from the US. If a small country like Columbia can send a flight for its citizens, why can’t India to avoid humiliation, the opposition asked.
“So, these are Indians, and they are in another country without authorisation, then India has a legal obligation to take them back. But I do believe it would have been better for the US to have sent these people on a regular commercial flight, or if necessary, on a civilian charter, than doing so on a military aircraft. That, I think, is what is a new contribution by Mr Trump’s administration,” Tharoor said.
The timing
The deportation row comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States. Though the row is unlikely to impact India-US relations, it has given the opposition ammunition to question the Modi government on diplomacy. Opposition couldn’t have asked for a better time to have a Parliament session underway.
“Modi Govt must come out with a detailed statement on the deportation and why did we not send our own planes to bring back the Indians, with dignity and respect, instead of a military plane landing on our soil,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X sharing a video of opposition protest outside the Parliament on Thursday.
US SOP on deportation
Every immigration case is different, but for each unauthorized immigrant who is ultimately deported, the journey begins with an arrest, according to NBC News.
After the arrest, the immigrants are taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, which could be nearby or a few hours away. The ICE has a little over 100 facilities across the US that can hold up to 41,500 people. Trump administration has promised to build more detention facilities.
Immigrants who have arrived in the US within the past two years may face expedited removal, bypassing an immigration judge and being deported within weeks. Those in the country longer could face years of legal proceedings before deportation. If a judge issues a “final order of removal,” the individual is typically flown to one of four staging locations along the southwest border of the country — Mesa, Arizona; Alexandria, Louisiana; San Antonio; and Harlingen, Texas — either on a commercial airline or one of ICE’s 10 planes, according to NBC News.
Trump administration, however, has also started using military planes to deport immigrants. It was one such aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster, that landed in Amritsar with over 100 Indian deportees.
SOP's inside flight
-Inside the flight, detainees are not allowed to carry but may bring one 18-kg bag.
-Many are restrained with handcuffs, leg irons, and belly chains.
-Children and parents travelling with children are not restrained.
-Between 13 and 20 guards, along with medical staff, accompany each flight
-Meals are provided.
So, deportations aren’t new. The reason it has become a big deal is President Trump and, as the opposition claims, the way the Modi government accepted the ‘inhumane’ treatment of immigrants, unlike small countries like Columbia.
The UN take on Immigration
I think the US is entirely entitled to deport those people who they deem to be illegally present in their country.
The United Nations clearly states that while one has the right to leave his/her country, the right to enter any other country is not guaranteed.
According to UN Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to "leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. " While you have the freedom to leave your own country, Article 13 does not guarantee the right to enter any other country; essentially, it only protects the right to depart from your nation and return to it.
Key Takeaways
- The use of military aircraft for deportations has triggered political backlash in India.
- The deportation process is governed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protocols, which include the use of restraints.
- The timing of deportations coincides with important diplomatic events, affecting public perception and government accountability.
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Business NewsNewsTrump Mass Deportation Plan: Why is opposition outraged over handcuffs on Indian illegal immigrants? What’s the US SOP?
First Published:7 Feb 2025, 10:58 AM IST
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