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In the wake of 104 Indians allegedly staying in the United States and being deported back in a military plane, Congress leader and Supreme Court bar association member Virendra Vashisth has written to President Droupadi Murmu, appealing for the dignified treatment of the Indian citizens deported back.
Vashishth’s Letter To President Murmu
In his letter to the President, Vashisth, who was earlier the secretary of the Indian Overseas Congress, said, “I am writing to you regarding the distressing situation faced by our fellow Indian nationals who are being deported from the United States of America.”
He highlighted that recent reports indicate that a fresh batch of 586 Indians (486+100) has been ordered to leave the USA.
Vashisth said that many of these individuals have endured immense hardships, having been deceived and financially exploited by human traffickers who lured them into dangerous, illegal migration routes, commonly known as the dunki route.
“While every sovereign nation has the right to enforce its immigration laws, it is imperative that Indian deportees are treated with dignity and respect,” the Congress leader said.
“Disturbingly, in the last mass deportation of Indian nationals from the USA, they were transported on a military plane while being handcuffed and shackled. This inhumane treatment is deeply humiliating, not only for those individuals but for our nation as a whole. Such actions violate fundamental human rights and international norms,” Vashisth pointed out.
He urged the President to urgently intervene and ensure that the Indian government engages with US authorities to ensure that Indian deportees are not subjected to degrading treatment such as handcuffing and shackling.
Rehabilitation And Support For Deported Citizens
He also demanded rehabilitation and support of the deported citizens, saying that adequate legal aid, counseling, and employment opportunities should be provided to these individuals upon their return to India.
Vashisth also demanded strict measures to dismantle networks involved in illegal human trafficking that exploit innocent Indians and a nationwide campaign to educate citizens about the severe risks of illegal migration routes.
The Congress leader also demanded that the Indian government should make arrangements to bring back these deported citizens with dignity on Indian aircraft instead of allowing them to be transported on foreign military planes under humiliating conditions.
“I sincerely urge you to take immediate steps to prevent such mistreatment in future deportations and uphold the dignity of our fellow Indians on foreign soil,” he said.
Earlier, Vashisth had shared the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Air Operations details on X, and said, “I am against illegal immigration, but according to the ICE website, IAO is the official partner for the air operations of ICE and has 12 charter planes. If they have 12 charter planes, why were Indians deported on a military plane?”
EAM S Jaishankar’s Statement
Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the deportation of Indian citizens from the US amid uproar by the opposition parties, including Congress.
Clarifying in the Rajya Sabha Jaishankar said that the deportation process “was not a new one” and had been ongoing for several years.
He had said that a total of 15,668 illegal Indian immigrants have been deported to India from the US since 2009.
Jaishankar had assured the opposition that India was engaging the Donald Trump administration to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner. While confirming that the male deportees were handcuffed and chained, Jaishankar asserted that women and children were not restrained.
“The deportations by the US are organized and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The SOP for deportations by aircraft, effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraint. We have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained,” Jaishankar had said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Left parties had staged protests in Parliament over the mistreatment of Indian citizens.
