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A recent US deportation flight carrying around 100 Indian migrants has sparked widespread outrage in India after reports revealed that the deportees were kept in shackles for the entire 40-hour journey, including during bathroom breaks. This incident has intensified criticism of former US President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies.
On Thursday, Indian lawmakers protested outside parliament, with some wearing shackles as a symbolic gesture and others ridiculing the much-publicized friendship between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In New Delhi, members of the youth wing of India’s main opposition party expressed their anger by burning an effigy of Trump.
Echoes of Previous Deportation Controversies
The incident follows a similar controversy involving Colombian deportees who were shackled while boarding a US deportation flight last month. The move led to a dispute between the two nations, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro initially refusing permission for the military aircraft to land.
The outrage in India comes just days ahead of an expected meeting between Modi and Trump at the White House. Given their previously warm relationship, many are calling for Modi to intervene and address the concerns of deported Indian citizens.
Calls for Modi to Act on US-India Relations
S. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a government minister from Punjab—the state where the deportation flight landed—urged Modi to leverage his friendship with Trump to resolve the issue.
“Now use his friendship to resolve the issue,” Dhaliwal said, further questioning “the usefulness of this friendship if it cannot help Indian citizens in need,” according to a statement released by his office.
Inside the Grueling 40-Hour Flight
The US official handling the deportation process confirmed that the flight was the longest in distance since military aircraft were deployed for migrant removals. Indian deportees have shared harrowing details of their treatment onboard.
“Our hands were cuffed and ankles tied with chains before we took the flight,” said Akashdeep Singh, a 23-year-old deportee who arrived in Punjab on Wednesday with 103 others.
“We requested the military officials to take it off to eat or go to the bathroom but they treated us horribly and without any regard whatsoever,” Singh said.
Describing the distressing experience, he added, “The way they looked at us, I’ll never forget it… We went to the bathroom with the shackles on. Right before landing, they removed (the shackles) for the women. We saw it. For us, they were removed after we landed by the local police officials.”
US Officials Share Footage of Shackled Deportees
US Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), showing the Indian deportees being escorted onto the plane in shackles. The video clearly depicts men with their wrists and ankles bound, moving slowly up the aircraft ramp. CNN has reached out to the Pentagon and US Customs and Border Protection for clarification on whether the shackles remained on for the entire duration of the flight.
Deportee Sukhpal Singh, 35, also confirmed that the shackles remained on throughout the journey, including during a refueling stopover on the Pacific island of Guam.
“They treated us like criminals,” Singh said. “If we would try to stand because our legs were swelling due to the handcuffs, they would yell at us to sit down.”
The Struggles of Undocumented Indian Migrants
The US has seen a sharp rise in undocumented Indian migrants in recent years. Many young Indians seeking better job opportunities risk the dangerous journey through Latin America to reach the US southern border.
Many believe they have no future in India due to the growing jobs crisis, which is stifling economic mobility in the world’s most populous country. Government data reveals that the number of Indian citizens entering the US illegally surged from 8,027 in the 2018-19 fiscal year to 96,917 in 2022-23.
Families often sell land and exhaust their savings to pay “travel agents” thousands of dollars to facilitate these perilous journeys.
Hopes of a Better Future Dashed
“I had gone for work, for a better life, for a better future,” said Sukhpal Singh, who has a son and daughter and had hoped to provide them with a more stable livelihood in the US.
“You see it in movies and you hear from people around you that there’s work there and people are successful there, so that’s why I also wanted to go,” he added.
As the controversy unfolds, calls for the Indian government to take a stronger stance on the treatment of its citizens abroad continue to grow. Many now look to Modi’s upcoming meeting with US officials to see if diplomatic action will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
