Mistreatment Of Deportees A Valid Issue, India Raising Concerns With US: Foreign Secretary

<p>India will continue to convey its concerns to the United States regarding ‘mistreatment’ during the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday. Addressing the issue, he stated that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding the use of restraints had been communicated by US authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). &nbsp;</p>
<p>”The External Affairs Minister (EAM) attracted attention to the fact that these have been in practice for a long period of time… On the issue of mistreatment, it is a valid issue to raise, and we continue to emphasise to US authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees… We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention. Action needs to be taken across the system against the underlying ecosystem that thrives on promoting illegal immigration,” Misri said. &nbsp;</p>
<p>When asked whether protests had occurred following the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US in 2012, Misri stated, “I don’t think there was any protest. We don’t have any record of any protest having been made about it.” &nbsp;</p>
<p>He also reiterated that deportation was not a new process and was recently emphasised by the EAM in Parliament. Rejecting claims that India had been uncooperative in dealing with the issue, he said, “I would not accept the description of India as an uncooperative country. Any country in the world, if it wants to accept its nationals back, will want to have the assurance that whosoever is coming back is a citizen of India. There are issues of legality associated with it, there are issues of security associated with it.” &nbsp;</p>
<p>Providing details on the current situation, Misri stated, “In recent conversations, when we have sought details about potential returnees from the US, we have been told that there are up to 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders. We have sought details, and they have been provided to us with regard to 298 individuals… We have been very transparent on this issue with US counterparts.” &nbsp;</p>
<p>On the use of a military aircraft for deportation, he noted that the recent deportation was distinct from previous instances. “The deportation that happened the day before yesterday is somewhat different compared to flights that have been taking place for many years and is of a slightly different nature,” he said. &nbsp;</p>
<p>India has raised the issue with the U.S. regarding the treatment of Indians by the US on deportation flight, news agency ANI reported citing sources.</p>
<p>A US military aircraft carrying the deportees landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, marking the first such batch expelled by the Trump administration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Several deportees alleged that their hands and legs were shackled throughout the journey and were only unshackled upon arrival in India. The issue triggered uproar in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, leading to repeated adjournments as opposition parties raised concerns over the treatment of deported Indians.&nbsp;</p>
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<h3><strong>PM Modi to Visit US Amid Row Over Deportation of 104 Indian Immigrants &nbsp;</strong></h3>
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on an official working visit to the United States on February 12-13, at a time when the deportation of 104 illegal Indian immigrants has sparked a political storm in India. <span style=”font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ‘Segoe UI’, Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, ‘Open Sans’, ‘Helvetica Neue’, sans-serif;”>External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, responding to the controversy, asserted that the government was engaging with the Trump administration to ensure that deportees were not mistreated during flights.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>Amidst the political turmoil, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the government and questioned Modi&rsquo;s ties with former US President Donald Trump. “A lot of things were said that Modi ji and Trump ji are very good friends. Why did Modi ji let this happen? Couldn’t we have sent our plane to get them? Is this the way one should be behaving with people, that they are sent back in handcuffs and chains?” she said, as quoted by news agency PTI. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Congress MP Manish Tewari also took aim at the government, stating on Friday, “When a country like Colombia sends its airplanes to respectfully bring back its citizens being deported by the US, it sets an example in the world as to how much respect you give to your citizens. Dr Jaishankar’s statements made him sound like a spokesperson of the US government and not the Indian EAM.” &nbsp;</p>
<p>He further said, “PM Narendra Modi should reconsider his US visit after Indian citizens were disrespected.” &nbsp;</p>