Cong seeks discussion in LS, dignified treatment for deported Indians by US

The Congress on Thursday submitted adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha, demanding an urgent discussion on the deportation of over 100 illegal Indian immigrants by the United States (US) and urged the Centre to clarify its stance and outline diplomatic efforts being made to ensure the dignified treatment of deported individuals. 

The Indian nationals who were deported from the US for illegally arriving in the country on Wednesday claimed that they were sent back on the military aircraft with their hands and legs cuffed throughout the journey.

Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, and Manickam Tagore moved the motions, stressing the need to "urgently address the issue to prevent further dehumanisation" and to "uphold the dignity" of the deported Indians.

Venugopal, in his adjournment motion, called for a discussion on the "ongoing abrupt deportations of illegal Indian immigrants by the US government."

The motion urged the Centre to clarify its stance and outline diplomatic efforts being made to ensure the dignified treatment of deported individuals.

"This crisis underscores the need for strong policies to prevent illegal migration and create structured legal avenues for those seeking employment abroad.

"There is an urgent need for intervention to dismantle human trafficking networks, provide financial and social reintegration support to deportees, and establish transparent migration frameworks to protect Indians from such predicaments in the future," Venugopal added.

Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, also submitted an adjournment motion, describing the deportations as "deeply distressing and humiliating."

Similarly, Congress whip Manickam Tagore sought a discussion on the "inhumane deportation of Indian nationals by the United States" and urged the government to take necessary steps to prevent their mistreatment abroad.

The development comes a day after a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday.

The deportees included 33 people each from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and two from Chandigarh. Among them were 25 women and 12 minors, the youngest being just four-years-old.

The US military C-17 aircraft, which took off from Texas on Tuesday, landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport amid tight security. The flight also carried 11 crew members and 45 US officials overseeing the deportation process.

This was the first round of deportations under the Trump administration, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Washington next week -- his first after Donald Trump's re-election as US President.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier stated that India is open to the "legitimate return" of Indian nationals living illegally abroad, including in the US.

He conveyed India's readiness to accept these migrants post-verification to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month.

President Trump had announced the crackdown last month, stating, "For the first time in history, we are locating and loading illegal aliens into military aircraft and flying them back to the places from which they came."

Meanwhile, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal expressed disappointment over the deportations, arguing that many of these individuals had contributed to the US economy and should have been granted permanent residency instead of being sent back.

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 7,25,000 illegal immigrants from India live in the US, making it the third-largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador.

Many of those facing deportation from Punjab had entered the US through illegal routes, spending lakhs of rupees in the process.

With Trump's administration intensifying its crackdown on illegal immigration, uncertainty looms over the fate of thousands of Indians living without legal status in the US.