Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday said that there are up to 487 presumed Indian citizens facing final removal orders from the US, with details about 298 of these individuals having been shared with India.
Addressing a weekly briefing on Friday, Misri said, “…In recent conversations when we have sought details about potential returnees from 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 use with US counterparts….”
On the subject of deportee mistreatment, while Misri said India has registered concerns with the US over the deportation of illegal immigrants in shackles and conveyed that this kind of treatment could have been avoided, sources said that India has raised the issue with the US in both Delhi and Washington.
Misri’s remarks came amid uproar over the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants by the US in handcuffs during their 40-hour flight onboard a military aircraft which landed in Amritsar on Wednesday.
He acknowledged the validity of concerns regarding mistreatment, saying, “We will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention.”
He said “real cancer” is the ecosystem of gangs working to send people illegally.
“Action needs to be taken across the system against the underlying ecosystem that thrives on promoting illegal immigration….,” added Misri.
Misri also reiterated External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s comments about the standard operating procedures related to the use of restraints, which have been communicated by US authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
He said the US policy of deporting illegal immigrants in restraints has been in place since 2012.
“I don’t think there was any protest. We don’t have any record of any protest having been made about it,” the foreign secretary said to a question on whether India had registered its protest on deportation of illegal immigrants in shackles in 2012.
Rejecting claims that India had been uncooperative in dealing with the issue, Misri said that the deportation process is not a new phenomenon.
“It is something that the External Affairs Minister (EAM) also emphasised in the Parliament yesterday…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…,” said Misri.
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.
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.
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.
With inputs from agencies
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