487 presumed Indians face 'final removal orders': Foreign Secretary Misri on US deportations

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday said that India has raised concerns with the United States over the treatment of Indian migrants deported earlier this week. The deportees, 104 in total, were sent back on a US military aircraft and were reportedly shackled throughout the journey before being freed upon arrival in Amritsar.

“We flag issues of mistreatment of illegal migrants deported to India, will continue to do so in future,” Misri said.

He noted that while deportation flights have taken place for years, this particular case was different.

“The deportation that happened day before yesterday is somewhat different from the earlier flights that have been taking place for many, many years. It is of a slightly different nature. It was described as a national security operation, that is perhaps one of the reasons why military aircraft was used,” he said.

Misri also revealed that the US has informed India about 487 presumed Indian citizens who have received “final removal orders.”

“We have been in close communication with the United States on this matter. As soon as the information is provided to us, we do the due diligence on that. And then action follows. 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,” he said.

When asked about past instances of Indian migrants being deported in shackles, Misri said there was no record of the government protesting such cases in 2012. However, he reiterated that India has now registered its concerns with the US.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday told the Rajya Sabha that the deportation of illegal immigrants from the US to India is not a new phenomenon and that there has been a standard operating procedure in place till 2012.