For those who expected better treatment for Indian deportees following PM Modi’s recent engagements with President Trump in Washington, reality has been disappointing. The third US Air Force plane carrying 112 Indians landed in Amritsar this week, and the experience of these returnees was no better than that of the earlier groups. If anything, the differences were marginal; women were spared shackles, but the overall treatment remained harsh.
These deportees are not criminals. Most had travelled to the US in pursuit of a better life, falling prey to unscrupulous agents, who thrive in states like Punjab, Gujarat, and Haryana. These agents paint a rosy picture of life in America, convincing desperate individuals to sell their possessions to fund their journey. They are routed through Latin America and left to cross the US border illegally, where they are inevitably caught, detained, and deported.
The Indian government, particularly Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, had promised to intervene and ensure deportees were treated with greater dignity. But that promise remains unfulfilled. The first deportation flight had caused a political storm in Parliament, yet subsequent flights have barely raised an eyebrow. Jaishankar has now taken a pragmatic approach, stating that such deportations have been routine. This suggests that such flights will become a regular occurrence, perhaps even normalised.
Three flights in 10 days cannot be called infrequent. That does not, however, justify inhumane treatment. Deportees deserve to be sent back with basic dignity, not shackled like convicts and packed into military aircraft with minimal facilities. Even smaller Latin American countries have insisted that their citizens be returned on passenger flights with proper amenities. India is a country that has successfully airlifted thousands of its citizens from war zones in Kuwait and Ukraine.
It could certainly have negotiated a more humane arrangement with the US administration. Beyond the issue of deportation, India must also tackle the root of the problem: the immigration racket. Every year, thousands of Indians are lured by false promises of an easy life in the US. A sustained crackdown on fraudulent agents, along with better awareness campaigns, is essential to prevent desperate individuals from risking their lives and fortunes on perilous journeys.
Ultimately, respect begets respect. If India expects its citizens to be treated with dignity abroad, it must demand it. The US may have the right to enforce its immigration laws, but India has the duty to ensure that its people, no matter their legal status, are treated with the basic human dignity they deserve.
