Our policy to execute immigration laws against all removable aliens: US

NEW DELHI: The United States embassy said that enforcing immigration laws was imperative for American national security even as Chief of US Border Patrol Michael W Banks put out a video showing Indian illegals being deported in shackles, which sparked an uproar in parliament.

The embassy spokesperson said in New Delhi, “I can’t go into further details on the flight. I can share that enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the US. It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.”

Banks also messaged on X, “USBP and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals.”

Speaking to the media, Congress’s Shashi Tharoor said the Trump administration’s move to deport Indian nationals in “handcuffs” was an insult to the country.

“We are protesting how this was done. They have every legal right to deport people who are illegally staying in their country, but to send them like this abruptly in a military aircraft and handcuffs is an insult to India; it’s an insult to the dignity of Indians,” Tharoor said.

Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar assured that New Delhi was engaging with the Donald Trump administration to ensure against mistreatment of future deportees in any manner. Making a statement on the deportation in the Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar referred to the shackles episode, terming it as Standard Operating Procedure the US followed.

“The deportations by the US are organised and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The SOP for deportations by aircraft, effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraint. We have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained,” Jaishankar said.