The Government of India has confirmed that 96 more verified Indian citizens are set to be deported from the US soon.
The government said that additional removals are also likely as citizenship verifications continue in the US under Donald trump’s administration, according to a report by the Times of India.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Indian government confirming that it has formally lodged its protest over the treatment of recently deported Indian individuals by the US authorities.
That concern was raised in the context of a group of 104 individuals– handcuffed and shackled– being deported from San Antonio to Amritsar aboard a military aircraft.
The developments come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Washington on February 12-13, where he may raise concerns about the treatment of Indian deportees during his first bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump, officials suggested.
“Yes, we have registered our concerns with the US (on mistreatment),” Times of India quoted foreign secretary Vikram Misri as saying.
He also noted that the latest deportation flight differed from previous instances, as the Trump administration classified the process as a national security operation.
In the past 16 years, India has accepted over 15,000 illegal Indian migrants from the US. However, the February 5 flight marked the first known instance of deporting Indians via a military aircraft.
Some countries, including Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia, have resisted such flights over human rights concerns.
US officials have informed India that using a military aircraft was the quickest means of deportation.
According to Misri, there are currently 487 presumed Indian nationals facing final removal orders in the US. Of those, Washington has shared details of 295 individuals whose Indian origin is being verified by New Delhi.
Initially, the US had listed 203 individuals for deportation, with 104 already returned. India has confirmed the citizenship of 96 others who are likely to be on the next deportation flight, though the number may rise depending on further verifications.
While Misri did not confirm whether India might send its own aircraft for future deportations, he said New Delhi remains open to exploring alternative arrangements.
“A request was made that this would be the quickest way to do it, but there are other types of flights that have taken place in the past and we remain open to exploring all of these alternatives for the future as well,” Misri said.
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament on Thursday that deportations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) follow a 2012 standard operating procedure that permits using restraints. India, he said, is engaging with US authorities to prevent mistreatment.
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US to deport 96 more Indians, days after New Delhi lodges protest over handcuffing of 104 deportees
