Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday that India has raised concerns with the United States over the treatment of Indian migrants deported earlier this week.

Advertisment

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.

Also read: Major relief for Indians in US as court indefinitely halts Trump's birthright citizenship order

Advertisment

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

“The deportation that happened the 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.

Also read: US Border Patrol chief shares deportation video of shackled Indians. Watch

Advertisment

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

Also read: 'Policy to execute immigration laws against removable aliens': US Embassy defends deportation of Indians

“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.

Also read: 'Engaging with US to ensure deportees are not mistreated,' says Jaishankar as US deports 104 Indians

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.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.