Indian student pinned to ground by officials at US airport, handcuffed and deported

An Indian student was handcuffed and brutally pinned to the ground by officials at the Newark airport in the United States and deported back to India like a “criminal”, claimed a social media user who shared videos and pictures of the incident.

The disturbing video that shows the Indian student pinned to the floor was shared on social media by Indian-American entrepreneur Kunal Jain, who said that the youngster was crying and was treated like a “criminal” by authorities.

Jain called on the Indian Embassy in the United States to look into the incident and help the student.

“I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal,” he wrote on X.

“He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy,” added Jain, president of HealthBots AI.

One photograph shows a police officer wearing a cap that reads “Port Authority Police”.

The Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), the largest transit law-enforcement agency in the US, protects critical infrastructure like airports, bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, seaports, rail transit, and the World Trade Center complex in New York and New Jersey.

The NRI said that the student appeared to be speaking Haryanavi and added that several similar cases of Indians being deported have happened over the last few weeks.

“These children get their visas and get on a flight in the morning. For some reason, they are unable to explain the reason for their visit to the immigration authorities and are sent back on the evening flight tied up like criminals. Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more such cases in the last few days,” Jain wrote.

Jain insisted that the youth wasn’t crazy, but the authorities were trying to make him look that way.

Jain urged the Indian embassy in the US and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up the matter. “Someone needs to find out what’s going on with him at New Jersey authorities. I found him disoriented,” he wrote.

The Indian consulate in New York took cognisance of the matter based on social media posts and assured that they are in touch with the local authorities.

“We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard,” New York Consulate General of India wrote on X.

“The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals,” it added.

The US government has intensified its crackdown on international students by revoking visas without prior notice. The reasons have varied case by case, from pro-Palestine protests to traffic violations, pushing students into a legal crisis.