The White House shared a contentious 41-second video on its X handle on Tuesday (Feb 18) showing undocumented immigrants being led onto a deportation flight from Seattle in shackles. 

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The footage, captioned "ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight," shows close-ups of chains and cuffs on the tarmac, as well as detainees walking with their hands and ankles restrained. 

The sound of shackles, chains, handcuffs, and flight engines has been used as ‘ASMR’ (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) in the video.

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Elon Musk's post sparks condemnation

The post was later shared by US President Donald Trump's close ally and billionaire Elon Musk, who captioned it "Haha wow".

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The netizens denounced Musk's reaction, calling it "disgusting" and "dehumanising."

"This is disgusting. The fact that you think this is funny speaks volumes," said a user on X.

"You are pathetic, @elonmusk. A small man who laughs at a video of undocumented immigrants in shackles boarding a plan for being deported," wrote another.

"Regardless of immigration status, human dignity must be respected. Deportation is a serious matter, not entertainment. We should prioritise humane policies and fair treatment for all individuals," one of the netizens remarked.

Deportee recounts horror upon landing in Amritsar: ‘Our legs were chained’

A US military aircraft, with 119 Indian immigrants aboard, landed in Amritsar on Saturday night (Feb 15).

One of the deportees has now claimed that they were handcuffed and their legs were chained during the flight.

"Our legs were chained and hands were also cuffed," Daljit Singh told reporters in Hoshiarpur, according to news agency PTI.

A C-17 aircraft landed at Amritsar International Airport around 11:40 pm on Saturday, carrying the second batch of 119 Indian deportees from the US. This deportation is part of the Donald Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigrants, which began earlier this month. The first batch of 104 Indians was deported on February 5, and a third batch of 157 deportees is expected to arrive in India on Sunday (Feb 17).

The treatment being given to the deportees has become the centre of intense criticism.

The use of shackles has been widely condemned by human rights activists, stating that even deportees are human beings.

Earlier, Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar also addressed the concerns, stating that this was the standard operating procedure for deportation by the US authorities.

"Deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE, which has been effective from 2012, I repeat, which is effective from 2012, provides for the use of restraints," Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Also read: US deportation: Deportee recounts horror upon landing in Amritsar; ‘Our legs were chained’

'India ready to take back citizens living illegally in US': PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to the United States, met President Donald Trump, where he stated that the ones living illegally in any other country, "do not have any legal right to be there."

He further said his country was ready to take back its citizens living in America illegally.

While condemning illegal immigration, Modi said it is a symptom of a bigger disease.

He said, "As far as India and the US are concerned, we have always said that those who are verified and are truly the citizens of India—if they live in the US illegally, India is ready to take them back."

(With inputs from agencies)