Trump administration finally accomplished its threat and sent back 104 illegal Indian immigrants through its army aircraft which landed in Amritsar on Wednesday. US could not be faulted for deporting the illegal migrants. But it is the manner in which the entire exercise was executed is a matter of serious concern and raises multiple questions; first, why US army plane was used to bring the deportees? Second; why the Modi government did not send its own aircraft to bring illegal Indian migrants? Third, the most important, did it not violate the sovereignty of India? What happened Wednesday is a national shame.
It is beyond imagination how could a government which claims to be nationalist accept this nature of insult and allow the image of the country to be maligned globally. Yet another question that has been making rounds in the social and political circles, why the media was not allowed to go near the plane? Does it confirm the apprehension that the deportees were handcuffed and chained? Even pictures of the migrants, on their arrival, were not released.
Some media experts do not feel ashamed in appreciating Indian stand, unlike what was done by Colombia and Mexico, of not opposing US deploying military aircraft to deport illegal migrants. Nonetheless the people of Colombia must be feeling proud of their President Gustavo Petro for objecting to use of army plane to deport its citizens. He sent his country’s plane and the most momentous time was when he entered into the plane on its arrival to congratulate his people.
No doubt the deported Indians had committed wrong by illegally entering into US. But they are certainly not criminals. The treatment meted out to them has indeed been deplorable. When migrants from other countries were handcuffed and chained, people rightly nurse the misgivings that their countrymen, which included women and children, also have been meted out the same treatment. In the past when the students were brought back, Modi’s ministers were present to welcome them. This dichotomy in response makes it clear that Modi government treats these Indians as criminals and pariahs.
While Colombian President has already formed a committee to look into the matter of their rehabilitation, Modi government has yet not initiated any process for their rehabilitation. The spokesman of the government said that before they were deported, a thorough verification of their identity was carried out. Did they tell the US officials not to treat them as criminals while deporting? It is really painful to watch that the governmental averseness had made the Godi media to make India stand along with Mexico and Guatemala.
Modi taking holy bath at Maha Kumbh in Prayag coinciding with the arrival of the US plane has also raised wide conjectures. First, he must have avoided going to Prayag in the prevailing situation; he deliberately chose not to be Delhi when the plane lands with the migrants. It reminds the Pulwama massacre. On that day too Modi was busy in shooting for a film on him in Rajasthan. Interestingly even Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was critical of Modi’s holy bath. According to him Modi did not follow the Sanatani rule; he did not dip his head in Sangam. Obviously Modi had enacted the show not for salvation, but to influence the Delhi election coinciding with his holy pilgrimage.
It’s not the first time US has deported Indians. Last Oct, a chartered plane returned 100 to Punjab. Biden administration had sent around 1500 illegal migrants home quietly between Oct 1, 2023 and Sept 30, 2024. But Trump, pursuing his rightist mode preferred to violate the basic human rights and used army plane to send them home. Little doubt this is an insult to 5 million Indians who are in America legally.
Trump is known for racist rhetoric and conflating non-white immigrants with crime. The use of military planes for deportation is unusual in the US, it is also very expensive. Even then, Trump resorted to this inhuman mechanism. This is the manifestation of his autocratic trait; he intends to convey message to the international fraternity that US is ruled by an autocrat. For Trump the illegal migrants are not human beings. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed immigrant rights groups’ fears that the Trump administration sees all undocumented immigrants as “criminals”. This approach of Trump s violates the American Law. There is no law making it a crime to live in America as an undocumented immigrant. Instead, the law treats it as a civil violation.
Latest reports suggest that they were handcuffed, legs chained throughout journey. Deportees from Punjab recalls experience; the handcuffs and chains were taken off only after landing at the Amritsar airport. A systematic insinuation campaign has been launched against the illegal migrants. Undeniably the greed for foreign money and a cozy life made them use the wrong manner to land in US. But for this the travel agents primarily are to be blamed. A deportee from Punjab on reaching back said he was defrauded by a travel agent as he was promised that he would be sent to the US in a legal way. He has asked the agent to send me through a proper visa. For this he had to pay Rs 30 lakh.
According to a 2022 Pew Research Center report, Indians form the third largest number of undocumented immigrants in the US. The report estimates that 7,25,000 of undocumented immigrants were Indian, compared to 69 lakh Mexicans and 7, 50,000 El Salvadoran. Usually US carries out deportations on commercial charters, regular commercial planes. They are operated by US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE). But obviously with malicious intentions, simply with the motive to humiliate India, Trump used army plane. The estimated cost to operate a military transport aircraft is $28,500 per hour. It could well be imagined that what a big amount Trump spent to achieve his mission. (IPA Service)
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