The External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, on Thursday, February 6, told Rajya Sabha on the row over the United States deporting illegal Indian migrants, said that it is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad.
Speaking in Parliament, Jaishankar said that the Narendra Modi government is constantly engaged with the Donald Trump administration to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated during the deportation process. "We are engaging the US government to ensure the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner."
Meanwhile, the US deported 104 Indians, 33 from Gujarat, for illegal staying in the United States. The deportees arrived on Thursday morning in Amritsar. The deportees included women and children who were immediately transported to their native places in police vehicles. The deportees declined to speak with media representatives and left for their native places in police vehicles.
Jaishankar informed Parliament House that the deportation by the US are organised and executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) authority. "The SOP of deportation by aircraft used by ICE which is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraint. We have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained," he said.
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He said that the Indian government would take strict action against the agents who are sending people from India to the US with forged documents. "The House will appreciate that our focus should be on the strong crackdown against the illegal immigration industry. On the basis of information provided by the deportees, law enforcement agencies will take necessary, preventive and exemplary action against the agents and such agencies," Jaishankar added.
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"It is in our collective interest to encourage legal mobility and discourage illegal movement...It is the obligation of all countries to take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad....The process of deportation is not a new one," he added further.
"I rise to apprise the House of certain developments pertaining to the deportation of Indians from the USA. Members are aware that people-to-people exchanges constitute the bedrock of our deepening ties with the United States. Indeed, more than in any other relationship, mobility and migration have played a key role in enhancing its quality. The House would also share the government's view that it is in our collective interest to encourage legal mobility and discourage illegal movement. In fact, illegal mobility and migration are often linked to other unlawful activities. Moreover, our citizens who are inveigled into illegal movement often become victims of other crimes," Jaishankar added.