Key takeaways:

• A U.S. military plane deporting 104 Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar, leading to widespread protests in India.
• Opposition lawmakers allege the deportees faced degrading treatment, including being shackled during the flight.
• The deportation coincides with a week before a high-profile meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

NEW DELHI — Protests disrupted India’s Parliament on Thursday as opposition lawmakers condemned the alleged mistreatment of Indian immigrants deported from the United States. A U.S. military plane carrying 104 deported Indian migrants arrived in Amritsar, Punjab, marking the first such flight under an immigration crackdown initiated by the Trump administration. This incident has ignited fierce criticism over the treatment of deportees, who reportedly were shackled during their flight, raising significant concerns about their human dignity. Renuka Chowdhury, a Congress party lawmaker, stated that the deportees were handcuffed and forced to endure uncomfortable conditions during transit, struggling to even use the restroom.

The deportees underwent scrutiny upon arrival, and one individual, Jaspal Singh, reported that the restraints were only removed after reaching Indian soil. "We initially thought we were being taken to a camp in the U.S.," Singh recounted. The protests led by Congress Party figures, including Rahul Gandhi, highlighted the degrading aspects of these deportations, with protests outside Parliament where lawmakers donned handcuffs and carried placards declaring, "Humans, not prisoners." Gandhi criticized the government's response via social media, asserting the need for humane treatment of Indians.

Parliament Speaker Om Birla attempted to defuse tensions, noting the U.S. has its own regulations governing deportations. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar clarified that the regulations allowing for the use of restraints had been in place since 2012 for both military and civilian flights. Jaishankar reaffirmed the government’s engagement with the U.S. to ensure that deportees are treated humanely and reiterated that India's commitment to combat illegal immigration was critical due to its link to organized crime. The uproar coincides with a significant diplomatic moment as Modi is set to visit Washington next week.

U.S. officials have defended the use of military flights for deportations, emphasizing the need to enforce immigration laws for national security. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi reinforced this stance, stating, "It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens.” Reports indicated that illegal immigration has surged, particularly among Indians, with over 14,000 apprehensions along the U.S.-Canada border in a recent fiscal year.

The situation has raised high stakes in discussions about U.S.-India relations, particularly in light of shared security objectives in the region and the ongoing dialogue on bilateral trade. The opposition has called for an immediate parliamentary discussion on this issue, emphasizing the urgent need for humanitarian considerations in immigration policies.

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