US deportation process not new, will ensure no deportee is mistreated, Jaishankar tells Rajya Sabha amid row

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday addressed the Rajya Sabha amid massive uproar over the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from US and the "inhumane" conditions in which they were sent back to the country.

Jaishankar said that the deportees who have returned from US have narrated their hardships and there have also been fatalities during illegal migration.

He said that "people-to-people exchanges constitute the bedrock of deepening ties with United States" and assured the Rajya Sabha that the government will engage with US to ensure that no Indian deportee is mistreated.

"It is in our collective interests to encourage legal mobility and discourage illegal mobility and migration," he said.

Jaishankar provided a detailed account of deportations since 2009, citing figures from US law enforcement agencies.

According to the data, 1,368 Indians were deported in 2024 so far, while 670 were deported in 2023, and 862 in 2022.

He also clarified that deportations are managed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a standard operating procedure effective since 2012.

"The deportations by the US are organized and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities," he said, reiterating that "there has been no change, I repeat, no change from past procedure."

He also assured Parliament that "the government is engaging the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner."

Jaishankar also underpinned the need for strict action against those facilitating illegal migration.

"Our focus should be on a strong crackdown on the illegal migration industry while taking steps to ease visas for legitimate travel," he said.

Law enforcement agencies will take "necessary preventive and exemplary actions" based on information provided by deportees, he added.

Jaishankar's remarks come amid a massive firestorm over the alleged mistreatment of Indian deportees.

In a video shared on by US Border Patrol, illegal Indian migrants who were deported from the country were shown to be handcuffed, and their legs were chained.