India has strongly objected to the mistreatment of illegal Indian immigrants in the US. In particular, India has expressed displeasure over the incident of sending those immigrants handcuffed to India in a military plane. According to reports, these immigrants were kept in handcuffs during the nearly 40-hour long flight.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Mistry expressed concern over this and said that such behavior is not only inappropriate but could also have been avoided. India has given a clear message to the US authorities that appropriate steps should be taken to prevent such incidents and the dignity of Indian citizens should be respected.
Verification continues on the list of 487 Indians
Misri informed that the US has so far identified 487 Indian citizens as illegal immigrants, out of which details of 298 have been shared with India. India has started verification of this list to ensure that there is no mistake in it. However, the foreign secretary also clarified that the US has a policy of deporting illegal immigrants since 2012 and India has raised its objections on the issue from time to time.
Illegal migration a serious problem
When asked if India had raised objections on such cases in 2012 as well, Misri said he had no concrete record in this regard. However, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had raised the issue in Parliament and referred to the standard operating procedure (SOP) shared by US officials. India has stressed that no Indian citizen should be treated unfairly and that such incidents will be dealt with promptly.
India has termed illegal migration as a serious problem, calling it a “real cancer” and stressing the need to take strict measures against it. The government is now indicating strict action in this direction so that Indian citizens can be prevented from going abroad illegally and they do not have to face any kind of inhuman situation.
487 more Indian Illegal Immigrants will be deported from America, India expressed strong objection