Opposition members in India’s Parliament staged intense demonstrations on Thursday to criticize U.S. deportation practices after discovering 104 Indians received inhumane treatment upon their arrival. The deportees arrived at Amritsar on board a U.S. military plane while being restrained by handcuffs and leg shackles which caused strong outrage among Indian politicians.
Congress party leader Renuka Chowdhury portrayed the deportees as “handcuffed and leg chained while they fought to use the bathroom” according to her statements and her colleague Gaurav Gogoi described this treatment as “degrading.” Parliament indirectly adjourned following intense protests among opposition leaders who pushed for official government statements about the incident.
Similar to the January deportation flight to Brazil people experienced official-defined “degrading treatment” during the journey. The Trump administration introduced a policy change through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which involves military aircraft to carry out such deportations while the practice of restraint during removals continued from previous administrations. 
Jaspal Singh who was 36 years old explained that the migrants discovered their deportation only after entering mid-flight. At around 8-9 hours the staff informed us that our destination was India according to Mr. Jaspal Singh. Immigration detainee Harvinder Singh declared the deportation experience worse than any hell experience after ICE restrained him for 40 straight hours.
External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that the U.S. permits flight restraint regulations according to laws established in 2012. The minister of external affairs stated that Indian authorities work together with U.S. officials to protect the safety of individuals sent back home during deportations.
The allocation of handcuffs to deportees has become a point of contention because Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with American officials next week primarily to address immigration matters and trade relations. Through social media channels Rahul Gandhi expressed his viewpoint that Indians should receive humane respect rather than handcuff treatment while demonstrations persisted in front of Parliament buildings.
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi defended the deportations, emphasizing that enforcing immigration laws is critical for national security. However, the incident has reignited debates over the treatment of migrants and the need for humane deportation practices.
