NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday clarified that it has formally raised concerns with the United States regarding the need to accommodate religious sensitivities and food preferences of Indian nationals deported from the US. Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a response to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha said that the ministry of external affairs (MEA) remains engaged with US authorities to ensure humane treatment during deportation operations.
“The Government of India has registered its concerns with the US Government regarding the need to accommodate religious sensitivities and food preferences of Indian nationals who are being deported to India,” Singh wrote in his response.
According to US authorities, deportees on the three chartered flights that landed in India on February 5, 15, and 16 were not instructed to remove religious head coverings and did not request any religious accommodation apart from vegetarian meals, the response said. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also noted that some detainees had arrived at the US border without turbans.
The government said that it particularly expressed concern over the treatment of deportees on the flight that landed on February 5, specifically the reported use of shackles, especially on women.
“The ministry has strongly registered its concerns with the US authorities on the treatment meted out to deportees on the flight that landed on February 5th, particularly with respect to the use of shackles, especially on women,” Singh noted.
“The US side has confirmed that no women or children were restrained on the deportation flights that landed in India on February 15th and 16th respectively. This has been con-firmed and recorded by our agencies atter interviewing the deportees on their arrival in India. The ministry of external affairs remains engaged with the US side regarding humane treatment of de-portees during such operations,” the response added.
A batch of 104 Indians were deported on February 5, with further groups arriving on February 15 and 16. The issue gained attention when reports emerged of some deportees being shackled during the flight.
Many of those deported had used the ‘donkey route,’ an illegal and perilous pathway facilitated by fraudulent agents promising entry into the US.
The recent deportations come amid broader US immigration enforcement measures targeting individuals who have entered illegally or overstayed their visas. The US Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection has been carrying out deportation operations under the National Security initiative led by the White House.