A United States military aircraft carrying 116 Indians, who had been deported from the US, landed in Amritsar on February 16. Among these deportees are primarily those from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. This mass deportation has sparked concerns over human rights violations, immigration policies, and, most notably, the effectiveness of India’s foreign policy in safeguarding its citizens abroad. Interestingly, these deportations continued even after PM Modi’s recent visit to the US. This incident raises some critical questions regarding the strength of India-US diplomatic ties.
Several of these deportees were first duped by their travel agents and endured extreme hardships in their journey to the U.S. only to be deported back to their home with humiliation and nothing left to come back to. These Indian citizens were left on their own in a foreign land with a lack of legal representation and mistreatment.
As per reports many of the sikh deportees were forced to remove their turbans, while immigrants in the 3rd batch of deportation were shackled with chains and blindfolded. Their journey to the U.S. was often facilitated by human smugglers, promising them a better life. However, their dreams quickly turned into a nightmare as they became entangled in America’s strict immigration enforcement.
The opposition has also cracked down on the central government regarding its policy failure in regards to the recent deportation. Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale alleged that PM Modi failed to stand up for the country’s citizens and was “rebuffed by Trump.” Gokhale’s remarks highlight a troubling reality: India’s foreign policy has failed to secure better treatment or negotiation power for its citizens.
Although Modi’s visit witnessed grand diplomatic gestures, trade, and defense deals. The bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump failed to address the plight of Indian immigrants caught in America’s immigration crackdown. Meanwhile, countries like China and Mexico have actively engaged in negotiation to secure the physical and mental well-being of their deported citizens. India’s response to recent deportations has majorly been passive and limited to processing travel documents for return.
What is really concerning for India’s economy are the reasons as to why these immigrants chose to move out of the country in the first place. The socio-economic runs much deeper in the society, forming the root cause of this issue. Widespread unemployment, agrarian distress, and limited economic opportunities push many young Indians to undertake life-threatening journeys in search of a better future. The human trafficking rings and illegal immigration networks feed upon the desperation of these individuals, which leads to further exploitation.
Authorities have failed to track and shut down these networks, while the government, instead of finding a solution for these problems, offers diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents.
The mass deportations should serve as a wake-up call for Indian policymakers. Without stronger diplomatic interventions and domestic economic reforms, the cycle of migration, exploitation, and humiliation will persist, leaving countless Indian immigrants stranded in a struggle for dignity and survival.
Edited by Pronoy Shukla
Also Read: https://theglobalic.com/2025/02/14/prime-minister-narendra-modi-us-visit-meeting-with-trump/
