New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the United States, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday (February 6) said that such measures by US authorities are not unprecedented and have taken place in previous years. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he pointed out that flights returning Indian immigrants from the US have been operating since 2009.
“Honourable Members would be aware that the process of deportation is not a new one, I repeat not a new one, and has been ongoing for several years,” said the minister as he addressed the lawmakers.
“I would like to share with the House details of deportation from the United States since 2009.”
Jaishankar said that the US deportation process targeting illegal Indian immigrants started in 2009, when more than 700 nationals were sent back to India on flights. He also said that over a thousand people were deported to India in 2024 under the Joe Biden administration.
Below is the year-wise data presented by S Jaishankar in Parliament:
| Year | Number of Deportees |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 734 |
| 2010 | 799 |
| 2011 | 597 |
| 2012 | 530 |
| 2013 | 515 |
| 2014 | 591 |
| 2015 | 708 |
| 2016 | 1303 |
| 2017 | 1024 |
| 2018 | 1180 |
| 2019 | 2042 |
| 2020 | 1889 |
| 2021 | 805 |
| 2022 | 862 |
| 2023 | 617 |
| 2024 | 1368 |
| 2025 | 104 |
India deportation row
Opposition parties in India staged major protests on Wednesday after immigrants were deported, saying that Indian nationals were “handcuffed and humiliated.” External Affairs Minister Jaishankar confirmed that deportees were cuffed throughout the journey, but said that women and children were not restrained.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, expressed concern over the deportation. He said that while it was the government’s obligation to bring back Indian nationals, he was unhappy that the US sent them on a military plane. “I do believe it would have been better for the US to have sent these people on a regular commercial flight, or if necessary, on a civilian charter, than doing so on a military aircraft. That I think is what is a new contribution by Mr Trump’s administration,” Tharoor said, calling the deportation “an insult to India and the dignity of Indians.” Tharoor also said that this was not the first deportation flight and acknowledged the ongoing issue.