New Delhi: On Wednesday, a US military flight carrying Indians landed at the Amritsar airport reportedly with their hands and legs cuffed until they reached the destination, leaving many in the country embarrassed. The opposition parties have created an uproar in the Parliament on Thursday over the alleged disrespectful treatment of Indians by the US. Since the newly elected president, Donald Trump, assumed power, the US has put migration as a top policy priority, determined to crack down on illegal entry, kick-starting the deportation drive.

Indians have been one of the significant sources of illegal migration globally. The underlying causes of such large-scale migration of Indians are often overlooked, primarily by the government, by observing a covert silence to such developments. The deportation of Indians is not unprecedented and thus not surprising, as the US itself has carried out similar measures in the past few years.

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The most recent example is when the Department of Homeland Security reported that 160,000 persons, including Indians, had been deported on 495 international repatriation flights to more than 145 countries between June and October 2024.

However, this time, the manner in which the deportation drive was carried out has significant implications for India, as the US for the first time used its military plane to carry the people, signalling a strong and undeterred approach to dealing with the illegal migrants. Notably, the timing also assumes importance as Prime Minister Modi is all set to make a US visit, suggesting that the diplomacy alone cannot deter the US administration from carrying out such a drive.

Recently, following a similar deportation drive by the US in military planes, Colombian President Gustavo Petro had criticised the US for its handling of deportations, including the use of military planes instead of civilian ones and the reports of migrants being handcuffed on board their flights. Colombian air force planes were sent to fetch deportees from the US, and two US planes in midair were denied entry in Colombia. Petro had said that the US cannot treat their migrants as criminals, adding that he disallowed the entry of US planes carrying Colombian migrants in its territory.

However, with India being one of the largest populations of illegal immigrants in the U.S.—an estimated 725,000 undocumented individuals—India will be required to cope with a significant surge in the number of returning migrants. The US has already made it clear that it is going to enforce a broader crackdown on the illegal immigration to send a message that unlawful migration is not worth the risk.

While the potential of the stricter US enforcement on illegal immigration in the diplomatic fallout could not be ruled out, the Indian government, both the Union government and the state government, cannot evade the responsibility. What forces people to think of risking their lives and embarking on perilous journeys to cross into the U.S. should be a major point of discussion.

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The government, especially in states with high deportation rates such as Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana, should take measures to deter people from working illegally abroad, elaborating on the dangers of illegal immigration. Last but not least, the core reason for people to leave the country and seek to land abroad should be addressed. It is clear that most of those who dare to risk their lives will have motives arising from the underlying economic distress. Lack of employment opportunities, quality of life, and social tensions, among other crises, are the reasons why many people choose to seek livelihoods in foreign lands desperately.

It is important to note the rising instances of passport surrenders, as many Indians are choosing to leave the country permanently, abandoning their Indian citizenship. While the US policy on migration falls within its legitimate right, the onus is on the Indian government to ensure the security, dignity, and welfare of its citizens.