On Thursday, February 27, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her strong disapproval of the recent deportation of ‘illegal’ Indian immigrants from the United States while being shackled, labeling the situation as ‘disgraceful.’
The chief minister questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the national level could not arrange flights to repatriate Indians in a manner similar to what Colombia did.
Banerjee criticized the BJP-led Union government for its perceived inaction on the matter, expressing outrage over the lack of dignity shown during the repatriation process and insisting that the government should have facilitated their return with honor.
“Whenever elections come around, the BJP speaks about infiltration, yet our citizens are sent back from the US in chains. Those who returned were escorted back in chains. Why is this the case? This is truly an embarrassment for the nation,” Banerjee stated while addressing a party gathering.
This month, several batches of illegal Indian immigrants were repatriated from the US aboard a military aircraft as part of the government’s crackdown on unlawful immigrants.
‘Deported in handcuffs and leg restraints’
The first group of deportees, photographed aboard the military aircraft while restrained with handcuffs and leg irons, stirred significant outrage in Parliament during the Budget Session, leading to inquiries about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in place.
In response to opposition protests, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar assured Parliament that India is working with the United States to ensure that deported Indians are treated humanely.
During her remarks at the conference, Banerjee drew a parallel, noting that Colombia organized planes to repatriate its citizens, and questioned why the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government could not undertake similar efforts.
“If Colombia can dispatch planes to bring their citizens back, why can’t our central government guarantee a respectful return for our people?” she queried.
Those who returned were indeed transported back in chains. Why is that? This is a shame for our country.
Last month, Colombia announced it would deploy its presidential aircraft to retrieve Colombian nationals from Honduras after initially refusing to accept US deportation flights, which led President Trump to impose tariffs and other punitive measures.
The Colombian government arranged for the presidential plane to ensure the “dignified return” of Colombian citizens who were being deported, as stated by the President’s office.
