After their arrival late on Saturday, some of the illegal immigrants deported from the US shared their experience of being handcuffed and chained during their 66-hour journey. Of the 117 deportees, the majority were men, all of whom were handcuffed and shackled, according to an official who received the deportees at Amritsar airport.
Some of the deportees said the restraints were meant to ensure the safety of the illegal immigrants who were in a state of desperation over shattered US dreams and that any untoward incident on the flight could potentially have dangerous consequences.
Mandeep Singh, 25, from Surkha village in the Bholath area of Kapurthala district, told The Indian Express, “Yes, we were handcuffed and chained just like the youth who were deported on February 5. It was like hell for around 66 hours. But it was for the safety of everyone deported because one cannot judge the state of mind of others, and anything may happen in desperation.”
“The US is simply following its laws. The officials are just doing their job, as they have to abide by their rules. I did not feel good when they handcuffed me and chained my legs, but they explained it was for everyone’s safety,” Mandeep said. “We are not in a good state mentally after being deported. Several of us are depressed. In such a condition, anything could happen. We were in a ‘do or die’ mode, and that kind of desperation could pose a danger not only to ourselves but to everyone on the plane. So, to avoid any potential chaos or harm, the officials had no choice but to chain us.”
“I was very happy that I entered the US but never imagined that I would be deported back like a criminal soon,” added Mandeep, who entered the US on January 27, adding that such deportations rarely happened in the past.
Mandeep had set out for the US six months ago and entered the country with high hopes, after paying an agent Rs 45 lakh and working on a “donkey route” for five and a half months. However, his dreams were shattered when he was taken to a detention centre by immigration officials. Mandeep now faces the challenge of dealing with the financial strain as well. His family and maternal uncle had borrowed a large sum to pay an agent to help him secure a passage to the US. He is now in the process of confronting the agent, demanding that either he pay the money back or face legal action.
Many of the deportees had expressed resentment toward the restraints.
The senior official said, “Only five deportees were women, who, along with children, were not shackled this time.”
According to the official, minimal food was given to the deportees and they had not bathed or brushed in fifteen days. “They were quite broken in spirit when they came back,” the official added.
Mantaj Singh, in his mid-20s from Bodal Chauni village in Dasuya, Hoshiarpur, said his paternal aunt, who is settled in the US, had paid a Dubai-based agent Rs 35 lakh to facilitate his journey. Mantaj, who spent three and a half months in a detention camp, recounted his experience of being shackled during his deportation. Like Mandeep, he initially resented the handcuffs and chains.
“It is not a pleasant experience, but when they (officials) explained that the handcuffs and chains were for our own safety during the flight, I understood. Anything could happen when so many people are in such a fragile emotional state, and the officials have to ensure everyone’s safety,” said Mantaj.
“Many of them are struggling with depression, feelings of hopelessness and a deep sense of loss. They cried and behaved erratically at the airport. As all of us had only one dream, which was a better future in the US, we are now facing an uncertain future back home. Being caught in a foreign country, detained and then forcibly sent back to India is taking a significant toll on our mental well-being,” said Mandeep.
Nishan Singh, 19, of village Chakoki in Dhilwan (Kapurthala), is in deep depression after going through the “donkey route” six months ago. He said he did not want to talk to the media, which he said was interested only in their stories but no one understood their pain.
While Ankush Kailey of Phagwara refused to talk, Jashanpreet, 20, of Pandori Rajputan in Bholath, said, “Do not rub salt into our wounds now.”
Political uproar
After the first batch of illegal immigrants landed in Amritsar earlier this month, the Opposition raised an uproar in both Houses of Parliament over the manner in which the 104 Indians were deported, with some leaders wearing handcuffs to register their protest.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar then made a statement in both Houses on the matter, saying that deportations were not new. “We are, of course, engaging with the US government to ensure that the returning deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight.”
The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been effective since 2012 and provides for “the use of restraints”, Jaishankar added.
While Jaishankar then said that as per US authorities, “women were not restrained”, the first batch of women deportees rejected this claim, saying that they too were handcuffed and shackled at the feet, just like their male counterparts. Only children were not physically restrained then.
A senior official who received the deportees at the airport said the majority of the of the 117 deportees were men and that all of them were handcuffed and shackled. (Express Photo/Rana Simranjeet Singh) 
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