P. Chidambaram: “What is the government doing to stop Indian youth from illegally entering foreign countries…”
New Delhi: Congress leader P. Chidambaram questioned the central government about the measures being done to stop Indian youths from fleeing the country and entering other countries illegally after illegal Indian immigrants were deported from the US.
“There are two sides to this issue,” Chidambaram said. One viewpoint concerns the deportees’ non-humanitarian treatment; although it is true that they may have entered the US illegally, the deportation process must be carried out humanely; they cannot be chained around their legs or flown on a military plane. The other viewpoint asks why they attempt to enter the US illegally. Why do they go from India knowing that it would be a terrifying experience? It seems that they believe their circumstances in India are worse. What steps is the Indian government taking to prevent young Indians from leaving the nation to enter another one illegally?
Additionally, he called on the government to take strong action against agents who entice young people to enter the country illegally.
He said, “The majority of these agents are Indians who remain in India and help Indians enter the US illegally. Why isn’t the government cracking down harder to stop these agents? In India, the prime minister has a lot of work to perform. Regarding speaking to the US, the PM may bring up the topic during his visit on February 12.
Opposition lawmakers attacked the central government on Thursday for deporting Indians from the United States, claiming that the sentencing was done in an “inhuman manner.”
In response, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha that all countries have a duty to repatriate their citizens if they are discovered to be living abroad unlawfully. He said that the Indian and US governments are working together to make sure the deportees are not harmed in any way.
Additionally, Jaishankar clarified that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for US deportations and that ICE has been using the standard operating procedure for deportations by plane since 2013. He underlined that the US’s deportation flight on February 5 has not changed from previous protocols.
The Center was criticized by opposition MPs on Thursday for the way it treated Indians who were deported from the United States. Additionally, they protested the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States by waving banners and chanting outside Parliament.
Opposition leaders referred to the problem as an “insult to India” and asked for prompt government action.
Protesters outside Parliament included prominent politicians, including Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and SP MP Dharmendra Yadav, in addition to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party chairman Akhilesh Yadav.
