U.S. Border Patrol chief releases video of Indians boarding a C-17 plane in chains and cuffs; U.S. Embassy spokesperson says these actions are “critically important” for U.S. national security
Amidst outrage in India over the treatment of Indian deportees, the United States doubled down on its decision to fly the alleged illegal immigrants shackled and handcuffed aboard a U.S. Military C-17 plane. This is the first time a military plane has been used for such a flight, according to officials, and its use had been expressly ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
When asked about the reason for the unusually harsh transport methods, that caused a furore in Parliament as well, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Chris Elms emphasised that the U.S. considered the move “critically important”.
“I can share that enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens,” Mr. Elms said in Delhi on Thursday. On Wednesday, he had said that the actions sent a “clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
Cuffed and chained
The tough statements indicate that the U.S. decision to use military planes for deportations is deliberate. Apart from India, the U.S. military’s C-17s and C-130s have been used for a number of countries including Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and Ecuador as well as Colombia, whose President Gustavo Pedro objected to the use of the “undignified” manner of transport.
In a video he released online, U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael W. Banks showed how the Indian deportees were lined up for the flight, with legs in chains and wrists held in cuffs. They entered the military transport plane with its rows and rows of seats crammed together for the longest such deportation flight thus far by U.S. military aircraft. The 24-second video showed masked security personnel grinning broadly while overseeing boarding, and the video was set to loud and seemingly ominous music.
“U.S. Border Patrol and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport,” Mr. Banks posted on social media along with the video. “This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals. If you cross illegally, you will be removed,” he added.
Military support
When asked about the reason behind the use of military aircraft, which is considerably more expensive than chartered aircraft or commercial flights, the spokesperson said that the U.S. military was “supporting the administration’s efforts to expedite the removal of illegal migrants globally”.
Shortly after he was sworn in on January 20, Mr. Trump signed a number of executive orders, including one declaring a national emergency at the border. Speaking to Republican members of the U.S. Congress, he said that the U.S. was deporting aliens on military aircraft “for the first time in history”, and that as a result America was being “respected again”.
24,974 Indians await deportation
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website, its arm the Immigration Air Operations (IAO) is mandated to conduct the transfer and removal of detained aliens via “charter and commercial air transportation”. It also operates “Special High-Risk Charter flights” to repatriate aliens who may be security risks, using its inventory of 12 aircraft in the border states of Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, says the site, which makes no mention of military support for its operations.
According to the latest ICE figures, there are 24,974 Indian nationals currently detained by ICE on criminal charges and immigration law violations for eventual deportation, while an estimated 7,25,000 Indians are undocumented in the U.S., the largest such community, after those from Mexico and El Salvador. Officials did not respond to questions about when the next deportation flights to India had been scheduled.
U.S. doubles down on deportations amidst outrage over shackled Indian immigrants returned on military planes
U.S. Border Patrol chief releases video of Indians boarding a C-17 plane in chains and cuffs; U.S. Embassy spokesperson says these actions are “critically important” for U.S. national security
Amidst outrage in India over the treatment of Indian deportees, the United States doubled down on its decision to fly the alleged illegal immigrants shackled and handcuffed aboard a U.S. Military C-17 plane. This is the first time a military plane has been used for such a flight, according to officials, and its use had been expressly ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
When asked about the reason for the unusually harsh transport methods, that caused a furore in Parliament as well, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Chris Elms emphasised that the U.S. considered the move “critically important”.
“I can share that enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. It is the policy of the United States to faithfully execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens,” Mr. Elms said in Delhi on Thursday. On Wednesday, he had said that the actions sent a “clear message: illegal migration is not worth the risk.”
Cuffed and chained
The tough statements indicate that the U.S. decision to use military planes for deportations is deliberate. Apart from India, the U.S. military’s C-17s and C-130s have been used for a number of countries including Guatemala, Peru, Honduras and Ecuador as well as Colombia, whose President Gustavo Pedro objected to the use of the “undignified” manner of transport.
In a video he released online, U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael W. Banks showed how the Indian deportees were lined up for the flight, with legs in chains and wrists held in cuffs. They entered the military transport plane with its rows and rows of seats crammed together for the longest such deportation flight thus far by U.S. military aircraft. The 24-second video showed masked security personnel grinning broadly while overseeing boarding, and the video was set to loud and seemingly ominous music.
“U.S. Border Patrol and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport,” Mr. Banks posted on social media along with the video. “This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals. If you cross illegally, you will be removed,” he added.
Military support
When asked about the reason behind the use of military aircraft, which is considerably more expensive than chartered aircraft or commercial flights, the spokesperson said that the U.S. military was “supporting the administration’s efforts to expedite the removal of illegal migrants globally”.
Shortly after he was sworn in on January 20, Mr. Trump signed a number of executive orders, including one declaring a national emergency at the border. Speaking to Republican members of the U.S. Congress, he said that the U.S. was deporting aliens on military aircraft “for the first time in history”, and that as a result America was being “respected again”.
24,974 Indians await deportation
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website, its arm the Immigration Air Operations (IAO) is mandated to conduct the transfer and removal of detained aliens via “charter and commercial air transportation”. It also operates “Special High-Risk Charter flights” to repatriate aliens who may be security risks, using its inventory of 12 aircraft in the border states of Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, says the site, which makes no mention of military support for its operations.
According to the latest ICE figures, there are 24,974 Indian nationals currently detained by ICE on criminal charges and immigration law violations for eventual deportation, while an estimated 7,25,000 Indians are undocumented in the U.S., the largest such community, after those from Mexico and El Salvador. Officials did not respond to questions about when the next deportation flights to India had been scheduled.
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