Kulvinder Kaur tried to reach her husband in the United States in anxiety for two weeks, fearing for his safety. Speaking from her home in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, she said, “I was terrified of what might have happened to him-whether he was robbed or worse.”
Her worst fears came true when reports emerged that the administration of President Donald Trump was deporting batches of undocumented Indian immigrants, including her husband, Harvinder Singh, who had entered the U.S. illegally. This week, Singh was among 104 deportees facing a harrowing 40-hour journey back to Amritsar in handcuffs.
The images of shackled Indian nationals boarding a military aircraft have raised intense anger in India. Opposition politicians, including the Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi, protested outside Parliament, demanding to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who says he is a close friend of Trump, has not intervened on behalf of the Indian citizens.
Analysts say the Modi government is caught in choppy diplomatic waters as it balances immigration issues with trade tariffs. “India is avoiding being at loggerheads with the U.S. on immigration, while dealing with a host of other thorny issues,” says Harsh Pant, a geopolitical analyst.
The outrage notwithstanding, Indian officials have not publicly protested the shoddy treatment their nationals have received. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar then assured Parliament that efforts were on to ensure humane treatment at deportations, though reports about shackling continue to emerge.
Another deportee, Khusboo Patel, recounted her horrific experience, saying she was shackled throughout her journey. Back in Hoshiarpur, Kaur and Singh are now overwhelmed by debt of more than $55,000 from their attempts to seek a better life. The couple sold their farmland, but that wasn’t enough to cover the costs. As they confront their financial burden, the impact of these deportations resonates deeply across India.
