In an exclusive interview with India Today Global, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney confirmed that the 104 Indian nationals who were deported to India from the U.S were handcuffed and shackled during their travel on a U.S military aircraft. “My team was there. About 104 of these young people were deported, out of which 30 are from Punjab. From preliminary discussions with these youths, they mentioned that they were possibly transported on a military aircraft. They were handcuffed, and their legs were also tied up,” he said.
He has urged Prime Minister Modi to take up the matter with American President Donald Trump during their upcoming meeting in the second week of February in Washington DC and also explore “amnesty” for those who have been in the U.S for a long period of time. “The government should take up the matter asap (as soon as possible) and as I have told in my remarks, find an amicable solution,” he said.
Adding, “Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the United States of America, should take up the matter and this must be part of the agenda. He is very vocal about it and he’s very articulate. We have full faith in our honourable PM and Dr. Jaishankar. I’m sure at diplomatic levels this issue will be taken up and will be resolved.”
He has also suggested rehabilitation of the deportees and providing them vocational training so they can rebuild their lives in India. The Rajya Sabha MP pointed towards the problem of agents and touts who facilitate such illegal travel to various countries and sought accountability. “The main solution lies in implementing it at the grassroots level. Till these agents will be operating, manpower agents, immigration agents, whatever you call; till they operate in towns and villages, any law cannot deter our youth from going abroad through illegal channels,” he said.
Question
You tweeted out that you had a team in Amritsar and they interacted with those who have returned. What is it that your team is telling you in terms of the interaction? What really happened? What transpired?
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
My team was there. About 104 of these young people were deported, out of which 30 are from Punjab. From preliminary discussions with these youths, they mentioned that they were possibly transported on a military aircraft. They were handcuffed, and their legs were also tied up. However, nobody has actually seen this because when they landed here, they were free once they reached Indian soil and immigration. But this is what the youths have told us.
Secondly, the question arises as to why they were treated like criminals—sent on a military plane and all that. I think somewhere, Mr. Trump wants to send a strong message, which in itself is not wrong. We all are against illegal migration and things like that. However, they could have been deported on a normal civilian plane.
Thirdly, this highlights the fact that there may be many more cases like this. Out of the 104 deportees, only 30 are from Punjab. So, it is incorrect to say that only Punjabis are migrating illegally. There were also Gujaratis and people from other states. However, since the plane landed in Amritsar, it again shows Punjab in a bad light. The fact remains that we need to put an end to illegal immigration. As you know, we have been evacuating youth—our boys and girls—from various countries. The Punjab government has now set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at our request, and many FIRs have been registered. I think the only solution to stop this is to take strict action and register FIRs against unauthorised agents who send these youths abroad illegally.
Question
Mr. Sahney, we will come back to the SIT that has been set up because I see you’ve also tweeted about that. But going back to your team—when they met these Indian nationals who landed in Amritsar—Amritsar was primarily chosen because most of those deported are from Punjab, Haryana (which is very close to Punjab), Maharashtra, and Gujarat. So, in all probability, we will see more flights landing in Amritsar and maybe some in Delhi as well.
Having said that, coming back to the question of meeting these Indian nationals—there is a clear message being sent. A military plane rather than a civilian aircraft, handcuffs rather than being treated as just deportees—will this have political ramifications in Punjab and even at the Centre?
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
No, no, because they were all Indians. I am saying that Punjab accounted for only one-third of them. However, I think the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should engage with them. We have full faith in our Honourable Prime Minister’s capability. He is going all the way to meet President Trump, so at least some sort of amnesty scheme could be considered for those who have been in the U.S. for the long term—five years, ten years, or more.
Every government has had some policy regarding this. Those who have gone recently should at least be given notice to vacate voluntarily or be deported in a normal manner, as is done in such cases. A humanitarian view can be taken. We are not saying to legitimise unauthorised immigration.
Question
But an honourable exit? We’ve got the message. India has got the message. The world has got the message that Trump will not tolerate illegal immigrants. But should the exit from America be honourable for those who are being asked to leave? Is that what you’re saying?
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
Yes, because there are thousands more. Maybe they can be given a notice period—90 days, 180 days. Policymakers must decide. For example, those who have been in the U.S. for 10 years could be considered for a one-time amnesty scheme. However, those who have arrived in the last five years through illegal routes, without a valid visa or work permit, should be given a few months to leave voluntarily. That is understandable.
Question
Your parliamentary team met them at the airport and collected their details. As a Member of Parliament, are you planning to get in touch with the individuals who have landed? What is your plan for them?
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
We have offered them two plans because we must think positively. I am not getting into any political aspect here. First, we are gathering details about the agents involved. How did these youths go abroad? Did they travel through multiple countries? Did they enter on a normal visa and then start working illegally?
Some of them told us they had landed in the U.S. just three or four months ago, but we need to verify these claims. This information will be shared with the SIT, which the Punjab government has constituted at our request. So far, 43 FIRs have been registered against unauthorised agents.
Secondly, we have offered free vocational training to all of them. Our world-class skill centres in Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Amritsar will provide them with free training for one year in soft skills, and we will assist them in securing jobs. We must support them. Many were in distress and crying. Their parents are also deeply affected. This is a time for empathy, not politics.
We also need diplomatic engagement. The MEA must talk to its counterparts, and our Prime Minister can raise this issue to find a resolution, as the future of thousands of Indians in the U.S. without valid work permits is at stake. We should not play politics over this but work together to resolve it.
Question
There a deterrent earlier in India itself where these immigration agents and touts were, uh, were, uh uh, uh put to task? Were taken to task and put behind bars for the kind of and the manner in which they duped, not just the older ones but the younger, the youth of Punjab as well.
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
It was not a question of older or younger. We have been because we prompted and we discussed with MEA. MEA have put a list of authorised agents on the website. But the problem is this is the job of district administration in Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, wherever, Maharashtra, that they should not allow any immigrant. The signages are there in every state. This is going on in the south also. We have seen in the Middle East countries, the agents here have connections in the south, so this has to be a total crackdown. At the deputy commissioner at SSP level, districts, all the authorised, they all know who the not legal immigration agents are. These poor youth, there is an issue of unemployment. You know, jobs are an issue, and I don’t want to get into that. And so they sell their lands and this and from every state this is the situation, so they feel by paying 30, 40 lakhs, they will, once they reach the US, they will somehow manage. But that is not the case ultimately, but they should have been given some human treatment, as I’ve earlier said in my opening remarks.
Question
but this is not the first time that we have seen deportations. Deportations have happened even during the Biden administration. In fact, over 5000 deportations have taken place between 2018 and 2023, is what we’re given to understand, according to official figures in the United States of America, and more than 2300 were deported in the year 2020. So, the Biden administration was also very, very clearly looking at illegals entering America, but Trump has made it a point.
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
America. Yes. But I hope good sense will prevail and the other stuck-up Indians or for that matter other nationals, as I have earlier said, they should be given some sort of amnesty, who are there for a decade or five years, and who have gone recently, maybe they should be given some notice period to evacuate or to report and they should be deported on normal planes as it happens normally. Why create such a, you know, hype? I know it is, we are not justifying that they are going is correct. And more important is cracking down still they say better late than never. I’m again saying this has to be tackled, not even state level. It has to be tackled at the district level because these mushrooming unauthorised agents operate in cities and towns.
Question
Right. The other information, Mr. Sahney, the fact that you’re also part of the parliamentary affairs, Standing Committee, the parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, and there’s some report coming in about a new law that the MEA could enact for Indians working abroad to protect the rights of over 1.5 million Indians who are working in foreign countries. What details can you really share, shed some light on what this
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
Proposal really is. Yeah, I’m a member of the parliamentary consultative Committee on External Affairs, chaired by honourable Dr. Jaishankar. This proposal has come from the parliamentary standing Committee. Yes, that’s such a law, but I have read the proposal briefly, but you know, there’s not law is already there. We have this Immigration Act 1983. Problem is what they can’t act a law to stop the US from sending back. This law is to safeguard and caution our youth and people against fraudulent agents. The problem is law will not help, but there is a clear law we can do some modification. The main solution lies in implementing it at the grassroots level. Till these agents will be operating, the manpower agents, immigration, whatever you call, till they will be operating in towns and villages, any law cannot deter our youth from going abroad through illegal channels.
Question
What are the expectations finally before I let you go, Mr. Sahney, what are the expectations of these people, these Indians who are returning, who your team has spoken to? What are the expectations from the government?
Vikramjit Singh Sahney
No, they, they were just now they’re in despair. They’re crying. What, what, what expectation. Now, I have seen some people, political people are saying government should give them jobs. Where the job only some N. Like us or others, we, we are trying to handhold them. At least we have guaranteed these 30 youth, we will skill you and then get you jobs. We have to handhold them, of course, government and private, but what can they do? What can they tell government if they have not gone through bona fide means and with valid work permits?
We are more worried about what will happen to this 104 is OK, but we are worried the hundreds or I don’t know how many are there, so we should, I, I hope the government should take up the matter, ASAP and as I have told in my remarks, find an amicable solution, you know. And you’re saying
That Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the United States of America, should take up the matter and this must be part of the agenda, and he’s very vocal about it and he’s very articulate. We have full faith in our honourable PM and Dr. Jaishankar. I’m sure at diplomatic levels this ice will be broken and this issue will be resolved.