New Delhi [India], February 9 : Amid the row over deportations of Indian nationals from the United States, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday spoke about the number of undocumented Indians in the US and the conditions faced by those detained.
Citing US estimates, he pointed out that there are 7,25,000 undocumented Indians in the US, with 24,000 currently in detention. Tewari questioned whether India would allow these individuals to be returned in degrading conditions, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar continues to travel the world attending "inane conferences."
Sharing a post on X, Tewari wrote, "According to US estimates there are 7.25 lakh undocumented Indians in the United States of America. 24,000 Indians are in US detention camps. 487 have been served final detention orders. 298 out of the 487 have been positively identified as Indians."
The post added, "Would 7.25 lakh Indians be dumped back in India handcuffed & shackled stripped of their basic human rights and dignity in US Military planes as while @DrSJaishankar trapezes around the world attending inane conferences?"
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}According to US estimates there are 7.25 Lakh undocumented Indians in the United States of America.
24,000 Indians are in US detention camps.
487 have been served final detention orders
298 out of the 487 have been positively identified as Indians.
Would 7.25 Lakh Indians…
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) February 9, 2025
Earlier on Friday, Tewari had also expressed criticism over the statement made by Jaishankar in the Lok Sabha over the deportations of Indian nationals from the US and accused him of 'defending' the use of handcuffs and shackles by the Donald Trump administration, calling it "deeply shocking and acutely disturbing."
Tewari further said that the minister's statement seemed more aligned with a "mid-level official of the US government" than that of India's Foreign Minister.
Sharing a post on X, Tewari wrote, "The statement of @DrSJaishankar in the Lok Sabha justifying, defending and endorsing the use of handcuffs and shackles by the @realDonaldTrump administration & @USBPChief is both deeply shocking and acutely disturbing."
"He unfortunately sounded more like a mid-level official of the American Administration rather than the Foreign Minister of India. This para below in the statement wherein he says he will put American documents on the table of the house and also authenticate them makes one seriously question their intent as to where does the concern of the Government of India lie," the post added.
Notably, the US Air Force plane carrying Indian citizens who "illegally immigrated" to the US arrived in Punjab's Amritsar on Wednesday. A total of 104 Indian nationals were on board the plane that landed in Amritsar.
Opposition parties slammed the government inside and outside the parliament, saying that the deported Indians had been brought in an "inhuman manner" in a US military plane and alleged that they were "ill-treated and hand-cuffed."
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