White House shares video of shackled, handcuffed deportees
US President Donald Trump’s massive crackdown on immigration has been taking place in full swing, with illegal migrants being deported to their homelands, including Indians.
The deportees have so far been from Guatemala, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China among other countries.
Several questions have however been raised over the treatment given to the deported immigrants, with concerns over humanitarian rights being raised due to the shackles and handcuffs placed on the deportees.
Notably, the use of restrains has been a part of the standard operating procedures of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities since 2012.
The matter has come under focus once again after the White House shared a video of handcuffed and shackled deportees on its X accounting, captioning it as “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight”.
The post caught further flak after Trump’s close ally and billionaire Elon Musk reposted the video, saying, “Haha wow”.
The co-chair of the department of government efficiency (DOGE) drew massive ire from netizens, several users commented on his X post and said, “This is disgusting. The fact that you think this is funny speaks volumes.”
“You are pathetic, @elonmusk. A small man who laughs at a video of undocumented immigrants in shackles boarding a plan for being deported,” wrote another.
Meanwhile, another X user said that this treatment to deportees was not just sad but also “dehumanising”.
“Regardless of immigration status, human dignity must be respected. Deportation is a serious matter, not entertainment. We should prioritise humane policies and fair treatment for all individuals,” a user remarked.
Human rights activists from Gautemala, India and other countries alike have been repeatedly condemning the use of shackles, saying that the deportees are also all human beings.
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar had also addressed the concerns raised over the treatment being given to the deportees, saying that it was SoP of the US authorities and that the focus should be on the “strong crackdown” on the illegal migration industry.
Additionally, just last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Trump at the White House. It, however, remained unclear whether he spoke to the president about the objections being raised against the handcuffing and shackling of the deported immigrants.