The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday debunked a misleading image circulating on social media, which falsely claimed to show Indian migrants being deported by the United States in handcuffs with their legs shackled. The PIB confirmed that the image was not related to Indian deportees but rather depicted individuals who were deported to Guatemala.
In a post shared on X, the PIB Fact Check team clarified, “A #Fake image is being shared on social media by many accounts, claiming to show illegal Indian migrants being handcuffed and their legs chained while being deported by the US.” They further stated, “The image does not pertain to Indians. It actually shows individuals who were deported to Guatemala.”
This clarification follows the deportation of over 100 Indian nationals from the US, who were allegedly living in the country illegally. On Wednesday, some of these deported individuals arrived at Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat, while a US military C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Amritsar, Punjab, on February 5 carrying 104 Indian nationals.
The day prior, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach out to US President Donald Trump to address the issue of deportations. Dhaliwal, speaking to the media, noted that the 104 deportees had arrived in Amritsar and suggested that Modi, who refers to Trump as a friend, should take action to resolve the matter during a meeting with the US President.
“Modiji calls Trump his friend. I request PM Modi to speak to Trump and find a solution to this issue,” Dhaliwal said. He also mentioned that about 30 of the deported individuals were from Punjab and assured that all of them were in good health.
