Treated worse than terrorists: Eyewitness on Indian student's US deportation
An Indian student was handcuffed, pinned to the ground, and deported from Newark airport, United States. The incident came to light after social entrepreneur Kunal Jain, who witnessed the scene, shared videos and images on social media and later spoke about the ordeal in an interview with India Today TV.Jain, a US-based NRI, said he was frozen in shock as he watched the young student being treated in a manner that, in his words, "the United States doesn't even reserve for terrorists".advertisementDescribing the distressing visuals, he said the student was handcuffed, with both his legs and hands restrained, while two policemen held him down "like a chicken". Jain, who shared the visuals on social media, added that the student, who spoke Haryanvi, appeared disoriented and repeatedly insisted that he wasn't mentally unstable.
"At the port of entry, he could probably not explain why he was there, or maybe someone thought he had mental issues. But the way they treated him - not allowing anyone to speak to him in Hindi, denying him attorney access - it was painful," Jain said.I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night— handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy. @IndianEmbassyUS #immigrationraids pic.twitter.com/0cINhd0xU1— Kunal Jain (@SONOFINDIA) June 8, 2025advertisement"If someone is not violent, they're usually not forced like this. But this boy began hitting his head on the wall, and they became judgemental. They forced him down and restrained him," he added.Jain questioned why there was no provision for a Hindi-speaking official or an attorney to assist the student, especially at a moment when the individual had no access to his family.He said the Indian government should ensure such basic rights are provided along with linguistic or counselling support for Indian nationals in distress abroad. "I'm sure the Indian government has resources, but people are just not aware of them," he said."Let the law take its own course, but ensure the person has access to a lawyer and someone who can speak his language. That image of him being pinned down is not leaving my mind," he said.Sharing the images on social media earlier, Jain wrote, "I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night-handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. He came chasing dreams, not causing harm. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken. This is a human tragedy."He claimed the student had arrived in the US in the morning, but for some reason could not satisfactorily explain his visit to immigration officers and was sent back the same evening.advertisement"Every day 3-4 such cases are happening. There have been more in the past few days," he said. He appealed to the Indian embassy in the US and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to look into the matter, particularly at what he called growing instances of mistreatment and deportation of Indian students.Following the uproar, the Consulate General of India in New York acknowledged the incident and issued a statement via X saying: "We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard. The Consulate remains ever committed for the welfare of Indian Nationals."In response to the controversy, the US Embassy in India also issued a statement reaffirming its stance on legal travel: "The United States continues to welcome legitimate travellers to our country. However, there is no right to visit the United States. We cannot and will not tolerate illegal entry, abuse of visas, or the violation of US law."This incident comes at a time when the US government has intensified scrutiny of international students, reportedly revoking visas without prior notice and detaining individuals at points of entry.One of the most concerning hypotheses regarding undocumented Indian immigrants suggests that over 1500 Indian nationals were deported from the US in FY 2024.Must Watch
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