The Indian government is considering a new law that would enable safe and controlled migration for overseas employment. The new development has come after the United States deported over a hundred Indian nationals, who landed in Amritsar on a US military aircraft, tied by chains and shackles.

What is the proposed law for migration?

The proposed legislation, titled tentatively the Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024, was introduced in a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The bill is aimed at establishing a structured framework for overseas employment, ensuring that migration remains orderly and secure.

The deportation controversy

Recently deported were 104 Indian migrants from different states, including 33 from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. Among them were 19 women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two young girls aged five and seven years respectively.

The US government had conducted a widespread crackdown on illegal immigration and had sent back these people. Shackling and chaining the deportation offenders has stirred a great commotion in India.

Speaking on the issue in Parliament, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that the government is aware of the safety and security of Indians abroad.

“The government carefully monitors the number of students in all foreign countries, and carefully monitors their welfare in situations of tension. We alert students, as we have done in Ukraine. Whenever there is a situation when we need to run flights, we are prepared. We have contingency plans,” he stated.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that while deportations are not unusual, the way US authorities dealt with this case was a cause for concern.

“It’s not the first time people have been deported. Last year, over 1,100 Indians were sent back under the Biden administration. But this case has drawn attention because it was done more aggressively,” he remarked.

Why are Indians taking high-risk routes?

The deported Indian nationals show the tightening US immigration policies that have led to an increasing number of Indian nationals being detained for illegal entry. However, there are legal pathways for migration. Many people, despite this, continue to undertake risky journeys through Mexico and Central America in their search for better opportunities abroad.

Read: Kuwait Gulf Bank robbed of ₹700 crore by nurses from Kerala