USBP chief Michael W Banks posted a 24-second video on X, saying, "...illegal aliens were successfully repatriated to India on what is the longest deportation flight ever using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws..."

The video, shot late at night, uses upbeat and chest-thumping music, presumably to instill 'patriotism' in the US audience. It shows the rear door of a C-17 transport plane opening and a large cargo pallet being loaded into it, followed by a long line of illegal immigrants boarding the plane.

The video is accompanied by an aggressive 'warning' - "If you cross the border illegally, you will be deported" - as well. As the video progresses, shackles can be seen on the migrants' legs, forcing them to walk in a stilted manner, a trait usually associated with hardened criminals and perhaps prisoners of war.

After the 'prisoners' are boarded, several US soldiers board the plane and the camera moves inside the aircraft, where the 'prisoners' are tied to seats before the plane takes off.

President Donald Trump's administration is increasingly turning to the military to fulfill its immigration agenda, using its planes to deport migrants and opening its bases to hold them.

That plane landed in Amritsar, Punjab, late last night. And as the 104 Indians stepped out, horror stories emerged.

Jaspal Singh, 36, from Gurdaspur in Punjab, said he paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent who promised him a legal way to the US. Instead, they were forced to take the 'donkey route', an illegal and often dangerous route that involves travelling to the first South American country used by smugglers.

Harvinder Singh, from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, paid Rs 42 lakh to be smuggled through several countries: Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico. "We walked for days... crossed mountains and almost drowned. I saw a man die in the jungle in Panama..."

Meanwhile, sources told NDTV that the government is considering a new law to ensure the safety of migrants

India considering new law to protect migrants amid deportation row

The provisionally titled 'Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024' has emerged from a report presented in the Lok Sabha by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Monday.

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