A United States military aircraft transporting illegal Indian immigrants arrived in Amritsar this afternoon, marking the first deportation of its kind since Donald Trump’s second term began. The aircraft, operated by the US Air Force, departed from San Antonio, Texas, and landed at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Punjab’s Amritsar.
Shortly after reports of the deportation emerged, images purportedly depicting the Indian immigrants in handcuffs began circulating on social media. These pictures fueled widespread outrage, as they appeared to show detainees in restraints, including handcuffs and ankle chains. Some images depicted men with their hands cuffed behind their backs, their faces obscured by masks, while others showed individuals sitting with their ankles chained together.
Social media users reacted strongly to these images. One user on X expressed shock, stating, “Handcuffed and chained by the legs, Indians are returning to Amrit Kaal. I have never seen this sight ever!” Another post condemned the perceived treatment of the deportees, saying, “Indians clearly are treated here like prisoners while they are not only handcuffed but also leg cuffed while they are being deported from USA by Trump.”
Clarification on Viral Images
However, a fact-check by HT.com using reverse image search revealed that these images were not related to the Indian immigrants deported from Texas to Amritsar today. Instead, the pictures actually depicted migrants deported from the United States to Guatemala on January 30.
The photograph showing men sitting with their ankles chained was originally published by the Associated Press (AP) five days ago. The AP caption for the image read, “U.S. Air Force jet with migrants bound at their wrists and ankles departed Texas for Guatemala on Thursday, carrying 80 deportees in another deportation flight that reflects a growing role for the armed forces in helping enforce immigration laws.”
Additionally, AP reported that “The Trump administration has used military aircraft to deport people to Guatemala, Ecuador, and Colombia, a departure from U.S.” This indicates that the images making rounds on social media were misattributed to the recent Indian deportation case.