DigitEye India Fact Checkers
An image showing several people handcuffed and chained while being seated inside a fighter jet is being shared on social media with claim that Indians are being deported to Guatemala by the US authorities.
Breaking: Immigrant deportation begins In the United State, over 390 illegal migrants was deported from the USA land in Guatemala including indians #expensivevlog #expensiveyamty #yamty #yamtyvlog #expensive_yamty #usa🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/tnB1LR6ZqE
— Expensivevlog (@expensivevlog) January 22, 2025
This is how Indians are deported from US ! pic.twitter.com/hAeLIVv6ga
— Tutankhamun – The Pharaoh (@NobleIndian2) February 4, 2025
The context is quite familiar as a US military jet C-17 carried 205 Indian nationals departed from San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, 4 February, 2025 and landed in Amritsar.
FACT-CHECK
While it is true that 205 Indian were deported by the US recently with handcuffs and chains in a military aircraft, the image being shared is not the original picture but one related to illegal immigrants being deported to Guatemala, Mexico.
This image , credited to the Associated Press (AP), was posted on 31 January 2025 by the news agency and the caption reads: “Migrants wearing face masks and shackles on their hands and feet sit on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Tx., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, awaiting their deportation to Guatemala. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)”.
It did not mention anything about Indians. hence, a wrong image is being shared as Indians being deported to Guatemala.
In fact, here one can see some original images of Indians deported to India’s city of Amritsar as shared by the US Border Patrol.
USBP and partners successfully returned illegal aliens to India, marking the farthest deportation flight yet using military transport. This mission underscores our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and ensuring swift removals.
If you cross illegally, you will be removed. pic.twitter.com/WW4OWYzWOf
— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) February 5, 2025
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed the same in his statement in parliament on February 6, 2025 describing that it was part of standard procedure which has been followed since 2012. “Sir, deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE, that is effective from 2012… provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained.”
Claim: Image shows how Indians are deported from US to Guatemala.
Conclusion: Misrepresentation. Misrepresentation. The image shows not Indians, but other illegal immigrants being deported from USA to Guatemala.
Rating: Misrepresentation — 
