Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, one of India's most eloquent speakers and thinkers, recently voiced his opinion on the deportation of over 100 Indian migrants from the United States. He noted that this deportation is not an isolated event and will likely not be the last. The deported individuals arrived at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Amritsar on a US military C-17 transport aircraft on Wednesday.

Tharoor commented, “This is not the first deportation, and it will not be the last. Even before Donald Trump’s presidency, during Joe Biden’s administration, there were already 1,100 Indians deported from America. The US estimates that around 725,000 undocumented Indian nationals are eligible for deportation. Over the past four years, around 200,000 Indians have been arrested at the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders. If these individuals are Indian citizens, we have an obligation to take them back—there is no debate about it.”

In an interview with The Indian Express, Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, expanded on the issue.

He states- “I have heard that they have sent them on a military plane. Well, that is the only thing that I am not happy about. I think the US is entirely entitled to deport those people who they deem to be illegally present in their country and whose nationality can be established beyond doubt. So these are Indians, and they are in another country without authorisation, then India has a legal obligation to take them back. But I do believe it would have been better for the US to have sent these people on a regular commercial flight, or if necessary, on a civilian charter, than doing so on a military aircraft. That I think is what is a new contribution by Mr Trump’s administration. That implies something else that I would not have been as happy to welcome. But having said that, on the question of Indian citizens being brought back to India, definitely that’s where they belong. They should be back at home. And if they wish to travel abroad, they should go through only through legal means. I don’t think that anybody can disagree with that proposition.”

Ultimately Shashi Tharoor’s comments voice the most crucial truth of all: India must take back its citizens, but the method of their return speaks volumes. While the legal obligation is clear, the use of military aircraft for deportations raises uncomfortable questions. Tharoor’s call is simple yet powerful—our citizens deserve to come home with dignity, and the process must reflect that respect.