This cycle of labour exploitation and deportation is not an accident, it is a deliberate system designed to suppress wages and prevent labour rights from strengthening. By keeping immigrant labour precarious, either through restrictive visa policies, lack of legal protections, or the constant threat of deportation, wages are kept low, and workers unable to demand better conditions.

Employers benefit from this insecurity, extracting maximum productivity while avoiding obligations, such as fair wages, healthcare, or job security. The state enforces this system by criminalising migrants when they attempt to establish stability, ensuring they remain trapped in a cycle of dependence and vulnerability.

The US deportation system is far from being a neutral enforcement mechanism, it is an entrenched economic and political strategy that serves the interests of the ruling elite while devastating working-class migrants. The label of “illegal immigrant” is a carefully constructed political tool, designed not only to stoke nationalist anxieties but also to distract from structural economic failures and opportunistic governance. Behind the rhetoric of border security lies a ruthless machinery of exploitation, profit-making, and systemic dehumanisation.

Deportations as Political Distraction

When the US experiences economic downturns or political crises, immigrants become easy scapegoats. Deportations increase, and the government frames the issue as one of national security rather than economic dependency. This allows policymakers to deflect attention from failing economic policies, corporate tax breaks, and widening income inequality.

The current US administration has proposed invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify mass deportations without due process. The idea of “border security” is thus weaponised not to protect national interests but to reinforce racial and economic hierarchies. The true beneficiaries of these policies are not the working-class American citizens they claim to protect, but the corporate elite who profit from the precarious conditions of undocumented labour.

Mass deportations have become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Private detention centres, such as those run by CoreCivic and GEO Group, receive lucrative government contracts to house migrants before deportation. The longer a person is detained, the more profit these companies make. These facilities are notorious for inhumane conditions, overcrowding, lack of medical care, and reports of abuse are rampant.

The expansion of the deportation-industrial complex ensures that detention is prolonged unnecessarily, turning migrant suffering into a business model. The involvement of private corporations in immigration enforcement means that deportation policies are increasingly dictated by profit motives rather than human rights or legal due process.

Violations of International Human Rights Law

The recent use of military aircraft to deport migrants, such as the C-17 military plane carrying Ecuadorians, signals a dangerous shift toward the full militarisation of immigration enforcement. Deportations are no longer an administrative procedure but are now part of a security-state apparatus.

By treating migrants as enemy combatants rather than civilians, this policy erodes the distinction between civil governance and military operations. The use of military aircraft to deport vulnerable people sends a clear message to immigrant communities: their presence is not just unwanted, it is treated as a national threat.

Theatrical deportations, including mass removals carried out in highly publicised raids, serve as propaganda to appeal to Far-Right nationalist voters. Ramping up deportations through cruel and theatrical means helps convert civil deportations into a political spectacle, reinforcing the perception that immigrants are responsible for social and economic woes.

The deportation process has become increasingly violent and degrading, with migrants being handcuffed, shackled, and treated like criminals. Reports detail the harrowing experiences of deportees, 104 Indian migrants deported on a US military flight to Amritsar were chained for the entire 40-hour journey.

These actions violate multiple international agreements:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (Article 5).

• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) prohibits arbitrary detention and inhumane treatment.

• The UN Convention against Torture (CAT) condemns acts of state-sanctioned cruelty.

Despite being a signatory to these agreements, the US blatantly disregards its commitments in its deportation policies. The fact that migrants are shackled, denied medical care, and subjected to prolonged detention before deportation makes it clear that these are not administrative procedures but calculated acts of oppression.

India’s Silence

One of the most disturbing aspects of the current deportation crisis is the silence of the Indian government despite blatant human rights violations against its own people. Despite Indian migrants being subjected to inhumane treatment, chained, and shackled during deportations, the Indian state has failed to issue a strong response.

While Mexico, Ecuador, and other nations have protested the treatment of their deported citizens, India remains passive. The deportation of 104 Indian migrants under brutal conditions was met with no official protest, no diplomatic pressure, and no attempt to hold the US accountable.

India’s silence on the brutal deportation practices of the US stems from a combination of geopolitical, economic, and political factors. The Narendra Modi government has strategically aligned itself with US interests, particularly in countering China, and is unwilling to risk this alliance by challenging Washington on human rights violations against Indian migrants. This diplomatic calculus prioritises strategic partnerships over the welfare of its own citizens abroad.

Additionally, the Indian government exhibits selective outrage, raising concerns over issues affecting students and high-skilled professionals in Western countries while ignoring the plight of working-class migrants, whose contributions are often undervalued. This reflects a deeper diaspora hypocrisy, where India celebrates its global diaspora when it benefits economic and political interests such as remittances and soft power but abandons vulnerable migrants when they face mistreatment.

By refusing to challenge the US on its inhumane deportation policies, India tacitly endorses the dehumanisation of its own people. This silence sends a clear message: Indian migrants are valuable when they send money back home, but disposable when they need protection.

A Human Rights Crisis

The weaponisation of deportation is not just a US issue, it is part of a global system of inequality. The same neoliberal policies that force people to migrate in search of work are the ones that criminalise them once they arrive. If deportations continue under such conditions, they will set a dangerous precedent. Other nations may adopt similar policies, making the mass expulsion of marginalised communities a norm rather than an exception.

The current US deportation policy is a brutal manifestation of racial capitalism, where migrants are exploited when needed and discarded when convenient. These policies are not about enforcing the law; these are about control, profit, and political power. If these deportations go unchallenged, they will only become more extreme. The fight against them is not just about immigration, it is about defending the very principles of human dignity and justice in an increasingly hostile world.

The international community must take a stand. Governments of affected nations must refuse to remain passive. Human rights organisations must challenge these violations on the global stage. Most importantly, movements for migrant justice must continue to resist.

Shirin Akhter is Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi. The views are personal.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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That was the observation of SC-ST Special Court Judge K.M. Retheesh Kumar while delivering the sentence in the sensational case of lynching of Bihar youth, Atthapady Madhu on April 5.

A report in The Hindu brings the shocking news that, in less than six weeks since, the sourhern state renowned for social harmony has witnessed yet another brutal lynching. This time it was a youth from Bihar named Rajesh Manjhi. This 37-year-old labourer was beaten to death by a gang of men in the early hours of Sunday at Kizhissery.

In a chilling replay, there are many similarities between the lynching of Madhu and Manjhi. Both victims were forcibly constrained by two groups of people alleging charges of theft. Thereafter, both were mercilessly kicked and beaten. Then, were humiliated and their hands were tied. Lastly in both cases, victims were taken to the hospital by the police, but soon died. Post-mortem reports suggested that both died of severe internal injuries.

Mr. Retheesh Kumar’s emphatic statement that Madhu’s should be the last lynching case in Kerala has so far fallen on deaf ears. The only redeeming factor is the response from the police to the Kizhissery incident was much quicker and smarter than in Madhu’s case.

“We made the arrests within three hours after the incident. We collected incriminating pieces of evidence, including the weapons used to thrash Manjhi, his shirt, and videos. This is a clear case of murder,” District Superintendent of Police Sujith Das S. told The Hindu.

Unlike in the earlier Madhu case, Manjhi’s lynching did not attract a wider attention largely because of other news developments at the time, including the Karnataka election results. The quick response of the police by arresting nine of the accused within three hours after the incident too took the sheen of media sensation off the case.

If Madhu’s family had the support of society at large, particularly the media, during the trial of the case, it needs to be seen how Manjhi’s case is going to develop in a State away from his home State.

In the first case, the prosecution had failed to prove charges of murder under Indian Penal Code Section 302. “But we are confident that this case can get a conviction under Section 302. It was not an impulsive attack. It was deliberate. The beating took place from 12 midnight to 2.30 a.m. until Manjhi became unconscious. It was at 3.10 a.m. when a nurse attended to him and said he was dead,” said Mr. Das.

The police have now recovered the digital video recorder of a crucial surveillance camera that was taken away by one of the accused. The police have also recovered the mobile phones and some videos of Manjhi being beaten up.

Related:

2nd week, four mob lynchings: Bihar government remains mum

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Militants have struck again in Kashmir, this time firing at two non-local labourers, hailing from Bihar who were working at a brick kiln at Magraypora in Chadoora area of the central Kashmir district. According to news reports, the labourers, identified as Dilkush Kumar (17) and Guri, were rushed to the hospital. Kumar was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar where he succumbed. However, officials told the media Guri has been discharged. 

According to a news report, Home Minister Amit Shah is chairing a high-level meeting today, Friday, June 3, to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir situation. This is reportedly the second such meeting in less than a fortnight. However the tragic terror attacks on individuals beling to minority communities in the Union Territory, migrant workers, and policemen are continuing at an alarming rate. Kashmiri Pandit, and Hindu government employees have also begun an exodus from the valley, protesting the lack of security provided by the authorities. 

The Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) president Sanjay K. Tickoo who is at the forefront of the human rights fight in the Valley, especially for the members of the Kashmiri Pandit community who never left, has written to the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, invoking Article 21 – Right to Life. KPSS has sought the court’s intervention and cognisance of the minorities living in Kashmir Valley now  becoming victims of terrorism. They also put on record the “failure of UT / Central  Administration”, and have asked that the courts take that into cognisance.

The letter recalls that in 1990, it was “political turmoil and armed  insurgency” that led to the targeting of Kashmiri Pandits / Hindus living in Kashmir Valley. This, they recalled, “led to the mass migration of the Kashmiri Pandits / Hindus from the Valley and as per the Government Census conducted in the year 2009, only 808 Kashmiri Pandit / Hindu families living in the Valley stayed back  and faced all sorts of odds for survival.” 

“After nearly 20 years in the year 2010, a process of rehabilitation  was initiated. In the process, Kashmiri Migrants (Migrant Kashmiri Pandits /  Hindus) were given jobs and accommodation so that they could come and stay in Kashmir Valley, but, in the year 2020 a new spree of target killings started  and the fear has increased many folds among the members of the Religious Minorities living in Kashmir Valley including those who never left Valley in the  even after 1990 mass migration.”

The KPSS says that “on the one hand, every member of the Religious Minority is under direct threat from the terrorists operating in Kashmir Valley, and on the other  hand, the UT / Central Administration has failed to secure the life of Religious Minorities staying in Kashmir Valley. Nearly twelve attacks have been done on the local Religious Minorities living in Kashmir Valley apart from those who  came to Kashmir for their bread and butter.”

They recalled the 2020, murder of Ajay Pandita (Bharti) who was a Sarpanch in one of the Villages in District Anantnag and stated that “from then till 31.05.2022  nearly 12 persons from the local Religious Minority were attacked out of which 11 died and one was severely injured.” The KPSS also put on record that “apart from target killing number of threat posters and letters” are issued by the terrorist organisations that “warned that they will kill Religious Minorities specifically Kashmiri Pandits / Hindus who are living in Kashmir Valley.”

The KPSS says that “the Government failed to protect” the citizens and the latest killings are now “causing more fear and panic in the Religious Minority Community in the  Kashmir Valley.” The community wants to leave Kashmir Valley but “the Government is not allowing them to leave” which can be gathered from news reports and social media statements. It said, “The government blocked the roads, used electric currents to barricade the walls of the transit camps, and the main doors of the transit camps were closed from outside with locks.”

They alleged that some “blue-eyed persons who have access to the power” however, have ensured the “posting of  their kiths and kins outside Kashmir Valley despite the fact they were also  appointed under PM’s Package which does not permit outside Kashmir Posting.” This they alleged “clearly indicates that the Administration was aware that the situation in Kashmir not conducive for the Religious Minorities but they still made them work in Kashmir Valley without any proper security cover reason to which a  dozen of Religious Minority Community members were brutally killed by the  terrorists.”

According to KPSS this is “a clear violation of the Right to life which is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.” They added that “on one hand, UT / Central Administration fail to protect the lives of the religious minorities in Kashmir Valley and on the other hand does not let them leave Kashmir Valley so that  they can protect their respective lives for the reasons unknown and have  created an atmosphere of depression among the Religious Minorities living in Kashmir Valley reason to which one person died due to depression as the Administration is playing with the lives of the religious minorities in Kashmir Valley for some vested interests which need to be investigated.”

The KPSS has asked the court “to intervene and protect lives”. They have also asked that the “the UT / Central Government be directed to move /  relocate Religious Minorities living in Kashmir Valley outside Kashmir Valley” and investigate all the targeted killings as well as “investigate all the transfers prior to 12.05.2022”.

The letter may be read here: 

Related:

Who is to blame for this exodus of Kashmiri Pandit gov’t employees?
Kashmir: School teacher Rajni Bala gunned down by terrorists in front of students during morning assembly
Kashmiri TV artiste Amreen Bhat killed in cold blood
Jammu & Kashmir: A grieving widow’s angry words, make admin act
Striving for peace in strife-torn Kashmir
Protests continue over Kashmiri Pandit’s murder 
Kashmiri Pandits stage protest in Valley, face tear gas, seek justice for Rahul Bhat

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