Must fight against 'ecosystem of human trafficking: PM Modi on issue of illegal immigrants

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted the need to fight against the “ecosystem” of human trafficking that lures people from ordinary families with big dreams and promises and brought to other countries as illegal immigrants.

This is not a question about India only but is a global issue, Modi said in response to a question by PTI on the issue of illegal immigration during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump in the White House here on Thursday.

He said, “We are of the opinion that anybody who enters and lives in another country illegally, they have absolutely no legal right or authority to live in that country.” Modi added that as far as India and the US are concerned, “we have always said that those who are verified Indian citizens and who are living in the US illegally, India is prepared to take them back.” “However, for us, the issue doesn't stop there. These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams and promises,” he said, adding that a lot of them are being led astray and misguided by the human traffickers.

“That is why we must fight against the whole human trafficking ecosystem,” Modi said adding that it is the endeavour, and should remain so, of both the US and India that together we have to uproot and destroy this entire ecosystem so that human trafficking is ended and removed.

He said this is injustice for those poor people who sell everything and they are lured with big dreams and are brought to another country as illegal immigrants.

“Our bigger fight is against this ecosystem and I am confident that President Trump will also fully support India in ending this ecosystem,” Modi said.

Later, in response to a question by PTI on the deportation of illegal immigrants from the US and whether the issue of the way they were brought back to India in a military aircraft and shackled was raised during Modi's meeting with Trump, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: “Yes, it (issue of illegal immigration) did figure during the discussions today."  "During the discussions, the Prime Minister said that India has made its stand very clear that if there are illegal immigrants proven to be Indian citizens in any country abroad, we will take them back," Misri said.

Misri added that Modi did emphasise during the discussions that the return of illegal immigrants is not the end of the story.

"There is an ecosystem that thrives on this racket and that promotes and enables this racket, and it is the responsibility of both countries to do something about this.

"And in that, he sought the cooperation of the United States in finding out more details about these rackets, and if need be through institutional cooperation between the law enforcement authorities and intelligence organizations of the two countries to actually try and do something about these ecosystems that enable this particular phenomenon. So this is something that the two sides will continue to discuss,” Misri said.

A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar in Punjab earlier this month, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.