Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that New Delhi is engaging with the U.S. to ensure that illegal Indian immigrants are not mistreated while being deported after opposition parties protested against the treatment of a group that was sent back this week.

A U.S. military plane carrying Indian migrants arrived Wednesday in a northern Indian city, the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump's administration.

One of the deportees told the BBC they had been handcuffed throughout the 40-hour flight, sparking criticism. But Jaishankar said he had been told by the US that women and children were not restrained.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a statement in Rajya Sabha over the deportation of alleged illegal Indian immigrants from the US. “All countries must take back their nationals if they are found to be living illegally abroad,