Indians deported from the US in handcuffs and chains? Truth behind viral pics

Social media outrage erupted over images misattributed to Indian deportees from the US. The photos actually show Guatemalan migrants.

A US military aircraft carrying illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar this afternoon, marking the first such deportation under Donald Trump’s second term. The US Air Force aircraft took off from San Antonio, Texas, and landed at Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport in Punjab's Amritsar.

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) (AP)

As news of the deportation broke a few hours ago, pictures of people sitting in handcuffs began to circulate on social media with claims that they depicted the Indian immigrants who were being flown out of the United States.

One picture shows men in handcuffs, with chains around their ankles and face masks obscuring their faces. Another shows a row of men walking with hands cuffed behind their backs.

The pics generated outrage on social media. “Handcuffed and chained by the legs, Indians are returning to Amrit Kaal. I have never seen this sight ever!” read one post on X.

When HT.com conducted a reverse image search, it became clear that the images do not show Indian immigrants that flew out of Texas and landed in Amritsar this afternoon.

Instead, the pictures show migrants who were deported from the United States to Guatemala on January 30.

The photograph of men sitting with their ankles chained together was first published by the Associated Press five days ago. “U.S. Air Force jet with migrants bound at their wrists and ankles departed Texas for Guatemala on Thursday, carrying 80 deportees in another deportation flight that reflects a growing role for the armed forces in helping enforce immigration laws,” AP captioned the photograph.

"The Trump administration has used military aircraft to deport people to Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia, a departure from U.S," the news agency added.