Fact Check: Viral video falsely claims Indian deportation

A video showing people boarding an aircraft in a single file, while handcuffed in the presence of armed, uniformed personnel has gone viral with the claim that it shows Indian nationals being deported from the United States of America (USA).

• The claim comes shortly after the first plane carrying 205 deported Indians left the USA on 4 February, which is expected to land in Amritsar on 5 February, amid a crackdown on undocumented immigrants by the incumbent Donald Trump administration in the US.
• This clip was also shared by Samajwadi Party leader IP Singh on his X account, where he shared the clip while requesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancel his upcoming visit to the US and speak to Trump to treat the deported Indians with respect.�
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An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

(Archived versions of more claims can be seen here and here.)

Is it true?: No, the claim is false.

The video shows Colombian nationals being deported from the USA, not Indians.

How did we find out the truth?: We ran a reverse image search on the viral video using Google Lens, which led us to an Instagram post.

• This post, shared by user 'MigramaX', showed the same clip and carried the TikTok username of Spanish-language media organisation Noticias Telemundo.

Taking a cue from this, we looked for the video on their social media pages, where we found the same video shared on 29 January.

• Its caption, loosely translated, mentioned that those being deported were allowed to carry up to 40 pounds (approximately 18 kilograms) of luggage and were made to board military aircraft in "handcuffs, leg shackles, and a chain in their abdomen."
• It added that "Colombia refused to accept two military planes carrying deported immigrants."
• The text in the video also mentioned that the planes were carrying Mexican and Colombian nationals and did not mention Indians anywhere.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

• Similar visuals were also shared by British news organisation Channel 4 News on their YouTube channel.

Reports by the Wall Street Journal and Indian news organisation WION also included similar visuals in their videos on Colombian nationals.

One can see a longer version of the video, as shared by Filipino media organisation ANC 24/7, here.

Conclusion: The claim is false. The video shows Colombian nationals being deported, not Indians.