America’s embassy in India has posted warned travellers that visiting the US is not a right, as distressing footage emerges of a young man being detained at Newark International Airport.

Long-time US resident and self-described “Indo-American social entrepreneur” Kunal Jain posted images and video to social media of US officials restraining a clearly distraught Indian traveller.

“I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night – handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal,” Jain wrote.

“He came chasing dreams, not causing harm,” he added.

It comes after Australian woman Nicolle Saroukos last month said she was strip-searched, held overnight in a federal prison and deported back to Australia after trying to enter Hawaii with her mother to visit her husband, a US army lieutenant stationed on Oahu.

Jain’s photos and footage have been viewed millions of times online and have featured extensively on Indian media.

They show a clearly distressed man in various states of being detained, including being held on the ground with security on top of him.

Without mentioning the incident, India’s US embassy this week told travellers that illegal entry “will not be tolerated”.

“The United States continues to welcome legitimate travellers to our country. However, there is no right to visit the United States,” it said.

“We cannot and will not tolerate illegal entry, abuse of visas, or the violation of US law.” 

In interviews with Indian media, including NewsX and NDTV, Jain said he was preparing to board a United Airlines flight to New Delhi from the New Jersey airport when he saw the young man being restrained.

“Initially that boy was sitting on the chair, but then later on what he started doing is he started [hitting] his head to the wall, and that’s when I think these authorities realised that he may hurt himself or he may do something crazy,” he told NewsX. 

“They have pinned him down on the floor and they sit on him, and that’s when he started yelling and screaming.” 

Jain said while airport authorities wanted the man to get on the flight to India, the pilot refused, saying he “could be a threat to the existing passengers”. 

On Tuesday (Australian time), the Consulate General of India in New York posted on X saying it had contacted local authorities about the incident.

USA Today on Thursday quoted an unnamed State Department officials saying they had seen the reports, but had no additional information.

The US has taken a tough stance on would-be visitors since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Numerous reports have emerged of people of all nationalities being denied entry to the US or deported.

The ongoing mass deportations of illegal immigrants have sparked violent protests in US cities.

Trump’s latest travel ban took effect this week, banning or heavily restricting travel to the US by foreign nationals from almost 20 countries. India is not one of the countries on the banned list.

Saroukos says she was deported after attempting to visit her husband. Photo: X

Sydney-based Saroukos told Hawaii News Now last month that she and her mother were taken to a holding room. Their bags and phones were searched and she was bombarded with questions, including about her former work as a police officer, whether her tattoos were gang-related, and about her husband.

“When I did say that I was married to somebody in the US army, the officers laughed at me. They thought it was quite comical. I don’t know whether they thought I was telling the truth or not,” she said.

Saroukos was held for more screening, including fingerprints and a DNA swab, while her mother was allowed to go.

She was then submitted to a body cavity search before being marched through the airport in handcuffs and taken to the federal detention centre.

Homeland Security has since said that Saroukos was “reasonably selected” for additional screening because of her “recent long-term trips to the United States and suspicious luggage”.