A grueling journey involving long-haul flights to South America, treacherous sea voyages in fragile boats, hikes through dangerous terrains, detention in dark border facilities, and an eventual deportation flight back to India characterized the broken dreams of 104 Indian migrants. Their quest for an American dream was abruptly halted due to US President Donald Trump’s stringent policy on illegal immigration.
Harvinder Singh, a resident of Tahli village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, recounted how an agent to whom he paid ₹42 lakh promised him a work visa in the US. However, he was told at the last moment that the visa was not available and was instead redirected through several flights from Delhi to Qatar and ultimately to Brazil. “In Brazil, I was informed I would be placed on a flight from Peru, but that flight did not exist. Then taxis transported us further to Colombia and onward to the start of Panama. From there, I was told a ship would take us, but there was no ship as well. This is where our donkey route, which lasted two days, began,” he shared with reporters.
After traversing through mountainous regions, Singh and his fellow migrants were taken on a small boat towards the Mexico border. The four-hour journey turned tragic when their boat capsized, resulting in the death of one passenger, while another died in the thick jungle of Panama. Throughout the harrowing experience, they subsisted on meager portions of rice.
Sukhpal Singh from Darapur village encountered a similar ordeal, enduring a 15-hour sea trip followed by a 40-45 km trek through steep hills. “If anyone got injured, they were left to die. We encountered many dead bodies on the way,” he remembered. His attempts to enter the US were unsuccessful, as he was apprehended in Mexico. “We were kept in a dark cell for 14 days, and we never saw the sun. There are countless Punjabi boys, families, and children in similar situations,” he stated, urging people to steer clear of illegal migration paths.
Deportees Return Amidst Grim Circumstances
On Wednesday, a US military C-17 aircraft carrying 104 deported Indian immigrants arrived in Amritsar. This marked the first mass deportation under Trump’s administration. According to sources cited by PTI, the deportees comprised 33 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. Among them were 19 women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two young girls aged five and seven.
Jaspal Singh, another deportee, disclosed that they were shackled throughout the journey and were uncuffed only upon reaching Amritsar. He had paid ₹30 lakh to an agent, who promised him a legal path to the US. Instead, he was taken to Brazil, where he stayed for six months before being apprehended by US Border Patrol on January 24.
Kanubhai Patel, a resident of Chandranagar-Dabhla village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, stated that his daughter was among those who were deported. “She went to Europe for a vacation with her friends a month ago. I have no knowledge of what she intended to do after arriving in Europe. The last time we communicated with her was January 14. We do not know how she made it to the US,” he mentioned.
Families Burdened with Debt, Demand Action Against Agents
Multiple families of the deportees revealed that they had taken out significant loans to support their relatives’ journey to the US, anticipating a brighter future. Now, they find themselves grappling with substantial debt.
Harvinder Singh’s wife, Kuljinder Kaur, conveyed her anguish: “We sold everything we possessed and borrowed money at high interest to pay the agent, with the hope of a better future. But he (the agent) cheated us. Now, not only has my husband been deported, but we are also burdened with considerable debt. ”
In Kapurthala’s Behbal Bahadue village, Gurpreet Singh’s family mortgaged their home to fund his trip abroad. Likewise, in Fatehgarh Sahib, Jaswinder Singh’s family invested ₹50 lakh for his migration, and they are now struggling to pay back high-interest loans.
It should be highlighted that Punjab’s Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Nawanshahr districts comprise the state’s ‘NRI Belt,’ experiencing elevated levels of emigration to foreign nations each year.
