Most of the US-deported Indians were detained from America’s border in past two months
A US military plane with 104 deported Indian nationals arrived at Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Most Indians deported from the US had reached the Mexico-US border in the previous month or just before the end of December, The Indian Express has discovered after interviewing dozens of them and police officials.
A US military plane with 104 deported Indian nationals arrived at Amritsar airport on Wednesday afternoon.
30 were from Punjab and 33 were from Gujarat. At least 15 from Punjab and Gujarat each were held at the Mexico-US border after allegedly attempting to enter the US during the tighter border control under President Donald Trump’s new administration.
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According to the deportees, they paid between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 1 crore in agent fees and expenses and in their attempt to reach the US, mostly through what is referred to as the “dunki route” – unauthorised, and in many cases dangerous, routes to the US that typically involve travel through a few countries and modes of transport.
For example, 21-year-old Pardeep Singh from Jurait village in Mohali had left his village six months ago and had travelled as far as the Mexico-US border, where he was arrested two weeks ago after spending Rs 42 lakh.
Similarly, Jaswinder Singh (30), a resident of Kahanpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib, departed in October last year and arrived at the border on January 15 after investing Rs 50 lakh. Amrit Singh (18), a resident of Ahru Khurd village in Patiala, departed eight months ago and arrived at the border in mid-January. Both were picked up at the border.
Punjab deportees from Mexico included Jaspal Singh, 36, a resident of Hardowal village in Gurdaspur, who was picked up at the Mexico-US border on January 24 after staying in Brazil for six months and investing Rs 30 lakh; Harwinder Singh, 40, a resident of Tahli village in Hoshiarpur, who invested Rs 42 lakh and arrived at the US border on January 15; Muskan, 21, of Jagraon in Ludhiana, who had traveled to the UK last year on a study visa but attempted to go to the US through its border with Mexico and was picked up on January 15; and two others from Rajpura and Patiala city, who had departed last year but was picked up at the US border last month.
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Women also were among deportees arrested at the border. Lovepreet Kaur, who had departed from Bhadas village in Punjab’s Kapurthala district along with her minor son on January 1 to join her husband, utilized a Schengen visa to reach Mexico legally before attempting to cross the border to the US. She was picked up by US authorities on January 27 and deported on February 5 after investing close to Rs 1 crore.
A 29-year-old woman from Vadodara, who had traveled in early January, was also deported. Her mother further said, “She had told us that everything was alright. We were not in touch with her for a few days and it was only a couple of days ago that we actually came to know about her return due to deportation. We are relieved that she is back home safely.”
Deported families from the state also included some who had been living in the US for much longer, said a senior Gujarat police officer.
“A family from north Gujarat had been living in the US for almost six months, while a couple who had been deported along with a minor had come to the US six years ago and their child was born in the US,” the officer told The Indian Express.
The officer also told that the local police had found a deported family from north Gujarat “had paid for genuine tourist visas to European countries and then came to the US border through South America on the advice of agents, but could not cross over”.
“We also have preliminary information that individual young adults in their 20s were likely asked to act as ‘a group of friends’ by touts as most of them had traveled from India on tourist visas to European countries,” the officer told.
Overseas education consultant Vinay Kumar Hari reports that the deportation of 104 Indians is only the tip of the iceberg. He told that there are more than 20,000 undocumented Indians who are now facing the threat of deportation from the US.
While previously most of the illegal immigrants would attempt to “disappear” as soon as they arrive in the US, tougher enforcement policies by the Trump administration are making this even more challenging now, according to consultants.
US videos of random immigration status checking, including schools, recently went viral on social media.
There have been appeals in Punjab for individuals not to take the illegal route to the US and the government to address issues that compel residents to make such a choice.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) general secretary Sukhwinder Kaur said, “The dollar-rupee exchange rate makes people chase foreign dreams. Many repay the ‘dunki’ amount within a year, while others take two-three years. But rather than allowing this trend to continue, the Union and state governments should offer jobs to save the country from such shame.”
Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Lok Bhalai Party president, blamed the blame on travel agents for cheating people and appealed to public representatives to take action against them. “I have refunded money to a lot of people, but no MLA or MP has taken a firm action against these agents. This mafia is running amok,” he said.
Nitin Chawla, the executive committee member of the Association of Consultants for Overseas Studies, Punjab, asked why parents encourage illegal migration. “Many who take the ‘dunki route’ are not able to clear IELTS. If they are not able to speak English, how will they be able to earn abroad without the support of their family?
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