Illegal immigration from Punjab: experts say ‘donkey route’ attracts parents more than their children

Hari added, “People who go with study visas spend a minimum of 20 lakh a year for a minimum of four years and later get a job as per their qualification, while many are allured to the ‘donkey route’, in which they spend a one-time amount of Rs 50 lakh or more. Many have settled in the US having chosen this route in the past. We feel surprised that many green card holders proudly say they went through the ‘donkey route’ after facing many hardships. This is the reason many others are allured to follow the illegal route. Through this route, they neither clear the IELTS exam nor need to study in any university. Above all, many singers have made songs promoting the ‘donkey route’, which is really discouraging.”

“Once a person crosses the Mexico border to enter the US, they surrender themselves to the US police and live in a refugee camp for a few months. This is how the lawyer comes into the picture to bail them out after filling an immigration bond, which is an additional expense. This is how they gain work rights in the US and the illegal immigrants file an application seeking asylum. Deportations used to happen in the past from the camps, but many others used to get bail and further work rights. So they find this an ‘easy way’ without fearing deportation,” Hari explained.

People from Doaba and Majha districts used to take ‘donkey routes’ more than those in Malwa districts earlier, but for the past decade, even the rest of Punjab has started following it, according to sources. Deportee data shows that 21 of the 67 deportees from Punjab who arrived on Saturday were from the Malwa region, while on February 5, 11 of the 30 were from Malwa.

“People who are not good in studies but can spend up to a crore in parts dare to take this risk, as people in their village had already followed this way decades ago and had been successful,” said a Sarpanch from Kapurthala district.

A study-visa consultant, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “Whenever the issue of illegal migration is raised, the Punjab police start getting active and surprisingly, they begin visiting the registered travel agents only. The fact is that those who engage in such illegal immigration activities never get themselves registered. So the Punjab government needs to focus on the mafia behind this huge market of illegal migration and also needs to understand why people are in the rat race to move abroad.”

Dr Ajitpal Singh, a retired deputy medical superintendent and a human rights activist based in Bathinda, said, “Unemployment is a major issue our country is dealing with, and we are talking about Punjab. The state government needs to seriously focus on this issue. Many parents are in the race to send their children abroad as they are worried about the free flow of drugs in Punjab. Even the US has allowed this illegal migration all these years because, after crossing the borders, illegal immigrants used to seek asylum and hence gained work rights as well. But now, after using these immigrants in their economy, the US is sending them back. Above all, our PM didn’t even raise the issue of illegal immigration and the treatment meted out to the deportees with the US president. If the conditions in the state had been congenial, why was there any need for people to move out?”

The trend of following illegal routes to enter the US is not new for Punjab residents. Many who went through ‘donkey routes’ have settled in the US, while others have been deported. However, earlier, deportations were not publicised, according to sources.

“After seeing many illegal immigrants getting green cards, other villagers also start following the same route. This rat race may slow down, but whether it will end or not, only time will tell,” said an immigration consultant.

Kuldip Singh, who retired from the Department of Education and Community Service, Punjabi University, Patiala, said illegal immigration started in the 90s, when militancy was strong in the state. “Many had sought asylum and they eventually got settled as well.. That set off a chain reaction…but it is high time that parents as well as youngsters understood that rules of migration have changed and even the conditions are not the same. The migration industry has developed such an environment in the state that youngsters feel there are no better avenues in their own country. They can earn money by investing this Rs 50 lakh in their own country. It is time to reintegrate the deported youngsters. They shouldn’t be left alone.”