Of 30 Punjabis deported from US, 14 reveal names of their agents; only two deportees are graduates: Prelim data

A US military aircraft — an IC-17 Globemaster — carrying 104 deported Indians landed at the Amritsar airport on February 5. Those deported included 30 adults and a 10-year-old child from Punjab.

According to the database, at least 14 deportees have revealed the names or nicknames of their travel agents, while two said that they did not know the names of their agents. Another deportee has claimed that he himself had applied for tourist visa for Spain.

Of 14 travel agents named by the deportees, five are from Dubai, one each from Spain and Delhi, and others from Punjab including Tanda, Patiala, Ludhiana, Attari, Nawanshahr etc. Some deportees revealed nicknames of their agents such as Sabu, Doctor (from Pakistan), Happy, Rocky, Sandhu but have said that they are unaware of their full names or addresses.

Academic qualification of those deported

According to the data, at least 16 deportees mentioned Spain as a destination en route US, while nearly all had first travelled to Dubai.

Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior Punjab official said: “We compiled the data after deportees had landed at Amritsar airport. Some of them were reluctant to share names of their travel agents who took lakhs from them while others revealed nicknames and claim they do not know their full names or addresses. We are encouraging more deportees to reveal names of their agents so that formal FIRs can be registered for further investigation. Dubai and Spain have emerged as the common destinations in the journeys undertaken by nearly all 30 deportees while a few also travelled via UK and Italy.”

An SIT formed by the Punjab Police to probe into human trafficking Monday said it has registered 8 FIRs based on the statements of the deportees.

With a dream to settle in the US, thousands of youths from Punjab, Haryana and other Indian states take to illegal “Dunki route” via South American countries before reaching Mexico to cross the US border. For the journey that spans across months and via at least 14 countries, while some reach South America via European countries such as Spain, others take South Africa route. They finally reach Mexico by crossing dense Panama jungles on foot. This illegal journey to the US costs lakhs and even crores which aspirants pay to illegal travel agents who promise them a “safe entry in the US”. The families in Punjab end up selling their home, land, vehicles, buffaloes and other assets to send their children to the US via dunki route.

Details of journeys

The data has also revealed the startling details of the journeys that these deportees undertook for months with a hope to reach the US. From Italy to Spain, Malta to Armenia, Serbia to Bahamas and Vienna to France, the deportees have shared their journeys via several countries to reach US-Mexico border.

For instance, a 20-year-old from Punjab shared that his agent from Dubai first sent him to Italy, from where he went to Spain and then Mexico. However, after he was denied entry in Mexico due to some issue, he again went to Spain and then reached El Salvador, from where he went to Guatemala before reaching Mexico and the US border.

A woman deportee shared that she left from India after her fiancé had arranged multiple tourist visa to Spain for the journey ahead.

An Amritsar-based deportee shared that his agent Lio from Dubai and another local agent Satnam Singh made him reach Mexico via Brazil.

Yet another shared that his agent from Spain took Rs 27 lakh in 2022 and sent him to UK. Then in July 2024, he went from UK to Spain and then to Brazil before reaching Mexican city Tijuana to cross the border.

A deportee from Tarn Taran shared that he first went to Dubai on tourist visa, then ahead to Armenia, Serbia and Vienna (Austria), then to Spain, Bolivia and entered Mexico via other countries to reach the border.

A deportee from Jalandhar went to Italy in 2011, and later to UK, then to Spain, Guatemala and Mexico. He claimed he does not know the name of his agent.

Another one from Jalandhar shared that his agent from Nawanshahr took Rs 45 lakh to arrange Schengen visa to Spain, then El Salvador and he was further taken to Tijuana. Another Jalandhar deportee said that his Dubai-based agent Sabi made him cross dense Panama jungles on foot to reach the US border.

A deportee from Gurdaspur said that he went on his own to Europe in 2018 but later engaged a Pakistani agent named “Doctor” to reach Mexico.

A woman deportee from Ludhiana’s Jagraon revealed to authorities that she reached UK on study visa in January last year and later reached Mexico via Bahamas through an agent.

Another deportee said he paid Rs 15 lakh to an agent to reach Spain via Malta and then Mexico. Another woman deportee also said she went via Malta. Another deportee shared he paid Rs 43 lakh to a Delhi-based agent to travel to Mexico via Spain and Vienna.

Another Patiala deportee revealed to authorities that he traveled via Paris and Spain to reach Guatemala and finally reached the US-Mexico border.

One deportee from Patiala said that he lived in UK for ten months, then reached Spain in November 2024 and further traveled via El Salvador to reach Mexico.