Many of those Indians deported by US were detained from America’s border in last two months

Of the 104, 30 were from Punjab and 33 from Gujarat. At least 15 each from Punjab and Gujarat were detained at the Mexico-US border as they allegedly tried to enter the US amid stricter border control under the new administration of President Donald Trump.

According to the deportees, they spent between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 1 crore in expenses and agent fees in their efforts to reach the US, mostly through what is known as the “dunki route” – unauthorised, and often perilous, ways of getting to the US that usually involve travel through multiple countries and different modes of transport.

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Punjab’s minister for Non-Resident Indian Affairs, addresses the media after a U.S. military plane deporting Indian immigrants lands in Amritsar (Reuters)

For instance, 21-year-old Pardeep Singh, from Jurait village in Mohali, left home six months ago and got all the way to the Mexico-US border, where he was apprehended two weeks ago after spending Rs 42 lakh.

Similarly, Jaswinder Singh (30), from Kahanpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib, departed in October last year and reached the border on January 15 after spending Rs 50 lakh. Amrit Singh (18), from Ahru Khurd village in Patiala, left eight months ago and reached the border in mid-January. Both were apprehended at the border.

Also among the deported Punjab residents were 36-year-old Jaspal Singh, from Hardowal village in Gurdaspur, who was apprehended at the Mexico-US border on January 24 after spending six months in Brazil and spending Rs 30 lakh; 40-year-old Harwinder Singh, from Tahli village in Hoshiarpur, who spent Rs 42 lakh and reached the US border on January 15; 21-year-old Muskan, from Jagraon in Ludhiana, who had gone to the UK last year on a study permit but attempted to get into the US through its border with Mexico and was apprehended on January 15; and two others from Rajpura and Patiala city, who had left last year but was arrested at the US border last month.

Women were also among those who were apprehended at the border. Lovepreet Kaur, who had left Bhadas village in Punjab’s Kapurthala district with her minor son on January 1 to meet her husband, used a Schengen visa to reach Mexico legally before attempting to cross the border to the US. She was arrested by US authorities on January 27 and deported on February 5 after spending nearly Rs 1 crore.

A 29-year-old woman from Vadodara, who had made the journey in early January, was also deported. Her mother said, “She had told us everything was in order. We were not in touch with her for several days and it was only a couple of days ago that we actually heard about her return due to deportation. We are just glad she is back home safe.”

According to a senior Gujarat police officer, deported families from the state also included some who had been living in the US for much longer.

“A family from north Gujarat had been living in the US for close to six months, while a couple that had been deported along with a minor moved to the US about six years ago and their child was born in the US,” the officer told The Indian Express.

Police personnel take deported immigrants for initial questioning after a US military aircraft carrying them landed at the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport, in Amritsar, Wednesday. (PTI)

The officer also said the local police had found a deported family from north Gujarat “had paid for valid tourist visas to European countries and then proceeded to the US border via South America on the advice of agents, but were unable to cross over”.

“We also have preliminary information that individual youngsters in their 20s were probably asked to pose as ‘a group of friends’ by touts as most of them had left India on tourist visas to European countries,” the officer said.

Overseas education consultant Vinay Kumar Hari says the deportation of 104 Indians is just the beginning. He pointed out that there are more than 20,000 undocumented Indians currently facing the prospect of deportation from the US.

While previously, many undocumented immigrants would look to “disappear” after entering the US, stricter enforcement measures by the Trump administration are making this much more difficult now, according to consultants.

Videos from the US showing random checking of immigrants’ legal status, including in schools, have recently been widely shared on social media.

In Punjab, there have been calls for people to not take the illegal route to the US and for the government to address issues that compel residents to consider such moves.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) general secretary Sukhwinder Kaur said, “The dollar-to-rupee conversion makes people chase foreign dreams. Many recover their ‘dunki’ expenses within a year, while others take two-three years. But instead of allowing this trend to continue, the Union and state governments must create job opportunities to save the country from such embarrassment.”

Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, president of Lok Bhalai Party, blamed travel agents for exploiting people and urged public representatives to act against them. “I have helped many people get refunds, but no MLA or MP has taken a strong stand against these agents. This mafia is growing unchecked,” he said.

Nitin Chawla, executive committee member of the Association of Consultants for Overseas Studies, Punjab, asked why parents encourage illegal migration. “Many who take the ‘dunki route’ can’t clear IELTS. If they struggle with English, how will they survive abroad without family support?”