The US C-17 military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants arrived in Amritsar of Punjab, marking the first batch of deportations under the Donald Trump administration’s strict immigration policies.
Many of the Indians deported from the United States had reached the Mexico-US border just last month or towards the end of December, The Indian Express has learnt after speaking to several of them and to sources in the police.
The Indians who were deported described the arduous journey through the “donkey” or “dunki” route, including walking 40-45 kilometers in pursuit of the American dream. Some reported seeing bodies along the route to the United States.
“If someone got injured, they were left to die. We saw many bodies on the way,” Darapur village’s Sukhpal Singh said.
The donkey route, or ‘dunki’ as it is known in Punjabi, is a concept that refers to an illegal immigration route used by people to enter countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia without authorization. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan featured in 2023 movie Dunki, which explores this concept.
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. For instance, 21-year-old Pardeep Singh, from Jurait village in Mohali, left home six months ago and got 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.
Dreamed of a better life… was treated like criminals in detention centre. Handcuffed and chained during the flight from U.S. to India, lamented reached deportees.
