Tracking the US deportees: On a wing and a prayer, they head abroad again
Hindustan Times tracks down deportees who have embarked on another journey back to the US or settled for Canada, Europe, Middle East and Australia as the incentive to head abroad remains high
Six months ago, half of the illegal Indian immigrants deported from the United States belonged to Punjab and Haryana. The ministry of external affairs data shows that of the 1,703 Indians deported so far this year, 620 youngsters, the highest number in the country, are from Punjab.
Besides the three US military aircraft that landed in Amritsar, illegal immigrants have been sent back on regular civilian flights between February 5 and July 22.
With their American dreams cut short, the deportees find themselves trapped in a web of debt and deceit. Their families sold land and took loans to send them to the US, hoping for a better life only to be cheated by dubious travel agents. The notorious donkey route, as the illegal passage is referred to, landed them in detention centres and they were evicted, shackled and disgraced.
Hindustan Times tracks down deportees who have embarked on another journey back to the US or settled for Canada, Europe, Middle East and Australia as the incentive to head abroad remains high despite the risks in the face of an uncertain future and financial ruin.
Doaba: American dream sinks, but foreign plans afloat
Jalandhar It’s been six months but the stigma is difficult to shake off for the deportees and their families in Punjab’s NRI belt of Doaba. Back in February, most of them were reluctant to narrate their ordeal for the fear of losing their money to travel agents, who promised to return the sum invested on the condition that they don’t report them to the police.
When contacted, several deportees admitted they were still in touch with their agents, who had promised them a ticket to a brighter future by arranging the Schengen visa for Europe and work permit to the Middle East.
Harwinder Singh, 43, of Tahli village in Hoshiarpur district, who was among the first batch of 104 to be deported on February 5, has now gone on a tourist visa to a European country. His family refused to name the country. “My husband was depressed for months after being sent back from the US. He was adamant on going abroad and has made another attempt. He flew to Europe on a tourist visa a few days ago,” says his wife, Kuljinder Kaur.
She admitted the agent who had sent him to the US via the donkey route had arranged his trip to Europe.
Last time, the family had paid ₹42 lakh to the travel agent to send him to the US directly, but he was made to undertake the illegal route through Qatar, Brazil, Peru and Panama. This time, his wife is tight-lipped on the amount spent.
Exploring legal route
Despite losing ₹18 lakh to a “ghost travel agent”, Amit Badhan, 23, of Bilga in Jalandhar district is firm on fulfilling his foreign dream. This time, his family is exploring options through the legal route and has tapped a registered travel agent.
“We learnt our lesson the hard way. I still want to go abroad but this time legally to any immigrant-friendly country. Financial constraints are the biggest challenge the family is facing,” says Amit.
For the past six months, he has been trying to locate the dubious agent who he contacted through Instagram, but in vain. “I lost touch with the agent when I reached Mexico in January. I only had his contact number, which is now invalid,” he says.
He admits it took him two months to step out of his house due to the social stigma after he was deported in February.
Taking work permit
Himanshu Kumar, the brother of 22-year-old Paras Kumar, a deportee from Bhogpur in Jalandhar district, said their travel agent has promised to either return their money or send Paras back to another country on work permit.
“We have been asked by the agent not to disclose any details,” he said, adding the family is undecided on sending Paras abroad.
Last time, he had gone to Malta on a tourist visa in January following which he reached Latin America before crossing the US-Mexico border on January 23 but was caught soon after.
(By Navrajdeep Singh)
Majha: Off to Australia on a wedding ticket
Amritsar Despite losing ₹55 lakh to a travel agent to get him settled in the US, the parents of Akashdeep Singh, 23, now plan to send him to Australia by getting him married to a woman who has the required bands in the English language test to study abroad.
Akashdeep, who belongs to the border village of Rajatal, was among the first batch of Indians deported by the US on February 5. His parents had sold two of the 2.5 acres to fund his dollar dreams.
His father, Swaran Singh, says, “My son was in shock for several months after being deported. He had endured an eight-month-long struggle to reach the US but it all came to nought. He helps me in farming and other household chores.”
“After the financial jolt, I resorted to doing a private job in Amritsar. With the help of relatives, we bought a few buffaloes to earn some money by selling their milk. However, we are under heavy debt. Our financial condition is tight. We are struggling to make ends meet. We have repeatedly asked the travel agent to repay at least a portion of the amount, but he has not returned anything. He keeps making promises. We don’t plan to lodge a complaint as we are hopeful that he will return the money,” he said.
Swaran added, “Now we are thinking about sending our son to Australia by getting him married to a woman having the required IELTS band. He will pursue higher education there before trying for a job. There is no employment opportunity here for him.”
Asked how he plans to arrange the funds, the father said, “We are hopeful the agent will return at least a part of the money we paid earlier.”
Before taking the illegal route to the US, Akashdeep had tried to go to Canada on study permit but failed to score the required IELTS exam score. After failing to improve his score for two years, he decided to go to Dubai on a work permit seven months ago from where he headed to the US through the donkey route.
Headed for job in Dubai
Tarn Taran Deported but undeterred, Mandeep Singh, 29, from Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran district plans to go to Dubai in search of a job as he has been unable to find a steady source of income over the past six months.
His shattered US dream has pushed his family into heavy debt and caused mental trauma.
On his complaint, the police registered a case against the travel agent who sent him to the US through the donkey route. “However, they are not taking the case seriously and have made no effort to arrest the agent. It appears the agent has bribed them to evade arrest. The government has done nothing except pay lip service. The issue is no longer a priority. The agent sends messages to assure us that he will return the money, but we haven’t received anything,” says Mandeep’s father, Naunihal Singh.
“I run a small sanitary shop, which gets us limited returns. My son is jobless, do I’m gearing up to send him to Dubai,” he says, adding, “We will manage to procure funds.”
He declined to share more details.
Mandeep had gone to Spain in 2022 and was working well there. He came in contact with an agent based in Chohla Sahib. In September 2024, he left for the US from Spain. He reached the US border in four months after a journey of hardships. He paid ₹35 lakh that was arranged through loans and selling the residential plot.
(By Surjit Singh)
Malwa: Europe beckons yet again
Sangrur Inderjit Singh, 20, from Gurney Khurd village in Sangrur district was among the 104 deportees to be flown back in the first batch on February 5. Today, he is geared up to head abroad.
Inderjit had left for the US on January 1. The family paid ₹55 lakh to the agent with the help of relatives. Inderjit faced rejection through legal means, including a failed student visa application, before the family decided to take the illegal route.
Inderjit’s journey involved passing through Europe. He travelled to Italy, Spain, and finally reached the US border via Mexico, where he was detained and deported.
A first-semester humanities student at Khalsa College, Patiala, Inderjit admits he is planning to leave studies to work in Europe.
He says he holds a European visa until September 23 and only needs to secure a flight ticket, which he estimates will cost around ₹1.5 lakh.
“I only need to book the tickets for the flight. I may go to Spain, Greece, or Germany, it’s not been decided yet,” he said.
His father, Bikker Singh, a farmer, says: “We are planning to send him abroad through an agent in Patiala.”
(By Muskan)
Eyeing second chance, this time in Singapore
Bathinda Three months after being deported in February, Gora Singh, 22, flew to Singapore on May 28 in search of a livelihood.
The youngest of three siblings, Gora, from Khiala Kalan in Mansa district, washes dishes at a restaurant. He paid ₹7 lakh to an agent to reach Singapore.
Having sold 1.5 of the two acres his family owned to arrange for ₹50 lakh for the agent to reach the US early this year, Gora says he had decided to try his luck in any other foreign country to earn in dollars.
“My friend suggested considering Singapore. I obtained a work permit for a one-year dishwasher’s job there. I’m happy due to the support of my friend here,” said Gora, a class 12 dropout.
Gora managed to enter California, US, from Mexico illegally on February 4, only to be deported in the third batch that landed in Amritsar on February 16.
According to his elder brother, Sukhjit Singh, Gora’s Singapore trip was made possible after the other travel agent returned the ₹27 lakh that he had taken for sending Gora to the US.
“After Gora was deported, we demanded our money back. One of our relatives is related to that agent and he mediated to get the money back from the agent. He categorically refused to return the entire ₹50 lakh, so we were left with no choice but to accept the deal. No police complaint was filed against the agent as a part of the compromise to get the money back,” he added.
(By Vishal Joshi)
Haryana: Canada calling in difficult time
Karnal Akash Rana, 20, from Kalram village of Karnal’s Gharaunda subdivision was deported in February. Six months on, he is back abroad, but this time in Canada.
“Akash was eager to go back despite the grim reality during his return from the US. He reached Canada in June and is living happily,” elder brother Shubham Rana said.
Akash was among the 33 deportees from Haryana in the first US aircraft that landed at Amritsar on February 5. Desperate to live a life in a foreign country, he landed in the US illegally just 11 days before he was deported.
Shubham said he sold two acres to arrange the money and spent nearly ₹45 lakh to send Akash to the US.
“Our father died in 2006 and our mother remains unwell. It was getting difficult to make ends meet. So, we sent Akash to the US so that he could help the family,” he added.
The family did not pursue a police case against the travel agent and managed to get a refund of nearly ₹14 lakh of the ₹45 lakh spent earlier.
“I arranged more money and ensured that my younger brother landed in Canada safely. He will soon get good work and send us money,” he added.
(By Bhavey Nagpal)
