Kapurthala: Lovepreet Kaur of Bhadas village shivers while recalling the trauma she faced during her month-long journey to the United States (US) through a ‘donkey’ route and back home through deportation.
She says after reaching the US following weeks of an arduous journey through various countries, her dream of a better life was shattered. “I left home along with my son on January 1 and traversed through various countries, including those in Europe, to reach the US. However, we were apprehended and taken to a camp without any communication from anyone,” she says.
The mother of one, Lovepreet, and her minor son, Prabhjot Singh, were among the 104 Indians deported by the US authorities—highlighting a tale of desperation for a better life fraught with dangers and despair.
“We were secretly put on a plane, our hands and feet shackled, without being told where we were headed or why we were being deported," she says in a trembling voice.
The duo finally reunited with their family in Bhadas village near Begowal town after Punjab Police, under the supervision of deputy superintendents of police Daljit Singh and Bhulath Karnail Singh, received them at the Amritsar Airport and brought them to their home.
However, the emotional return is tempered with distress and sadness as Lovepreet doesn’t come to terms with the premature end to their American dream.
Crossed 18 Hills, Saw Dead Bodies: Deportee
The story of Lovepreet and her son Prabhjot is not the only one in the village or the state. Police said the Kapurthala district of Punjab alone witnessed six deportations, including two youths from Bariyar village. The authorities have extended support to the deportees and their families.
One of the deported Indian citizens who came to Punjab claims that he was first taken to Italy and then to Latin America. "On the way, our clothes worth Rs 30,000-35,000 were stolen," he told news agency PTI. The deportee said they had to take a 15-hour-long boat ride and walk 40-45 kilometres to reach the US.
"We crossed 17-18 hills. If someone slipped, there was no chance of his survival... We have seen a lot. If someone got injured, he was left to die. We saw dead bodies," he says.
Another family in Punjab's Kapurthala claims they were devastated when they learned that their son Gurpreet Singh, along with several others, was being deported from the United States after they had taken out a Rs 45 lakh loan to send him there.
His father, Tarsem Singh, claims he spoke with Gurpreet last month and learned that he was being deported. The family is now concerned about repaying the debt because Gurpreet has been deported and is no longer able to earn and send money home from the US. They petitioned the government for assistance and sought employment for Gurpreet.
'Agent Took Rs 30 Lakh for US Visa, But Cheated'
Not only this, another deported Indian named Jaspal Singh of Fatehgarh Churian in Gurdaspur, Punjab, claimed that he was duped by a travel agent, who, according to him, promised to take him to the US legally.
"I had asked the agent to send me through a proper visa, but he cheated me. The deal was done for Rs 30 lakh,” Singh says.
He claims that he reached Brazil by air in July last year and that he was promised that the next leg of his journey to the US would also be by air. However, his agent deceived him and forced him to cross the border illegally. After staying in Brazil for six months, he crossed the border and went to the US but was arrested by the US Border Patrol.
After returning to India, the deportees were interrogated inside the airport terminal building by various government agencies, including the Punjab Police and various state and central intelligence agencies, to ascertain whether they had any criminal record.
A US C-17 military aircraft reached Amritsar on Wednesday carrying 104 illegal immigrants from different states. Of these, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. They shared shocking information about how they entered the US through 'donkey routes.'
Rakshit Baliyan and Devendra Singh of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, also narrated a similar ordeal.
Devendra (38) says he endured a distressing experience on his way to the US as an agent deceived him after promising jobs in Mexico City but abandoned him later.
He said he paid 40 lakh rupees to the agent and left home for a journey to America in November 2024 but was apprehended by authorities in Mexico. After months of torture and interrogation, he was sent for deportation.
“I was forced to stay in a cold room with only a plastic sheet for warmth and was given raw rice with meat, despite being a vegetarian,” he says.
“I and many others, including those from Pakistan and Bangladesh, were finally brought back home with the intervention of the Indian government, which provided us with food, drink, and other arrangements,” he claims.
Read More
- Family Of Kapurthala Man Deported From The USA Worried Over Rs 45 Lakh Loan
- Indians Deported By The US: Family Of Punjab Deportee Demands Clampdown On 'Donkey' Route
- 'Process Of Deportation Is Not A New One': EAM Jaishankar On Row Over Indians Sent Back By US
- Indians Deported From US To Land In Amritsar Today, NAPA Urges Punjab Govt To Set Up Rehabilitation Fund
