By Gautam Debroy
New Delhi: Shocked over the deportation of 104 Indians from the US, geo-political experts on Saturday appealed to the Centre to launch a massive crackdown against illegal agents who send migrants through the “donkey route” to the US. The experts, however, emphasised the need for a well-documented “out-migration policy” as well as a proper enquiry on the existence of agents who adopt fraudulent means to send Indians abroad.
"The government of India should have done this (crackdown) a long time back. But there are legitimate agents also. However, the agents who send people abroad through fraudulent means have their connection with politicians. So, what we need to check such fraudulent activities is a strong political will and proper coordination between Centre and State,” geo-political expert Chandan Nandy told ETV Bharat.
The recent deportation of 104 Indians allegedly in handcuffs and legs chained from the US has raised a major controversy which highlighted the entry of such Indians through the donkey route.
What Is Donkey Route
‘Donkey route’ is a dangerous journey people adopt to illegally enter countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Originated from a Punjabi idiom “dunki” meaning “to hop from place to place” where unscrupulous travel agents exploit people's aspirations for foreign travel, promising visas in exchange for hefty payments.
"Donkey route was always dangerous. It was in use for a long time, but the issue has come to the limelight following the recent deportation of Indians from the US. The agents made a huge amount of money through this process when they migrated people to the US, UK, and elsewhere," said Nandy.
According to Nandy, there is a massive security threat because while adopting the donkey route people need to go via other countries. As far as entering the US while adopting the donkey route is concerned, there are two main illegal entry routes from the southern border, one directly through Mexico and the other, known as the donkey or “dunki route,” which involves crossing multiple countries and navigating dangerous terrain, including dense forests and high seas.
Migrants on this route are transported via multiple flights, taxis, container trucks, buses, and boats before reaching the US.
Modus Operandi
"It's not that unscrupulous agents are active in India only. There are such unscrupulous agents operating in other countries like the US, UK and others. The Government of India should take up the issue with other countries," said Nandy.
Unscrupulous agents provide forged documents, including residency permits and driving licenses to lure the gullible people. Imposters exploit migrants by facilitating illegal border crossings, using methods such as containers and ships.
Action Against Unscrupulous Agents in India
According to government data, up to 2023, 2925 illegal agents have been notified through the e-Migrate portal. As per the list of notified agents, Andhra Pradesh with 471 followed by Uttar Pradesh with 400 and Tamil Nadu with 360 top the list of States having a maximum number of notified agents. “There should be proper coordination between the Centre and State to detect such fraudulent agents,” said Nandy.
Fumed over the deportation of Indians by the US government, Prof Debashis Chakrabarti, Commonwealth Fellow and columnist, denounced the deportation as a national tragedy and a grave insult.
He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s eagerness to meet with the American President against the backdrop of the deportation of Indian citizens. “If Americans in India without valid documents were treated this way," Chakrabarti asked and added, "would the American leader even bother to meet with the Indian Prime Minister or President?”
Prof Chakrabarti demanded a parliamentary apology and a strong protest against this inhumane treatment, criticising Foreign Minister, S Jaishankar for "silently digesting such a humiliation."
"I urge all political parties to unanimously condemn this "autocratic American move" in Parliament. I also appeal to the conscience of US politicians to uphold the democratic spirit of Abraham Lincoln, calling the deportations a 'great insult to the principles of civil liberty and democracy cherished by American civilization'," said Prof Chakrabarti.
Foreigners Overstaying In India
As per government data, more than 40,000 foreigners overstayed in India after the expiry of their visas in 2020. According to the Union Home Ministry statistics, the number of foreign nationals residing in the country after the expiry of their visas in 2019 was 54,576, 40,239 in 2020 and 25,143 in 2021. A total of 4,10,677, 1,42,928 and 2,72,190 foreigners arrived on Medical visas in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. As of 2022, the number of foreigners overstaying after the expiry of their Medical Visas was 26,599.
“In genuine cases, where overstay is unintentional or because of ignorance or under compelling circumstances, the period of overstay is regularised after charging the penalty fees and visa is extended if required. Where overstay is found to be intentional or unjustifiable, appropriate action is taken as per the Foreigners Act 1946,” Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told in the Parliament.
e-Migrate Portal
Launched in 2014 by the Overseas Employment Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, the e-Migrate portal is an online platform to facilitate and manage the migration of Indian workers seeking employment abroad. It aims to provide a safe and transparent framework for migrant workers by offering various services, including information access, documentation, helpline support, integration with services and awareness campaigns. Last year in October, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar relaunched the portal as version 2.0 with more functionalities including 24/7 multilingual helpline support to address workers’ issues and quicker registration of feedback for redressal.
Other digital solutions like DigiLocker were also integrated into the portal enabling emigrants to submit various documents paperless and obtain clearances faster.
Ambassador Speaks
Talking to this correspondent about the development, former Indian ambassador to Zimbabwe, JK Tripathy said that the gullible Indians fell prey to the unscrupulous travel agents very easily.
"People deposit crores of rupees to the travel agents to send them to countries like the US, and UK, without any knowledge that they already fell prey to the agents,” said Tripathy. Tripathy, also, decried the manner of deporting the Indians with handcuffs and legs chained. “The government of India has already protested against such action by America. The Indian government has also asked the US authorities to be sensitive while deporting the remaining Indians (staying illegally). In fact, countries like Brazil and Columbia returned back the US flight after their citizens were found handcuffed and their legs chained," said Tripathy.
According to Tripathy, there should be a check and balance for all travel agents. “All the travel agents should be registered and there should be well-maintained documents on the people who have migrated abroad. This will also help Indian authorities to keep a check on its people and the country they are migrating to,” said Tripathy who was counsel general of India in Brazil.
