In recent weeks, the issue of illegal Indian immigrants getting deported from the United States has taken centre stage in the Indian political landscape. Several political leaders are engaging in performative gestures instead of addressing the root cause of the problem. If an Indian is getting deported from the US over allegations that he or she entered a foreign country illegally, it is neither a matter of pride nor a matter of sympathy. It is a matter of severe scrutiny to understand how such a nexus is active in sending Indians illegally to a foreign country, that too in exchange for tens of lakhs of rupees.
Leaders like Bhagwant Mann, Sukhpal Singh Khaira (Congress), and Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress) from Punjab, along with others from across the opposition spectrum, have questioned the government on the matter while offering support to the deported individuals. Interestingly, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann provided them with food, and arranged transportation to their hometowns. On the other hand, Khaira demanded government job for the deported individuals and Bajwa questioned CM Mann if he had any plans for deported individuals or he was making false promises.
ਸਾਡੇ ਗੁਰੂਆਂ ਨੇ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਲੋਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਸਿੱਖਿਆ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਹੈ, ਤੇ ਡਿਪੋਰਟ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਆ ਰਹੇ ਭਾਰਤੀਆਂ ਲਈ ਸਾਡੇ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਖਾਣੇ ਤੇ ਰਿਹਾਇਸ਼ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਬੰਧ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਘਰ ਛੱਡਣ ਦਾ ਇੰਤਜ਼ਾਮ ਵੀ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 15, 2025
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हमारे गुरुओं ने हमें लोक सेवा करने की शिक्षा दी है, और डिपोर्ट… pic.twitter.com/DSsUccFsvf
Interestingly, Mann has promised jobs to those who are “eligible,” portraying them as victims of circumstances. He even tried to claim that US planes carrying deported individuals are being landed in Amritsar as part of conspiracy and demanded they should land elsewhere.
ਸਾਡਾ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਗੁਰੂਆਂ-ਪੀਰਾਂ ਤੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦਾਂ ਦੀ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਧਰਤੀ ਵਜੋਂ ਜਾਣਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਡਿਪੋਰਟ ਸੈਂਟਰ ਬਣਾ ਕੇ ਬਦਨਾਮ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਕੋਸ਼ਿਸ਼ ਨਾ ਕਰੋ ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਇਸ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਧਰਤੀ ਨਾਲ ਮੱਥਾ ਲਗਾਉਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਮੋ-ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨ ਮਿਟ ਗਏ।
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 15, 2025
………
हमारा अमृतसर शहर गुरुओं-पीरों और शहीदों की पवित्र धरती के रूप में… pic.twitter.com/S0SopL3Wf4
ਅਸੀਂ MEA ਨਾਲ ਗੱਲ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਜਹਾਜ਼ ਦਾ ਰੂਟ ਬਦਲ ਕੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਉਤਾਰੋ, ਅਸੀਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਨਾਗਰਿਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੂਰੀ ਇੱਜ਼ਤ ਨਾਲ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਆਵਾਂਗੇ, ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਅਮਰੀਕਾ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਕਨੂੰਨ ਤਹਿਤ ਡਿਪੋਰਟ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਗਰਿਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਇੱਜ਼ਤ-ਮਾਣ ਦੇਣਾ ਸਾਡਾ ਫ਼ਰਜ਼ ਹੈ।
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) February 14, 2025
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हमने MEA से बात की है कि जहाज़ का रूट बदलकर कहीं और… pic.twitter.com/FBn5I296WD
Other leaders have demanded rehabilitation programmes and employment opportunities for the deported individuals and tried to set the narrative that it was the failure of the central government that these individuals attempted to go to the US illegally and lost money and dignity.
SP leader Atul Pradhan resorted to dramatic theatrics, appearing in chains to project the so-called “atrocities” faced by deported illegal immigrants. He accused the government of failing to take care of individuals who went to the US illegally and claimed it was an “embarrassment” for the government that they were deported in shackles. However, the reality remains that these individuals knowingly broke immigration laws, took the illegal donkey route, and were deported as per international protocols.
मेरठ से सपा विधायक अतुल प्रधान आज खुद को जंजीरों में जकड़कर UP विधानसभा पहुंचे हैं। वो अमेरिका से डिपोर्ट किए गए अप्रवासी भारतीयों के साथ अमानवीय व्यवहार का विरोध कर रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/kSMAIIo4Yr
— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) February 18, 2025
Not only leaders, some so-called journalists are also portraying them as victims. For instance, Ajit Anjum shared a news clipping where deported individuals narrated what they faced in detention centres in the US. It is understandable that detention centres cannot be 5-star hotels. These individuals went illegally and treated like criminals, as they should be.
बस कुछ नहीं कहना है . pic.twitter.com/X0njNJQjLu
— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) February 18, 2025
Middle-class aspirations and reckless choices
However, a closer examination of the situation reveals that several of these individuals could have opted to live here and used the money to set up a business in India instead of taking the illegal route to the US. It is difficult to understand what kind of opportunity they think they would get in the US that makes them willing to take the illegal route, also known as the “donkey route,” to enter the US, live in shady circumstances, and do odd jobs for months or sometimes years before leading a sustainable life.
For instance, a man named Navdeep Singh from Punjab got deported not once but twice from the US. Navdeep’s father runs a sweet shop in Taranwala village of Mamdot block in the Ferozepur district. According to media reports, Navdeep found it “embarrassing” to work at his father’s shop. Navdeep, a graduate of Guru Nanak College, decided to go to the US for “better opportunities.”
His father, Kashmir Singh, sold land and took loans from relatives and friends to send him to the US, but not via a legal route. In his first attempt, Navdeep gave an “agent” ₹40 lakh, reached the US via the donkey route, and was deported in June last year. After returning, he thought of giving it another try. This time, too, he decided not to take the legal route and contacted the same agent, who demanded ₹15 lakh and sent him back to the US via an illegal route. He was again caught and is now awaiting his second deportation.
The dark side of illegal immigration
The story is similar for many other individuals from Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and other states. In some cases, reports suggest that the deported individuals turned out to be criminals who fled the country after committing crimes in different states. For instance, murder suspects who fled to the US have been arrested in Punjab, and a POCSO-accused individual has been arrested in Haryana.
US Deportee Sahil Verma, from Pehowa, Haryana, has been arrested by Haryana Police upon his deportation from the US for a 2022 POCSO violation – molesting a minor. After the case was filed, Sahil fled India, becoming a Proclaimed Offender. He was immediately detained upon landing… pic.twitter.com/PWrKXSbpzo
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) February 17, 2025
Most of these individuals were well aware of the fact that they were taking an illegal route to the US. They knew about the consequences of their actions. Their only hope was that if they got caught, they would apply for asylum in the US, claiming atrocities faced by them in India.
Notably, in March 2023, OpIndia reported how former Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann admitted to giving fake letters to “aspirants” who wanted to shift to foreign countries, stating that they faced atrocities in India. These “aspirants” would pay Simranjit money, which could be as high as ₹50,000 per letter. In such cases, these letters helped the “immigrants” pose as Khalistani sympathisers.
A recent report suggested that the parents of one of the illegal immigrants were desperately waiting for the “good news” that their son was caught in the US, as it would have meant that he could apply for asylum. Such individuals not only indulge in illegal activities but also defame India in foreign countries with false claims that they faced atrocities at the hands of law enforcement agencies.
Why do they not take the legal route?
Now the question arises: why do these individuals not take the legal route to go to the US and instead choose the donkey route to fulfil their dreams? There are several reasons.
First, as mentioned above, some of them are criminals running from the law. They cannot apply for passports or take the legal route without permission from the courts.
Secondly, there are several illegal and dubious immigration agencies that dupe naïve and innocent individuals, claiming that they are sending them legally to the US or other countries. It is only after reaching Mexico or another country that these individuals realise they have been duped.
Lastly, in the majority of cases, the individuals fail to secure the required band score on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, which is essential to obtain a student or work visa for the US. In such cases, many immigration agencies suggest that individuals either get a proxy to take the IELTS test on their behalf, which is illegal, or take the donkey route, which is again illegal. For both options, individuals end up paying tens of lakhs and, in many cases, get deported back to India.
For example, 23-year-old Akashdeep Singh desperately wanted to move to Canada but could not clear IELTS. He went to Dubai and came in contact with a travel agent who helped him move to the US via the donkey route in exchange for ₹55 lakhs. Akashdeep was among the first set of deported illegal Indians.
There have been countless instances where proxy IELTS nexuses have been revealed by investigating agencies. Several immigration agencies were raided recently by Punjab Police in view of deportations from the US. Such actions have been taken by investigating agencies in the past, but the nexus has remained active in one way or another.
The misplaced dream of an easier life abroad
The number of immigrants, both legal and illegal, choosing to go to another country and leave their lives in India is huge. The hope for better opportunities, the lack of understanding of the difficulties faced in foreign lands, the lack of proper intervention by state and central governments in curbing the nexus pushing individuals to choose donkey routes, peer pressure to go to the US, and, in some cases, the feeling of “embarrassment” in opting for traditional family work are all leading to such situations.
The tens of lakhs these individuals are spending to enter the US or Canada illegally prove that they do not lack the means or resources. Their desperation is not driven by poverty but by an obsession with settling abroad at any cost. Instead of taking the legal route or using their funds constructively to build a future in India, whether by starting a business or acquiring skills, they willingly gamble everything on an uncertain and illegal path.
The problem of Indians choosing illegal routes to go to other countries cannot be solved just by attacking the nexus. It will grow again. The only way out is to put an end to the rhetoric that life abroad is better than in India. If you are not a highly educated or highly skilled individual, chances of survival in the US, Canada, or Australia are minimal. Sooner or later, you will come back with additional loans on your head.
With growing scrutiny over immigration policies in several countries and increasing sentiment against illegal immigrants, it is better to stay in India and seek better opportunities here. Navdeep, who felt embarrassed to work at his father’s sweet shop, got deported twice. That is much more embarrassing than working at a sweet shop. The mindset and mentality have to change; otherwise, this vicious circle will never end.
Simultaneously, political leaders should rise above their vested interests and not project these individuals as victims. They committed a crime and were deported as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which has been explained by the Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar. What is needed here is for politicians and law enforcement agencies to sit together and come up with a plan not only to provide better opportunities in India but also to curb the nexus that lures individuals into taking the donkey route to foreign countries.
