Mandeep Singh, a 38-year-old man from Amritsar, was among the 112 Indians deported by the United States on a military aircraft that landed at Amritsar airport late on Sunday. His harrowing tale reveals the perilous and dehumanizing journey he endured in an attempt to illegally enter the United States, part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration under the Trump administration.
Mandeep’s story began with a promise from his travel agent of a legal entry into the US. However, what awaited him was far from the dream he had hoped for. He was instead led on the infamous ‘donkey route,’ a perilous and illegal path often taken by migrants attempting to cross borders.
The journey started in Amritsar in August when Mandeep paid his agent Rs 40 lakh in two installments for what he was told would be a legal entry into the US. The trip took him from Delhi to Mumbai, then to Nairobi, and onward to Suriname, where he was asked to pay an additional Rs 20 lakh. From Suriname, Mandeep and a group of other migrants embarked on a grueling journey across several countries, including Guyana, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Panama.
The trek through Panama’s jungles, which lasted 13 days, was fraught with danger. Mandeep described the terrifying experience of navigating canals filled with crocodiles and snakes, with travelers handed sticks to fend off the reptiles. “We ate half-baked rotis and sometimes noodles, as proper food was a distant thing. We used to travel 12 hours a day,” Mandeep recalled.
The group crossed Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, often without access to food. When they finally reached Tijuana, Mexico, where they intended to cross into the US, Mandeep said that his beard, an important part of his Sikh identity, was forcibly trimmed.
On January 27, Mandeep and others in his group were arrested by US Border Police as they attempted to sneak across the border. After being detained for several days, Mandeep was deported back to India.
The deportation of Mandeep and 112 others on Sunday marks the third such batch of Indians to be sent back amid heightened enforcement against illegal immigration. The first batch arrived on February 5, with 104 deportees onboard. The US crackdown on illegal immigration is part of a broader policy shift that has led to a significant rise in deportations.
Mandeep’s experience sheds light on the dangerous lengths migrants are willing to go to in search of a better life, often trusting smugglers and agents who promise legal pathways but instead subject them to life-threatening risks. His story also highlights the severe conditions migrants face as they navigate dangerous routes, sometimes enduring physical and emotional hardships along the way.
Sources By Agencies
