New Delhi:
They climbed treacherous mountains, pushed through dense and implacable forests, and walked for hundreds of kilometers, all in search of a singular dream: to reach the United States. For months, they traveled to the continents, but at the end of this dangerous road, they found themselves not freely, but with cold shackles and the border patrol of the United States. For these 104 Indian migrants, which began as an Odyssey of ambition, the search for the American dream, quickly unbalanced in an American nightmare.
An American military plane that transported migrants landed yesterday in Amritsar, marking the first mass deportation under the administration of President Donald Trump. The deportees, who had tried to enter the United States through illegal channels, were stacked on an airplane and, according to the reports, were chained and restricted throughout the flight, only to be released when they arrived in India.
Migrants, from several Indian states, were rounded in an illegal immigration repression. Among them, 33 were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. Nineinueve women and 13 children, including a four -year -old boy and two five -year -old girls, were also on the flight.
Deception and difficulties
Many of these migrants had spent vast sums, often obtained through loans, in promises of legal entry into the United States. Instead, they suffered exhausting and multi-pais walks organized by people traffickers.
Jaspal Singh, a 36 -year -old from Punjab Gurdaspur, was among those deported. He said he paid RS 30 Lakh to an agent who promised a legal step to the United States. First he flew to Brazil, where he was told that the rest of his trip would also be by air. Instead, he was forced to take the dangerous “Burro Route”, an already often dangerous illegal path used by traffickers.
Singh spent six months in Brazil before trying to cross the United States. However, he was arrested by the United States border patrol on January 24 and detained for 11 days. “We had no idea that we were being deported,” he said. “We thought they were transferring us to another detention center. Then they told us that we were going to return to India. We were handcuffed and our legs were chained until we landed in Amritssar.”
Harwinder Singh, from Punjab Hoshiarpur, paid RS 42 Lakh to an agent, and was taken through multiple countries: Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico.
“We walk for days, we cross the mountains and almost drown at sea,” said Harwinder, as cited by the PTI news agency. “I saw a man die in the Jungle of Panama and another drowned in the sea.”
“We crossed 17-18 hills. If a person slipped, there was no possibility of survival. If someone was injured, they were allowed to die. We saw corpses along the way,” said another migrant.
For these migrants, the financial burden is as devastating as the emotional cost. Many families obtained massive loans, mortgaged their homes or borrowed from relatives, waiting for their loved ones to ensure well -paid jobs in the United States.
The cost of deportation
According to Reuters, a recent military flight that sports migrants to Guatemala probably costs at least RS 4,09,331 ($ 4,675) per person, more than five times the cost of a unidirectional first class ticket in American Airlines for the same route.
In comparison, standard immigration and customs deportation flights of Customs (ICE) of the United States cost RS 14,88,527 ($ 17,000) per hour of flight, with a typical flight that transports 135 deported and last five hours. This translates into approximately RS 55,163 ($ 630) per person, assuming that the charter company absorbs the cost of the return flight.
The C-17 transport plane used for deportations has an estimated operating cost of RS 24,95,388 ($ 28,500) per hour. Given the distance between the United States and India, this last deportation flight is probably the most expensive so far.
In general, the commercial flights of ICE Charters for such operations. However, under President Trump, there has been a visible change towards military airplanes for high profile deportations
Trump has repeatedly framed illegal immigration as an “invasion” and has described undocumented migrants as “criminals” and “extraterrestrials.” The optics of migrants that are loaded in massive military aircraft also send a hard line message.
Government action
Upon arrival, the migrants were interrogated by several agencies, including the Punjab police and the central intelligence authorities, to verify any criminal record. Deportations occur a few days before the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, where immigration is expected to be a key issue in conversations with President Trump.
Both cameras of Parliament were postponed until noon today after a political uproar on the issue of deportation.
“His issue is with the Government. This is the issue of the Ministry of External Affairs. This issue is related to another country. The government has taken into account. I ask you not to resort to planned interruptions to avoid the operation without problems of the house.
The Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar met today with Prime Minister Modi amid controversy about the incident.
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