The term ‘Donkey route’ originates from Punjabi, describing a person who hops from one place to another like a donkey.
The term ‘Donkey route’ originates from Punjabi, describing a person who hops from one place to another like a donkey.Photo | Express Illustrations

Tried and failed, yet ‘Donkey route’ preferred to reach US, greener pastures

As Delhi Police uncovered a nexus of agents, a Punjabi singer was arrested for his role in the syndicate, which lured people with the promise of sending them to the US via ‘Donkey route’ at lower rates.
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NEW DELHI: On March 8, a flight departed from Almaty, Kazakhstan carrying a young man, a native of Punjab. A few hours later, it landed at the IGIA, where 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh was taken into custody. He had been deported from Turkey. For Gurpreet, the situation was not surprising; it was his fifth failed attempt to go abroad in search of a better life.

A case was registered, and a probe initiated. As Delhi Police uncovered a nexus of agents, a Punjabi singer was arrested for his role in the syndicate, which lured people with the promise of sending them to the US via ‘Donkey route’ at lower rates. The route refers to an illegal immigration method used for unauthorised entry into a foreign country. The term ‘Donkey route’ originates from Punjabi, describing a person who hops from one place to another like a donkey. One of the relatively cheaper ‘donkey route’ options involves trekking through the dense forests of Panama, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Recently, there has been a decline in the cases of illegal migrants entering the US using the ‘Donkey route’ through Mexico, largely due to increased security measures in Dubai and Turkey. However, the deceptive agents in India continue to dupe people with the promise of sending them to the Western countries using illegal methods. The case of Gurpreet is not isolated.

Every year, thousands of Indians fall prey to the enticing picture given by fraud agents. They ultimately get deported after being caught at some country. In April, another man named Parwinder Singh was deported from Turkey. His travel documents revealed that he had left for Mexico via Turkey from the IGIA, but a fake Mexican visa was affixed on his passport during transit in Turkey. He was sent back to India.

On Wednesday, the police claimed to have arrested the alleged passenger’s agent, named Lukesh Kumar, who had facilitated his journey to the US through Mexico for Rs 30 lakh. Recently, the US deported nearly 1,000 illegal Indian migrants after hiring a charter flight. Reports suggest that a record 96,917 Indians were caught or expelled trying to cross into the US in 2023. In 2021, the figures stood at 30,662.

The Delhi Police had recently busted a syndicate of fraudsters and unearthed a fake visa factory in Surat. Senior officers say they are tightening the noose around agents who try to dupe gullible citizens.

The origin of term ‘Donkey route’

The ‘Donkey route’ refers to an illegal immigration method used for unauthorised entry into a foreign country. The term originates from Punjabi, describing a person who hops from one place to another like a donkey.

Over 96K Indians deported from US in ’23

The US has recently deported nearly 1,000 illegal Indian migrants after hiring a charter flight. Reports suggest that a record 96,917 Indians were caught trying to cross into the US in 2023. In 2021, the figure was at 30,662.

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