CHANDIGARH: The 104 illegal immigrants deported from the United States have revealed a common link—most entered the US in January this year and were sent through the 'Dunki Route' operated by travel agents in Dubai. These agents were contacted via local sub-agents in India, including some in Delhi and the UK.
Sources said officials at Amritsar International Airport questioned the deportees, who arrived handcuffed on a special US military plane. The returnees shared details of their ordeal and provided names of agents to whom they had paid large sums of money.
"A few who were deported said they went through agents based in Delhi and the UK," an official stated.
Among them, 29-year-old Mandeep Singh from Chohla Sahib, Taran Taran district, left for Spain two and a half years ago. Though he was doing well there, he decided to move to the US.
He contacted the same agent who had facilitated his Spain entry and paid Rs 1 crore to reach the US. He first travelled to Dubai on a visa for Serbia and then flew via Armenia to Serbia. From there, he reached Tijuana, Mexico.
"The agent repeatedly assured me of a smooth passage. I had asked the agent to send me before the US election results, as one knew Donald Trump will win," Mandeep said.
After walking more than 100 kilometres through the jungle, he managed to enter the US but was soon detained by border patrol officials.
Robin Handa (26) from Ismailabad, Kurukshetra, Haryana, reached the US on January 22 after a seven-month journey that began on July 24 last year. His parents sold one acre of land to arrange Rs 43 lakh for the agent. However, he was arrested at the border, detained in a camp, and deported in handcuffs and chains without any statement being recorded.
Aakash (20) from Kalron village, Karnal, Haryana, paid Rs 72 lakh after his family sold land. He entered the US via the Mexico border on January 26, only to be arrested by border patrol.
Khushpreet Singh (18) from Ismailabad, Kurukshetra, who studied up to Class VIII, paid Rs 45 lakh to take the same route. Jitesh Kumar from Ambala, son of a retired police official, entered the US on January 19 but was soon arrested. He, too, had paid Rs 45 lakh and took six months to reach the US.
Anuj Rawal from Rishpur village, Panipat, Haryana, paid Rs 40 lakh to an agent, selling one acre of land and taking a loan to fund his journey. He left India four months ago, stayed in Dubai for a month, and then continued his journey. "I spent about three weeks in Panama forests, then stayed for a month in Mexico. As soon as I entered the US, I was caught. I was jailed for four days before being deported on the fifth day," he recounted.
Ankit from Farmana village, Sonepat, paid Rs 50 lakh after his family sold three bighas of land. A Class XII pass-out, he left Mumbai on November 5, travelling through the Netherlands, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia before crossing the Panama jungle in three days.
He continued through Honduras and Mexico, finally reaching the US via the Tijuana border, where he was arrested and held in custody for a month before deportation.
Akashdeep Singh (23) paid Rs 62 lakh to a Dubai-based agent. His journey began on July 6 last year when he travelled to Dubai on a tourist visa.
"From there, my Dunki route started," he said, recounting his journey through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico before entering the US on January 24, where he was arrested.
Ajaydeep Singh (21) paid Rs 45 lakh to a Delhi-based agent, who sent him to Guyana on a tourist visa on July 27 last year. He entered the US on January 22 and was arrested.
Daler Singh from Salempura village, Amritsar, reached the US on January 15, but was arrested and taken to a detention centre in San Diego. His journey began on August 15 last year.
The deportations highlight the growing network of illegal immigration routes operated through international agents, with desperate migrants risking their lives and families selling property to finance their journeys.
