Chartered Flight Might Be First, Thousands Of Indians Have Been Trying To Enter US By Hook Or By Crook
A Romanian flight that took off from Dubai, and was on its way to Nicaragua, that was grounded in France landed in Mumbai on Tuesday morning, at the end of what is widely believed to be a failed attempt to enter the US illegally.
275 of the 303 people who were on board the Legend Airlines flight were brought back to India after being stranded in France for four years.
Though the exact details of what the group, mostly comprising of Punjab and Haryana residents were planning to do in Nicaragua is sketchy at the moment, it is assumed that the group's ultimate goal was the US or Canada.
Over the years, Nicaragua in Central America has emerged as the go-to country for millions, including Indians who try to enter the US illegally.
Nicaragua has been used as a migratory springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict because of relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries.
This is probably the first time Indians have been caught using a chartered flight to enter the US illegally, but for many years thousands from the country have been attempting to cross the border, to fulfill their American Dream.
Some of these journeys end up in disasters and others in jails, but the number of Indians attempting to enter the US illegally through the Canadian and Mexican borders is only increasing every year.
Indian citizens were arrested 41,770 times entering the US illegally from Mexico till September 30, more than double from 18,308 the previous year.
In September alone a total of 8,076 Indians were apprehended for illegal entry into the US, out of which 3,059 were at the border with Canada.
In most of these cases, those wanting to illegally settle in the US pay anywhere between Rs 30-70 lakhs per person to human traffickers who promise them to take to the country.
They then travel to Canada or Mexico on the pretext of vacation and from there often join migrant caravans from Central America heading to the US border.
Some also set out on their own, in small batches, walking for days or even weeks through the punishing winter cold to reach the US border.
Unfortunately many don't make it and horror stories of illegal immigrants from India freezing to death, drowning and falling from the border wall have all emerged in recent years.
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