Punjab man who took 'dunki route' for six months deported to India, 11 days after entering US
According to Jaspal Singh, in July 2024, he was taken to Brazil by an agent who promised that he would be flying to the US from there. Singh said he paid the agent Rs 30 lakh to take him to US legally.
Like many young men of his age, Jaspal Singh from Punjab's Gurdaspur district also dreamed about settling in the US. But now, back in his home in Hardorwal village, the 36-year-old's memories of the US are not a dream but a nightmare.
Singh was one of the 104 Indians deported by the US on Tuesday as part of Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration to the country.
CREDIT: PTI
Deported with hands, legs chained
Recalling his ordeal, Singh said he was caught by the US Border Patrol on January 24 while crossing the border with Mexico.
For the next 11 days, Singh was held in a detention camp and then put on an aircraft with his hands and legs chained.
According to Singh, he and others on the flight didn't know where they were being taken and only after boarding the flight they were told that they were being deported back to India.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Wanted to go to US legally
Though he was deported for entering the US illegally, Singh said it was never his intention and claimed that he spent a fortune to legally immigrate there.
"I had asked the agent to send me through a proper visa. But he deceived me," Singh told PTI, adding that he paid the agent Rs 30 lakh for the same.
Spent six months in Brazil
According to Singh, in July 2024, he was taken to Brazil by an agent who promised that he would be flying to the US from there. However, he was cheated by the agent, and after staying for six months in Brazil, Singh attempted to enter the US illegally, only to be caught by the US Border Patrol.
CREDIT: REUTERS
"A huge sum was spent. The money was borrowed," Singh said.
VIDEO | "We were not aware that we were being taken to India. We thought we were being taken to another camp or detention centre. We were handcuffed and in shackles," said Jaspal Singh, one of the deported Indian immigrants.
¡ª Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 5, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos -¡ pic.twitter.com/L9Wn0z1fx4
Like other deportees, who also included nineteen women and 13 minors, Singh was allowed to leave Amritsar Airport after they were questioned by different agencies, including the Punjab Police and various state and central intelligence agencies.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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