DW BUREAU / Hoshiarpur

Rohit set out for what he believed would be a pathway to a better future after an Amritsar-based travel agent promised him entry to the US legally but it came crashing down when he was deported with some other illegal Indian immigrants. Rohit was among the deportees sent back on a U.S. military plane Sunday night.

Rohit, a resident of Milwan village in Kangra district on the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border, embarked on a journey to the United States in July 2024, hoping to turn his family's fortunes, only to be deported back after months of hardship.

A US military aircraft carrying 112 illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar airport late on Sunday night, the third such flight bringing deportees amid a crackdown by the Donald Trump government against illegal immigrants.

Of the 112 deportees, 44 were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 31 from Punjab, two from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, sources said.

Rohit said he had been in contact with a travel agent based in Amritsar, who assured him of a valid US visa. The agent initially promised to send him to Dubai, from where his visa for the US would be arranged. Talking to PTI over the phone on Tuesday, Rohit said when he reached Dubai, he found himself among many other young men who were also stranded, waiting indefinitely for their visas. Fearing distressing his mother, who was alone at home, he chose not to inform her about the ordeal.

His mother Asha Devi said over the phone that Rohit's father had passed away a few years ago. He used to help his father in running a tea stall at Milwan, she said.

He could not study much after Class 12 because of various hardships the family faced, said another family member while speaking over the phone.

Rohit said the travel agent promised to send him to the US in a legal manner. After spending several weeks in Dubai, he clung to hope and eventually, the travel agent secured a visa for Greece, and from there, he was sent to Madrid, Spain.

He says having stayed in Madrid for about 10 to 12 days, he was flown to El Salvador, a nation in Central America, where his treacherous 'donkey route' (an illegal and risky pathway used by migrants to enter the U.S.) to the U.S. began.

The journey from El Salvador to Mexico took approximately a month, fraught with severe hardships. During this perilous journey, Rohit faced numerous difficulties. He recounted that 'donkers' a term used for human traffickers along these illegal migration routes would often assault and mistreat the travellers. "At times, I was forced to sleep on the ground for days, navigate through dense jungles, and endure starvation," he said.

He said if the 'donkers' were provided food, it was a relief; otherwise, he had no choice but to survive without it.

Having spent nearly Rs 40-50 lakh in this desperate attempt to reach the U.S., Rohit's journey came to an abrupt halt when he was caught by the U.S. Border Patrol on February 3 for crossing into the country illegally via Tijuana in Mexico along with some others.

A patrol vehicle was nearby and we were immediately arrested, he says, while adding there were a few more in the group who crossed over and were nabbed.

"We were taken to a detention centre in San Diego. Our biometrics were collected and our medical exam was done. All other processes related to our detention were done and we were told that we had crossed over illegally. Later, we were put in a cell that accommodate about 50-60 people," Rohit said.

"Food, mostly non-vegetarian was served. But I preferred to have some fruit and water most of the time as I do not eat non-vegetarian food," he said.

He said until the day they were deported they remained confined in the detention centre.

"They kept us inside, we did not get to see what was happening outside. On February 14, a list was brought and they started reading out names. After some time, they took us in two buses to the airport in California, which was about an hour away. Then we came to know we were being put on a plane," said Rohit.

He says during the journey the men were handcuffed.

Upon his return, his family tried to contact the travel agent, but the phone remained switched off. Now left in financial ruin, Rohit has demanded action against the agent and a refund of the amount paid.

Coming from a poor family, he now faces an uncertain future, with his house mortgaged to a bank. Rohit's sister said that her brother was in a state of shock over the turn of events that had taken after he set out for America and the family was in deep financial distress.

(editor@dailyworld.in)