Chandigarh: They’d dreamt of settling within the US for a greater life however they got here again in ‘shackles’, watching a bleak future. Lots of the deportees, who have been within the US navy plane that landed on the Amritsar airport on Saturday carrying 116 unlawful Indian immigrants, mentioned their household organized massive sums of cash by both promoting or mortgaging their farm land or by borrowing from their kin, solely to ship them to the US.
Among the many recent batch of deportees, 65 have been from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, two every from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one every from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Sourav (20), who reached his village Chandiwala in Punjab’s Ferozepur district on Sunday, mentioned he was caught by the US authorities as tried to enter the nation by crossing the border on January 27. He left residence for the US on December 17 final 12 months.
“We have been saved in a camp (detention centre) for 18 days,” Sourav mentioned, including that their cell phones have been taken away. “A day earlier than yesterday, we have been advised that we’ll be shifted to a different camp. Once we have been put right into a airplane, they mentioned we’re being taken to India,” Sourav mentioned.
Stating that his household spent Rs 45-46 lakh to ship him to overseas, Sourav mentioned, “Two acres of farm land have been offered and cash was borrowed from a fee agent.” Sharing particulars about his journey, he mentioned he was taken to US border through Amsterdam, Panama, and Mexico.
On whether or not they have been shackled en path to Amritsar, Sourav mentioned, “We have been handcuffed and our legs have been chained.” Harjit Singh, who hails from Khanowal Ghuman village in Gurdaspur district, was deported from the US alongside along with his cousin. “We reached residence at round 6 am as we speak,” he mentioned.
“We have been caught whereas crossing the US border on January 27 and saved at a detention centre for 18 days. We have been deported on February 13, handcuffed with our legs chained,” he mentioned. Harjit mentioned his household spent Rs 90 lakh on him and his cousin for them to go to the US.
“We have been assured that we’ll be taken to America legally, however we weren’t,” Harjit mentioned. Mantaj Singh (22), a resident of Bodal village in Hoshiarpur district, mentioned he was caught by the US Border Patrol as quickly as he tried to enter the US, including that he was taken there through ‘donkey route’ — an unlawful and dangerous pathway utilized by migrants to enter the US.
The dad and mom of Sahil Preet Singh, a resident of Behbal Bahadur village in Kapurthala district, mentioned they spent Rs 40-45 lakh for sending their son overseas. Claiming {that a} journey agent duped them, Sahil’s mom Harvinder Kaur mentioned the household organized the cash by promoting agricultural land and gold ornaments, and by borrowing from their kin.
She additionally demanded the Punjab authorities to offer a job to his son and file a felony case towards the fraudulent agent. Jaswinder Singh from Dharamkot village in Moga district left residence for the US almost 45 days in the past. A sarpanch from his village mentioned the household offered one-and-a-half acres of land, raised Rs 45 lakh, gave it to a journey agent who in flip duped them.
Many from the primary batch of unlawful immigrants who landed in Amritsar on February 5, most of them from Punjab, had additionally mentioned they needed emigrate to the US for a greater life for his or her households however have been duped by their brokers.
