An American military aircraft carrying more than 100 Indian migrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, marking the first mass exile under President Donald Trump. These exiles, who have risked everything for the better future, were sent back to India after trying to enter the US through illegal channels. During the entire journey, shocking and restrained, they returned home empty -handed, ending their American dreams.
19 women and 13 minors came from exile, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh. Most of them attempted dangerous “donkey routes”, an illegal migration path that is controlled by human smugglers, spreading and taking high risk in many countries.
What is the “Donkey Marg”?
The “donkey passage” is a word that is used to describe dangerous travel migrants who take jobs and better lives to reach America or European countries. Referring to a difficult, unplanned journey in the name of a Punjabi idiom, it involves crossing several international borders, often through the treacherous terrain, under false promises of legal entry. The agents mislead the migrants, exposing them in life-threatening conditions and charge them huge amount.
How does this work?
Illegal migrants use “donkey flights” to enter Britain through other European countries, said The Times of the UK.
- They pay agents for visas to fly in Schengen countries such as Germany, Belgium or France, where the border check is minimal.
- Local handlers then help them reach the UK, in which the visa rules are strict.
- Some get fake documents, while others are smuggled to lorry, buses or cars.
How Indians migrate through ‘donkey routes’
Jaspal Singh, a 36 -year -old from Gurdaspur, Punjab, paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent, promising a legal route for the US. But instead of an air travel arrangement, Mr. Singh was forced to trekking across the mountains, through the South American forests, which was facing life-threatening conditions.
After spending six months in Brazil, he was caught by the US border patrol team in January and was held for 11 days before it was deported.
Another migrant from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Harvinder Singh, recalled his painful journey, including walking through the forests, crossing the mountains and almost submerged in the sea.
After paying Rs 42 lakh to an agent, he set him on a route that led him to reach America via Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico.
In Brazil, he was promised a flight to Peru, but there was no such flight. Instead, taxis took him to Colombia, and then on the outskirts of Panama. From there, they were promised a ship to continue the journey, but it never came. This led to a two -day walk through the mountains, which he called the “donkey route”.
Subsequently, he rode on a small boat leading to Mexico. During a four -hour maritime trip, his boat killed a migrant. Another migrant died in the Panama forest. He survived small parts of rice during his journey.
“We crossed 17-18 hills. If a person slipped, there was no chance to survive. We saw the dead bodies on the way,” said Mr. Harvinder Singh. His visit ended when he was arrested in Mexico, just shy from the US border.
Sukhpal Singh of Darpur village described a similar cruelly – spending 15 hours in the sea and covering a distance of 45 km through the treacherous hills. “If someone was injured, he was released to die. We saw many bodies on the way,” he said. Singh was caught in Mexico just before reaching America.
The operation of “donkey route” smuggling has spread to Punjab and other parts of India, agents offered false assurances and took huge amount from weak persons, “They promise you a visa, but then you are dangerous to yourself Finds trapped in situations, illegally crossing the boundaries, “Harvinder Singh said while remembering his experience.
The price of this illegal stay is not only financial, it also takes an emotional toll. Families have sold their land, borrowed money at high interest rates, and pledged homes in the hope of achieving better future.
