Jaspal Singh, one of the 104 Indians deported from the United States, recalled a horrifying experience as he landed at Amritsar airport on Wednesday. He claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey, and they were unshackled only after reaching India. The 36-year-old, a resident of Hardorwal village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, had been captured by US Border Patrol on January 24 and detained before being sent back. He said that he never imagined his dream of reaching the US would end this way.
A US military aircraft carrying the deportees, including 19 women and 13 minors, landed in Amritsar as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. Among them, 33 were from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra, three from Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh. The deportees were interrogated inside the airport terminal by Punjab Police and central intelligence agencies before being sent to their respective states.
Jaspal Singh, who reached his hometown late Wednesday night, said he had spent a huge sum of money to travel to the US, only to be betrayed by an agent. He had initially flown to Brazil in July last year, believing that the rest of the journey would also be by air. However, he was forced to take an illegal land route across multiple countries. After staying in Brazil for six months, he was smuggled across the border into the US, only to be caught by the border authorities. He spent 11 days in custody before being deported. "We thought we were being taken to another camp, but later a police officer told us we were being sent to India. We were handcuffed, and our legs were chained until we landed in Amritsar," he said. His cousin, Jasbir Singh, said that they only learned about his deportation through media reports on Wednesday morning.
Two other deportees from Punjab, who reached their hometowns in Hoshiarpur, also spoke about the horrific ordeal they endured while trying to reach the US. Harwinder Singh from Tahli village recounted how he was taken through Qatar, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Nicaragua, and finally Mexico before attempting to cross into the US. The journey was perilous, involving mountains, jungles, and dangerous boat rides. "A boat we were on nearly capsized in the sea, and I saw one person drown. Another man died in the Panama jungle," he said. He had spent ₹42 lakh on his journey, hoping to build a better future. "There were days when we had nothing to eat except biscuits, and we had to walk 40-45 kilometers at a stretch," he added.
Another deportee from Punjab spoke about the ‘donkey route’ used to smuggle people into the US. He said that his clothes worth ₹30,000-35,000 were stolen on the way. He was first taken to Italy and then to Latin America, from where the long and treacherous journey began. "We crossed 17-18 hills, and if someone slipped, there was no chance of survival. If anyone got injured, they were left to die. I saw dead bodies along the way," he recounted.
Earlier in the day, the US Air Force’s C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Amritsar, marking the first such mass deportation of Indians under the Trump administration’s immigration policy. The deportation came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington for talks with President Trump. The tragic stories of these deportees highlight the dangers of illegal immigration and the exploitation by human traffickers who promise a better life but often lead people into nightmares. Many of these returnees are now left with shattered dreams and massive financial losses, struggling to cope with the reality of their failed journey.
