Indians deported from US: Future tense for families of Haryana youths
Sukhwinder Singh said that he had sent his son to the United Kingdom on a study visa in 2022 by selling 2.5 acres of land out of total land holding 3.5 acres.
In Fatehabad’s Digoh village, 24-year-old Gaganpreet’s father Sukhwinder Singh informed that he had sent his son to the United Kingdom on a study visa in 2022 by selling 2.5 acres of land out of total land holding 3.5 acres.
“My son reached the USA last month via the donkey route from the UK. He was facing financial problems in the UK as he was allowed to work only 20 hours a week, which is not enough to bear the expenses. He jumped the fence into the US ,” the distressed father said.
Sukhwinder runs the family by selling milk of six buffaloes. He said that he had sent his son abroad because of the high unemployment rate in Haryana.
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“Our life is ruined as we had sold everything to send our son abroad. The government should provide help to these deportees. Gaganpreet has been unreachable for the last 20 days and we assumed that he might be sent to the detention centre,” he added.
Jumped fence but got caught
23-year-old Rohit’s father Suresh Kumar, a retired army personnel from Jind’s Kharak Bhura, said that police officials had contacted him and sought details about his son.
“I told them that Rohit had jumped the fence and reached the US nearly a month ago. He went to the UK for a master’s course in January 2024. We have had no communication with him for the last two weeks. It’s all about destiny and we will reveal more details once he returns home,” he added.
As per sources, Rohit had reached Salvador from the UK via air and travelled to Mexico by road.
Took the long route to return home
Class 12 pass out, 21-year-old Ajay Kumar of Jind’s Chuharpur village had reached the USA nearly a month ago travelling through several countries for two months. His father Khushi Ram, who works as a mechanic of inverter batteries, said that he had arranged ₹40 lakh from his relatives and commission agents to send his younger son to the US.
“After jumping into US last month, the customs and border protection officials caught him and held him in custody. Since then, we have had no communication with him. We are in debt but there is some satisfaction that my son is alive,” he added.
Karnal man’s family left landless
Akash Rana, 20 landed in the United States just 11 days ago. A native of Kalron village in Gharounda sub-division of Karnal, Akash left for the US through donkey route last year in March-April and jumped across the Mexican border on January 26, his elder brother Shubham Rana told HT over the phone.
“Our father died in 2006, and it was getting difficult for us to make ends meet. We sold two acres of farmland and spent ₹60 lakh to send him abroad,” he said. “Now, we are landless and unsure of future,” the elder brother added.