Punjab family sold land, spent ₹45 lakh for son to reach US. He was deported with hands, legs tied

Punjab native Sourav spoke to news agency ANI about how he reached the US and his subsequent deportation from the land of dreams.

An aircraft carrying the second batch of Indian nationals who illegally migrated to the US landed in Amritsar this afternoon. Among the dozens of deportees on this flight was a man named Sourav, a Punjab native whose family sold land and spent over ₹45 lakh to send him to the United States. He was caught a couple of hours after he entered the country illegally.

Sourav entered the US through Mexico and was soon deported back to India(X/@ANI)

Sourav spoke to news agency ANI about how he reached the US and his subsequent deportation from the land of dreams.

“I entered through Mexico”

“I entered America on January 27,” Sourav, a resident of Ferozepur, told ANI. He explained that he entered the US through Mexico. The border was in a mountainous area and it took the group two to three days to cross over to the US, where they were caught within a couple of hours.

“We were caught by the police within 2-3 hours of entering the US. They took us to the police station, and 2-3 hours later, we were taken to a camp. They took our photographs and finger prints.

“We stayed at the camp for 15-18 days. There was no one to listen to us,” said Sourav.

“Two days ago, we were told that we were being shifted to another camp. When we boarded the flight, we were told we were being sent back to India,” he said.

Parents sold land

Sourav said that his parents sold land and borrowed money from relatives to raise ₹45 lakhs. This money went towards sending him to the US.

“I spent nearly ₹45 lakhs to go there. My parents sold our lands and borrowed money from relatives to fund the process... I want help from the government because my parents sold our land and took a loan, but all that went in vain,” he said.

In his quest to reach the United States, Sourav flew to several cities across the world. It took him around a month and a half to reach the US from India.

“I left India on 17 December... First, I went to Malaysia, where I stayed for a week; then took the next flight to Mumbai, where I stayed for 10 days. From Mumbai, I went to Amsterdam, then to Panama to Tapachula and then to Mexico City. From Mexico City, it took us 3-4 days to cross the border,” Sourav told ANI.

Hands and legs tried

Sourav said that all his appeals to American authorities fell on deaf ears. Instead, he and other illegal immigrants were deported with their hands and legs tied.

“They tied up our hands and feet on the flight. Our mobile phones were confiscated the moment they caught us at the border,” he revealed.

“We had no contact back home... What can I say to the US government? They did everything as per rules…” the Punjab man added.

Sourav's family has refused to disclose the name of the agent who helped him cross into the US illegally.