‘Spent ₹40 lakh, stayed in US for 11 days’: Deported Indian immigrant opens up

A man from Punjab said he met a broker on Facebook who took him to the US by “Dunki route” after making him stay in the UK for more than two years.

Updated on: Feb 7, 2025, 07:04:22 IST

By Trisha Sengupta

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As many as 104 illegal Indian immigrants were deported from the United States amid American President Donald Trump’s border crackdown. A US military aircraft carrying the migrants landed at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Wednesday. One of the Indians deported from the US has opened up about details of his journey through the ‘dunki’ route, adding that he stayed in the UK for 2.5 years before reaching America in 2025 and getting deported within just 11 days.

A man from Punjab who was illegally living in the US was deported to India. (X/@ANI)

The man, originally from Gurdaspur in Punjab, says that he met an agent through Facebook who took ₹40 lakh from him to help him “achieve his dream of a better life.”

“I left for UK, 2.5 years ago and then I went to Europe and my agent made me take 'Dunki route...I spent ₹40 lakhs...the journey was not very smooth, I took the forest route and faced so many issues,” the man says in an interview with ANI.

He continues, “I had stayed in England for 2 years...I took the agent's number through Facebook. I went there for my livelihood.”

According to the man, he stayed in the US for 11 days before being arrested and deported. While talking about how they were deported, the man said, “When we were crossing the borders, I was caught...we were handcuffed and our legs were tied when we were brought back,” adding that he never thought he would get deported when he was initially arrested.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on deportation:

The union minister addressed the concerns of illegal Indian immigrants being sent back in handcuffs and shackles. He said that using those measures has been standard operating procedure for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities since 2012.

He added that countries have an obligation to take back their citizens who live illegally abroad. “This is not a policy applicable to any specific country nor indeed one only practiced by India. It is a general accepted principle in international relations,” he added.

Reportedly, the group of 104 people included 72 men, 19 women, and 13 children.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Sengupta
Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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