Gurpreet Singh, a 39-year-old native of India, found himself restrained with handcuffs and shackles on a United States military aircraft in Texas, experiencing the culmination of his months-long journey to America as an undocumented migrant. On 3rd February, his pursuit of the American dream came crumbling down as he was to be deported back to his homeland. ‘It felt as if the earth was falling away from under me,’ he shared.
Singh is one of an increasing number of individuals from India who drained their entire life savings in order to make the perilous journey across oceans and continents to enter the United States illicitly. Their desperation rises from the escalating unemployment issues India is grappling with. Singh’s story highlights one of the early cases of Indian migrants being deported following a change in U.S. immigration policies.
The motive behind Singh’s illegal immigration to the U.S. was to find asylum, spurred by dangers he claimed to have experienced back in India. According to him, he was not permitted to make his plea for asylum prior to his removal. During his transit back to India, Singh stated, ‘We were kept in shackles and cuffs for over 40 hours. This applied even to women. Only children were allowed to roam free.’
To use the toilet facilities, deportees were escorted by armed U.S. personnel, removing only one handcuff. Upon Singh’s return to India, he recounted his experience to the BBC. Opposition party representatives in India vehemently opposed the treatment of Indian deportees, labeling it as ‘harsh and debasing’.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a prominent opposition leader, questioned the dynamic shared between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. ‘Why didn’t Mr. Modi intervene if they are such good friends?’ she asked. Singh too expected the Indian government to take a stand for deportees like him and requested a more humane approach to deportation.
The Indian foreign ministry did express its concerns to the United States, resulting in future flights handling female deportees without shackles and hand cuffs. However, the daunting images and President Trump’s narrative seem to have made an impact on potential illegal migrants in India.
Gurpreet admits that prospective migrants will reconsider taking the unlawful ‘donkey’ route under President Trump’s administration. The future of this movement lies on the continuation of such deportation drives. Concurrently, the people-smugglers, often referred to as ‘agents’ locally, are disappearing, fearing crack downs by Indian law enforcement.
It was reported that upon Gurpreet’s arrival in India, authorities requested details of his ‘agent’, who had since become unreachable. Despite this, Gurpreet expressed, ‘I can’t blame them entirely. We were the ones desperate enough to seek their help.’
While the official unemployment percentage in India hovers around 3.2%, it masks the fact that only 22% of employees receive consistent monthly incomes, the majority are self-employed, and a significant portion are unpaid helpers, including women working in family businesses.
Why would Indians choose to leave their homeland? The answer lies in the desperation for better living conditions and livelihoods. ‘I wouldn’t have considered leaving had I secured a job paying even 30,000 rupees monthly ($340), which would suffice to support my family,’ confessed Gurpreet who had to leave behind his wife, mother, and 18-month-old child.
Singh operated a trucking company, which along with many other cash-reliant small businesses, succumbed during the government’s abrupt recall of 86% of the liquid cash in the economy. Consequently, Singh was unable to sustain his business due to unpaid dues from clients.
The second entrepreneurial venture of a logistics management firm didn’t survive either due to the impact of Covid’s disruptive lockdown. Reflecting on his misfortune, Singh recalled unsuccessful attempts to acquire visas for Canada and the UK. Eventually, he liquidated his savings, sold his land, and borrowed from relatives to amass fund for his anticipated journey.
His journey began on the 28th August 2024 from India to the South American nation of Guyana. From there, he navigated through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, by an assortment of vehicles, occasionally by water transportation, and even flitted through the air, all while dodging the authorities.
His most perilous voyage was through the looming jungles and swift current rivers of the Darien Gap after Colombian immigration authorities obstructed his flight to Mexico. However, Singh, being a sportsman, muddled through but labelled it as the ‘toughest phase of his journey’.
Having made the daunting journey through the notorious Gap, Singh along with nearly 150 others were apprehended at the Panamanian border and detained in a confined center. Following his release after 20 painstaking days, they embarked on an extensive journey to reach Mexico via several countries. After nearly a month’s wait in Mexico, an opportunity presented itself for him to cross the border into the U.S. near San Diego.