‘Saw one drown in sea, another falling into gorge and dying’: Man recalls horror of ‘Donkey route’ | India News

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR/JALANDHAR: From mortgaging land, taking bank loans and even selling off their buffaloes, families from Punjab have lost their entire earnings in sending a member of their family to US. As Punjab govt officials fanned across the state to find details and the modus operandi of how they crossed over illegally, Dubai emerged as the main hub of agents operating ‘donkey’ routes to US via Mexico.
The functionary said there were people in Punjab linked to agents in Dubai who connect people to these agents and these linkages “would be looked into.”
Akashdeep Singh, a 23-year-old, told the officials his family paid Rs 45 lakh to an agent named Ashok based in Dubai to send him to US. After striking a deal with the agent through a family “friend” in Punjab, Akashdeep first went to Dubai on July 6 last year on a tourist visa before embarking on a nightmare journey to US where he was caught on Jan 24 while crossing the border.
After reaching Dubai, Akashdeep’s six-month horrific journey took him to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico – a common “donkey” route from Dubai – before being caught by US border officials.
“We sold 6 kanals of land, mortgaged 2 acres and sold off our tractor, reaper and even buffaloes to arrange money. He was caught as he scaled the border wall,” Akashdeep’s mother Daljit Kaur told TOI.
Akashdeep is one of many, who risked it all for American dream, only to see it shatter.
“I was told that I would be sent legally, but I was sent by ‘donkey’ route. I reached there in eight months. I was jailed at US border for 20 days and then sent back. Our hands and feet were chained. Everyone was chained except for children. It took us 40 hours to reach Amritsar airport,” said a deportee.
“Now that I am back, I will work here. I will do farming. We request govt to help us in getting money back,” he said.
With deportees in financial crises, Punjab govt is planning to counsel them on “various skill development opportunities which can lead to their placement”, “for jobs in private sector”, and also “make willing candidates apply for the recruitment in the Army”.
“I saw one man drowning in the sea and another falling into a gorge and dying. Leaving the sick and injured behind seemed to be the practice. I saw dead bodies while passing through the jungle of Panama,” said Harwinder Singh from Hoshiarpur’s Tahli.