Among the 104 Indian citizens deported from the US for illegally migrating into the country were some from Punjab and Haryana who raised over Rs 45 lakh to pay the agents to take them into the US.
The relatives of many people who were deported from the US claimed that they were duped by travel agents who said they would take their loved ones into the US in a legal way. Instead, they were forced to take the "donkey route" via Mexican borders, which landed them right in the hands of US border patrol.
Jasinwder Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, was deported to India after he was arrested by the authorities on January 15 while crossing the Mexican border. Jaswinder's family who runs a dairy farm, paid around Rs 45-50 lakh to a travel agent to send him abroad. He had raised the amount on a high interest rate from moneylenders. Jaswinder took almost three months to reach the US but the deportation has shattered the family's hopes.
The grandfather of 21-year-old Vikramjit Singh, who was onboard Wednesday's deportation flight told The Tribune that Vikramjit, a resident of Kapurthala's Dongrawal village, left India because he didn't know how to survive as unemployment was high here.
Harmail Singh said his grandson, the only brother to six sisters, left for the US two months ago. He was a class 12 pass-out who worked as a daily wager.
Another resident of Hoshiarpur, Harvinder Singh, left for the US eight months ago. The travel agent sought Rs 42 lakh from Harvinder promising to take him to the US via a valid visa. His wife Kuljinder Kaur said the travel agent sent her husband to the US via an illegal route. Harvinder arrived in the US on January 15 via the Mexico border and he called his wife to inform her about it.
However, Harvinder was caught by the patrol forces and had been in the detention camp since then.
Meanwhile, the family of Sukhpal, a resident of Darapur Tanda, was shocked to learn that he too was on the flight. His family sent Sukhpal to Italy for education and was unaware of how Sukhpal reached the US.
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The family of 24-year-old Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Digoh village in Fatehabad, also sent Gagandeep to the UK for higher studies by selling 2.5 acres of their 3.5 acres for a study visa. However, he did not receive any part-time job opportunities in the UK after which he decided to move to the US. His family alleges that he fell prey to a visa agent's deceit.
A 21-year-old girl Muskan of Ludhiana too was among those who were deported. Muskan who was in the UK on a valid study visa informed her parents she was moving to the US. Her father Jagdish Kumar also sent his daughter abroad by taking a loan from a bank.