On the afternoon of 5 February 2025, a US military aircraft landed at Amritsar’s Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport, carrying 104 Indian immigrants who had entered the United States illegally. This marked one of the first large-scale deportations following the new US government’s tightened immigration policies. The deportees, primarily from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, were processed at the airport before being sent back to their respective hometowns. Though this incident has created a hue and cry in the country, particularly because of opposition leaders who have questioned the relative silence of the Modi government on the issue, the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US to India is not anything new.
But, why do a large number of Indians enter the US illegally and how? The story of one of the recent deportees, Jaspal Singh, a 36-year-old resident of Hardorwal village in Punjab, throws some light on the issue. He paid Rs 30 lakh to an agent who assured him a legal route into the US. Contrary to the promise, he was stranded in Brazil for six months before being forced to cross into the US illegally. Singh was arrested by the US authorities on January 24 and held for 11 days before being deported. To a newspaper correspondent, he said, “I had no idea I was being sent back to India. We thought we were being moved to another detention camp, but a police officer infor – m ed us that we were being deported…. A huge amount was spent, and much of it was borrowed. Now, everything is gone.” Another deportee, Harwinder Singh from Hoshiarpur, described the treacherous journey he undertook through multiple countries ~ including Qatar, Brazil, and Peru ~ before reaching Mexico. From there, he joined a group attempting to cross into the US. “We climbed hills, and a boat carrying us almost capsized. I witnessed people die in the Panama jungle and saw another person drown in the sea,” he recalled.
Harwinder spent Rs 42 lakh on the journey, only to be caught and deported. The route that these illegal migrants take is known as the ‘donkey route’ or ‘dunki route’ ~ a dangerous path taken by illegal immigrants via Latin America. The term Dunki originates from a Punjabi proverb, meaning someone who moves from one place to another. However, in modern usage, it refers to someone attempting to enter another country illegally. The path they take is called a Dunki Route, and the aircraft carrying them is a Dunki Flight. Many migrants trying to enter the UK illegally first travel to a European country since obtaining a Schengen visa is easier than getting a UK visa. Similarly, reaching a Latin American country is often easier than securing a US visa, so agents first send Dunkis to Latin America.
These agents, who play a crucial role in facilitating illegal immigration, are known as Dunkars. The cost of using a Dunki Route, as pointed out already, can be several lakhs of rupees, and in some cases, these agents are also involved in human trafficking. We, perhaps, have not forgotten that a recent incident also brought the term into the news: a Dunki Flight carrying 303 Indians was stopped at France’s Vatry Airport while refueling on its way to Nicaragua. Suspecting human trafficking, French authorities detained the flight. The passengers were labourers working in the UAE, being transported illegally to Nicaragua before attempting to enter the US illegally.
Reports suggest that Nicaragua has become a migratory springboard for the Indians and people from several other countries attempting to enter the US illegally. Nicaragua’s lenient visa policies make it an easy transit point. Once there, migrants attempt to cross into the US by foot, avoiding border patrols and security checks. Other Latin American countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Guyana are also commonly used in these illegal migration attempts. This is, however, not a new phenomenon, especially for India. Those familiar with the history of the Indian diaspora know that long before Independence, a significant number of Indians left their homeland ~ sometimes legally, sometimes illegally ~ to settle in various parts of the world. The truth is that the number of Indians leaving their country, legally or illegally, has only increased over time. In this context, it should not be unwise to recall what the External Affairs Minister, S. Jais han kar, in the 2023 monsoon session of the Lok Sabha, informed the house. He said that between 2011 and June 2023, 1.75 million Indians renounced their Indian citizenship. All of them are now part of the global Indian diaspora.
However, the minister did not express any concern over this; instead, he presented the data in the Parliament with some pride. He stated that in the past two decades, many Indians have found employment opportunities worldwide and, considering personal advantages and disadvantages, have given up Indian citizenship. He emphasized that the Indian diaspora is an ‘asset’ for India, saying, “A successful, prosperous, and influential diaspora benefits India, and our aim is to utilize this diaspora network and its goodwill for national interests.” Undoubtedly, a prosperous and influential diaspora is advantageous for any country’s development. Researchers Dilip Rath and Sonia Plaza have pointed out that the diaspora significantly contributes to their home country’s development by sending remittances, facilitating market access, boosting foreign investments, and supplying advanced technologies. The Indian government is quite active in engaging its diaspora for national development.
The government provides various privileges to members of the Indian diaspora, and every year on January 9, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated with great enthusiasm. But then a few questions remain: Is the diaspora always an ‘asset’ for the country? Do Indians only leave for lucrative jobs? The recent deportation of illegal Indian migrants from the US unambiguously says that the answer to such a question is a big ‘No.’
The stories of Jaspal and Harwinder Singh rather clearly reveal that it is not just the wealthy who emigrate; many people leave simply to earn a living and feed their families. In fact, research has shown that some of the Indian migrants travel to the Middle East to work as contract labourers, while others attempt to reach Europe and America illegally. What about those illegal Indian migrants who are not spotted in different host lands and not deported to India? In these cases, is the onus not on the Indian government? The deportation of the 104 individuals indeed highlights a growing crisis of illegal immigration from India, driven by economic struggles and the lure of a better life abroad. Many aspiring migrants fall victim to fraudulent agents who promise easy entry into developed countries, only to leave them stranded in foreign lands with no legal recourse. One, thus, is bound to question ~ what actions has the government taken so far against the agents who are trafficking these Indians abroad?
We also have the right to know what role the Indian government is playing in maintaining the diaspora that is not an asset for the country. The government does react when a crisis occurs, but does it have a consistent and dedicated programme for supporting the struggling Indian diaspora? An even bigger question is ~ when it is being claimed that the Indian economy is on its way to becoming one of the largest in the world, why are so many people still leaving the country in search of work ab – road? Is the answer blowing in the wind?
(The writer is Professor, Department of English and Culture Studies, and Director, Centre for Australian Studies, the University of Burdwan)