Rs 50 lakh, a dangerous journey and deportation: Youth narrate US entry woes

After months of struggle and uncertainty, three youths — Ankit from Farmana village in Sonepat, Anuj from Rishpur village in Panipat, and Tamanna from Sewah village (Panipat) —returned home early today morning after being deported from the US. They were among 104 Indians deported from the US.

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Ankit, a 12th-pass youth from Farmana village, had invested heavily in his American dream. His family sold three bighas of land to pay Rs 50 lakh to an agent who promised to take him to the US. His father had passed away earlier and his elder brother supported the family by selling fruits at the village bus stand.

"I left Mumbai on November 5 and first landed in the Netherlands, then reached Guyana. From there, my donkey route began," Ankit recounted. His journey took him through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and finally Colombia, where he crossed the dangerous Panama forest in three days.

The trek, however, ended in disaster when he was arrested by Costa Rican police. “They forced me to leave the country,” he said. He continued through Honduras and Mexico before finally reaching the US via the Tijuana border in California. However, upon entry, the US Border Police arrested him and placed him in jail for 31 days before deporting him.

Anuj Rawal from Rishpur village in Panipat faced a similar fate. His father, Jaibhagwan, had taken a loan and sold an acre of land to arrange Rs 40 lakh for his US journey. However, instead of reaching America smoothly, Anuj was forced through the treacherous donkey route.

“I left four months ago and had to stay in Dubai for a month before moving forward. The worst part was spending 20 days in the Panama forest and canal,” Anuj said. After reaching Mexico, he was kept there for about a month before being transported to the US border by bus. As soon as he crossed over, he was caught by American authorities.

“I was jailed for four days before being deported on the fifth day,” he said.

Another deportee, Tamanna from Sewah village, also returned home this morning. However, her family refused to speak to the media about her ordeal.

Their return has left their families burdened with massive debts and shattered hopes. For these youth, the American dream turned into a nightmare — one that cost them dearly in money, time and hardship.