Kaithal youth’s American dream ends in deportation nightmare

For 22-year-old Ankit, a resident of Kasan village in Kaithal, the dream of a better future in the US turned into a harrowing nightmare. Deported by the US government three days ago, he returned home not as a successful breadwinner but as a broken man, drowning in debt and despair.

Now back with his family, uncertainty looms over his future. “I left with the hope of earning money and changing my family’s life. Now, I am left with nothing — no money, no job, just unbearable debt. What will I do now?” he asked, his voice heavy with grief.

Ankit’s younger brother, Ankush, revealed that the family had invested everything into this journey, spending Rs 40-45 lakh, which they borrowed from relatives and moneylenders.

His story mirrors the plight of many desperate youths seeking a better life abroad, often falling victim to human traffickers and harsh immigration policies.

“There are no jobs here and no opportunities. I had no choice but to take the ‘donkey’ route through multiple countries. Inhumane conditions were the only option left for us to seek a livelihood,” Ankit lamented.

The six-to-seven-month ordeal was filled with peril. “We were made to wait for months, hidden by the agents like caged animals — 45 days in Mexico City, another one and a half months in an unknown location — every day felt like a lifetime,” he recounted.

Describing the brutal physical demands, Ankit said, “We climbed mountains for 15 km, then crawled under barbed wire through fields. After another 15 km downhill, we finally reached the US border.”

But the moment they entered the US, their dreams were shattered. “We were detained by the police. Our shoes and belongings were taken away. We were searched rigorously and then held in custody.”

According to Ankit, the US authorities showed no sympathy. “Our fingerprints were taken and we were made to sign documents. Within hours, we were told we would be deported —no hearing, no explanations.”

The deportation process was inhumane, he alleged. “On February 3, we were deported. From the moment we stepped out of the detention centre, we were in handcuffs — our hands and feet shackled for the entire over 50-hour journey. They did not even remove them for meals or washroom breaks.”

With dreams crushed and debts mounting, Ankit now faces an uncertain future, left to pick up the pieces of a shattered hope.