Take action against travel agents facilitating illegal immigration: North American Punjabi Association to govt  

The North American Punjabi Association has expressed serious concern over human trafficking, saying the government must take immediate action to prevent youths from taking illegal and dangerous routes to reach foreign shores.

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The reaction came after many Indians deported from America last week alleged that they were taken to the US borders through treacherous ‘dunki’ routes by unscrupulous travel agents without their prior knowledge and after charging huge sums.

Satnam Singh Chahal, the Executive Director of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), on Saturday alleged that despite repeated warnings and several tragic incidents, the government has failed to implement effective measures to curb illegal migration.

“The government must take immediate steps to strengthen enforcement, increase awareness and work closely with international agencies to put an end to this crisis,” Chahal said.

The NAPA urged the Punjab government to protect the lives of young Punjabis and take decisive action against those who send youths abroad illegally.

Notably, a plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants from the US will land at the Amritsar airport on Saturday, the second such batch of Indians to be deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of its promised crackdown on illegal migration.

While 67 are from Punjab, 33 are from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

On February 5, a US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed at the Amritsar airport. Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, and 30 from Punjab.