American dream shattered

Refer to ‘Don’t ignore Dunki’; the uncertain American dream was bound to crash sooner or later. It is foolish to take heavy loans in search of greener pastures abroad. Immigrants soon realise that costly living and high taxes leave little that can be remitted back home. Those nurturing such a dream should learn a lesson from the deportation episode. Some people try to seek asylum, falsely claiming persecution back home, thus bringing a bad name to their native country. Handcuffing of deportees is the standard operating procedure of the US authorities. There should be no hue and cry about it.

Wg Cdr Cl Sehgal (Retd), Jalandhar

They deserve no sympathy

The Trump administration carried out deportation of illegal immigrants according to the laid-down procedure after giving prior intimation to the Indian government. These migrants may have been duped by middlemen, but we cannot consider them innocent — they paid huge amounts to reach American shores by hook or by crook. When they committed an illegal act deliberately, were caught and sent back by the US authorities, what is the cause of remorse? Why should the government sympathise with them? It would rather be pragmatic for those criticising the government to push for deportation of all Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugees as soon as possible.

Jai Prakash Gupta, Ambala

No checks and balances

Apropos of ‘Don’t ignore Dunki’; the illegal immigration racket has flourished under the nose of the authorities, with financial transactions being facilitated by bankers and travel agents. Banks have failed to keep tabs on the end use of subsidised agriculture loans meant for this illegal activity. Financing by travel agents using hawala money, too, has lured youth into choosing illegal means to reach the US. Had the government been alert in finding the source of such huge financing, the sordid saga of illegal immigration might not have reached the present scale.

Anil Vinayak, Amritsar

Human lives at stake

With reference to ‘Don’t ignore Dunki’; the immigration crisis cannot be ignored or blamed solely on a foreign government. While the US has the right to deport illegal migrants, the responsibility to prevent such incidents lies primarily with the Indian government. Stronger policies must be put in place to discourage unlawful migration and more awareness must be created about safer, legal alternatives for those who want to migrate to other countries in search of jobs. Illegal immigration is not just a legal or political issue; it concerns human lives and we cannot afford to play with them.

Gaurav Badhwar, Rohtak

Life a great teacher

Apropos of ‘Glaring disconnect’; schools and colleges are considered to be the best places to get education. However, in practice, we find that some of the most successful entrepreneurs are school dropouts. Many big businessmen and shopkeepers do not have big degrees, yet they never make mistakes in their commercial dealings. Moreover, we find that some parts of the school syllabus, including in mathematics, have no apparent practical utility. Life is a great teacher and adversity is the best lesson through which we can refine ourselves.

Anup Kumar Gakkhar, Haridwar

Make students street-smart

Refer to ‘Glaring disconnect’; though the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER-2024) outlined that arithmetic skills have improved among children, students should be encouraged to go beyond textbooks and hone their practical skills. Certainly, schools must take the initiative of imparting more practical knowledge in various subjects. Such an effort can help to ensure proper implementation of the new education policy, which emphasises the importance of imparting practical knowledge. In reality, any such endeavour can assist students in improving their employability and competence by preparing them to be street-smart and worldly-wise.

Abhijit Roy, Jamshedpur