Paid Rs 1 cr to agent, didn’t expect journey to US via ‘Dunki’ route

Mandeep Singh (29), a resident of Chohla Sahib who was deported from the US along with 30 other Punjabis, reached his native village last night. He shared the tragic journey to the US via ‘Dunki’ route.

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Mandeep had left India two and a half years ago. He had gone to Spain where he was doing well. However, he always wanted to go to the US. After making significant savings while working in Spain, he contacted the agent who had helped him reach Spain. The agent assured him of a safe journey to the US. Mandeep claimed that he paid around Rs 1 crore to the agent to realise the ‘American dream’.

“I was sure of Donald Trump’s victory and asked the agent to send me before the US election results,” he said. Mandeep said the agent repeatedly assured him of a smooth passage. Following the assurances, Mandeep obtained a visa for Serbia, a Central European country. He first travelled to Dubai and reached Serbia via Armenia. From there, he along with several other immigrants, reached Tijuana, a border city in Mexico.

He was taken into custody by ‘donkers’ associated with the agent. There were many others like him waiting to cross the US border. Mandeep described his days in the custody of these ‘donkers’ as torturous, as they were brutally beaten up when they asked for food or other necessities.

‘Trump’: Single word reply to our Queries

Mandeep Singh from Chohla Sahib said there was no basic facility at the detention camp. When they sought information, the authorities dismissed their queries with a single word, “Trump”.

During his two-week detention, Mandeep was neither provided legal aid nor visited by anyone to hear him out. Eventually, they were handcuffed and made to board a plane for deportation to India.

Mandeep recounted how thousands of people were waiting in Mexico to cross over to the US. The situation worsened when he was forced to call his father to deposit money into the agent’s bank accounts. If payments were delayed, he was severely tortured and kept in chains day and night.

After two weeks, it was Mandeep’s turn to cross the border. He walked nearly 120 km through the jungle. Along with other illegal immigrants, he finally entered the US only to be detained by border patrol agency officials.

The detainees were kept in a camp with no basic facility. When they sought information, the authorities dismissed their queries with a single word, “Trump”.

During his two-week detention, Mandeep was neither provided legal aid nor visited by anyone to hear him out. Eventually, they were handcuffed and made to board a plane for deportation to India.

“The journey from the detention camp to Amritsar was also painful. We remained handcuffed throughout the journey. They provided us with minimal food, small packs of juice, biscuits, and bananas,” he recalled, adding that after two stops, they finally reached Amritsar.

Mandeep Singh urged others not to attempt illegal migration through ‘Dunki route’.

“I have lost not only a huge amount of money, but also precious years of my life,” he stated.