Was asked to remove turban, kara at detention centre: Amritsar deportee
“After detaining me on the way to Los Angeles from the Mexico border, the US authorities took me to the detention centre at San Diego. They first asked me to remove my turban, kara (steel bangle) and clothes except for my T-shirt and trousers,” said Jasnoor Singh, a 19-year-old resident of Nawan Kot village, who was deported from the US on Sunday night.
“They told us that it is the law, and we don’t care which religion you belong to, when detainees voiced their religious beliefs,” added Jasnoor.
He paid Rs 55 lakh to an agent to reach the US. However, after successfully crossing the US border from Tijuana city of Mexico, and heading toward Los Angeles, he was detained by US authorities and deported to India. Even after all this, Jasnoor is still determined to try for another foreign country. "We can’t achieve anything in India as there is nothing to do here," he said.
His journey to the US was not easy. He landed in Ghana on June 14, where he stayed for two months, waiting for his next flight to Suriname. From there, he entered Guyana by taxi and travelled through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and finally reached Mexico in eight months.
Jasnoor claimed that the agent had assured him that he would arrange flights for the entire journey, but instead, he had to walk through jungles from Colombia to Mexico. After crossing the border, he was heading toward Los Angeles when the border patrol staff nabbed them and lodged them in a detention centre. He recalled that some of the deportees started crying when they got information about their deportation to native places. The unsuccessful attempt to achieve the American dream did not change his life goal.
“I left home for a better life in the US. We can’t achieve anything even after investing Rs 50 lakh here,” said Jasnoor. He did not find anyone successful among his relatives, family circles, and villagers here. He believes that his maternal family and some other relatives in the US are “well-settled”, and enjoying life.
