People going to America through the Donkey Route have to take a very dangerous journey. Punjabis who take the Donkey Route to go to America have to take a risky and long journey. Let us know what challenges they have to face in this risky journey and how travel agents offer them three different packages.
Those traveling abroad through the Donkey Route have to pay a good amount to human traffickers. For this, Rs 35 to 40 lakh per person is charged. Two years ago, the Donkey Route came into the limelight when France stopped a charter plane carrying 303 Indian passengers going from Dubai to Nicaragua on suspicion of human trafficking.
Most of them were sent back to India. People associated with this business say that three packages are given by travel agents to go to America.
This is why people go to America illegally
The first package is through the Mexico border. Travel agents take them to the Mexican border, where the American police arrest them and take them to a camp. Then after four-five days, if someone who knows them comes to pick them up, then it is fine, otherwise they are let off, but the American police keep a close watch on them.
The second route is through the jungles of Panama, which is very dangerous. The third route is through Canada, because the demand for work visas is very low in the US, so people go illegally. On the other hand, if we talk about tourist visas, then people reach America through pigeon-fighting on the pretext of going to a show with a singer.
They claim asylum citing oppression
Let us tell you that last year a report was published about Indians going to America through the Donkey Route. According to the report, the families of those who went to America through the Donkey Route had told that human traffickers take them to UAE on tourist visas from Delhi and Mumbai.
From there, they are taken to the US-Mexico border through many transit points like Venezuela, Nicaragua and Guatemala. There, these people are also told by the handler how to claim asylum citing persecution if caught while crossing the border.
A travel agent said that the fees for travelling through the Donkey Route have increased in recent times. Now one will have to spend Rs 45-50 lakh to reach America but there is no guarantee of reaching there.
Palveer had gone to America illegally by paying Rs 45 lakh
22-year-old Palveer Singh, a resident of Marine Enclave of Rehmanpur in Jalandhar Cantt, went to America on January 7 this year by paying Rs 45 lakh through a travel agent in Nawanshahr. He was caught as soon as he entered America illegally from the Mexico border. Since then he was in a camp in America. He was deported from America on Wednesday.
Palveer’s father Rajwant Singh is a farmer. Rajwant Singh told that Palveer has studied till 12th. After this he used to help him in farming. He was very fond of going abroad. After leaving his studies, he was adamant on going to America. Seeing his son’s insistence, he decided to pay Rs 45 lakh to the immigration consultant.
After this, he sent Palveer to America illegally along with four other youths on January 7. After reaching America, he also paid the entire amount to the consultant. Apart from parents, Palveer also has two sisters in the family. One sister is married, while the other sister has a private job.
Akashdeep had sold the land to go to America
Akashdeep Singh, son of Swarn Singh of the border village of Rajatal located near the India-Pakistan international border in Attari, went to America seven months ago. He is also among those deported from America to India.
Akashdeep Singh went to Mexico via Dubai and reached the United States from Mexico. Akashdeep left home seven months ago. Family members kept talking to him on mobile, but when he went to America, there was no talk with the son.
Akashdeep was arrested 12 days ago while crossing the border from Mexico. For this reason, the family had stopped talking to Akashdeep Singh. Akashdeep’s father Swarn Singh had three acres of land, out of which he sold two and a half acres of land and took a loan of Rs 18 lakh so that his son could go abroad. More than Rs 65 lakh was spent to send him abroad.
Jaspal had reached America a month ago from England
Among the 30 people from Punjab deported from America, 36-year-old Jaspal Singh of the nearby village Hardorwal Khurd is also included. Jaspal Singh had gone to England two years ago through an agent by spending about Rs 30 lakh. For this, he had to sell two acres of his share of three acres of land. About a month ago, he had gone to America illegally from England.
Before going to England, Jaspal had also lived in Saudi Arabia for eight years and in Qatar for four years. He went abroad continuously so that the financial condition of the family could improve. Jaspal’s cousin Jasbir Singh said that Jaspal had reached America a month ago.
What is Donkey Route?
The route that Punjabis take to go abroad illegally in order to settle in America is called Donkey Route. The word Donkey comes from the Punjabi word ‘Dunky’, which means jumping from one place to another.
It is a risky and long journey to a foreign country. This path does not require any passport and involves facing bad weather, hunger, disease, abuse and sometimes even death.
