'Shackled on plane, saw people dying on way to US': Deportees reveal ordeal

Jaspal Singh who was among the 104 deportees brought in a United States US military aircraft on Wednesday claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing at the Amritsar airportThe 36yearold resident of Gurdaspur districts Hardorwal village said he was captured by the US Border Patrol on January 24The immigrants who belonged to various states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday on a C17 Globemaster reported news agency PTI They were the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrantsOf the 104 deportees 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat 30 from Punjab three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and two from Chandigarh sources saidThey included 19 women and 13 minors including a fouryearold boy and two girls aged five and seven they addedThe 30 deportees from Punjab were taken to their hometowns in police vehicles from Amritsar airport PTI reportedTravel agent promised that entry to US would be legal Singh was one of them After reaching his home town Wednesday night he said he was defrauded by a travel agent who promised to send him to the US in a legal wayI had asked the agent to send me through a proper visa But he deceived me said Jaspal He said that the deal was done for Rs 30 lakhDetailing his journey Singh claimed that he reached Brazil by air last year in July He said he was promised that the next leg of journey to the US would be by air too However he was cheated by his agent who forced him to cross the border illegally PTI reportedAfter staying for six months in Brazil he crossed the border to the US but was arrested by the Border Patrol and kept in custody for 11 days before being sent back homeSingh said he did not know he was being deported to IndiaWe thought we were being taken to another camp Then a police officer told us that they were being taken to India We were handcuffed and our legs were chained These were opened at the Amritsar airport he claimed adding that he was shattered with the deportation A huge sum was spent The money was borrowed stated SinghSaw one person dying in Panama jungle another drowning in seaEarlier his cousin Jasbir said We came to know about his deportation through the media on Wednesday morning These are issues of governments When we go abroad for work we have big dreams for a better future for our families Those have now been shatteredTwo more deportees who reached their home towns in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday night also shared their ordeal which they went through to reach the USHarwinder Singh who hails from Tahli village in Hoshiarpur said he left for the US in August 2024He was taken to Qatar Brazil Peru Colombia Panama Nicaragua and then Mexico and finally to the USWe crossed hills A boat which was taking us along with other persons was about to capsize in the sea but we survived he told reportersHe also claimed that he saw one person dying in the Panama jungle and another drowning in the seaCrossed 1718 hills Deportee from PunjabHarwinder said his travel agent had promised him that he would first be taken to Europe and then to Mexico He said that he spent Rs 42 lakh for his trip to the USSometimes we got rice Sometimes we did not get anything to eat We used to get biscuits he saidAnother deportee from Punjab spoke about the donkey route used to take them to the USOur clothes worth Rs 3000035000 were stolen on the way he said adding that they were first taken to Italy and then to Latin AmericaThey took a 15hourlong boat ride and were made to walk 4045 kmWe crossed 1718 hills If one slipped then there would be no chance that he would survive We have seen a lot If anybody got injured he was left to die We saw dead bodies he revealedWATCH Hoshiarpur Punjab An Indian citizen who illegally migrated to the US says I was lied to that I would be sent legally but I was sent by donkey route I faced a lot of difficulties on the way Now that I am back here I will work here I crossed the borderhellip pictwittercomGCF2pRVLOimdash ANI ANI February 6 2025The US action came just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Washington for wideranging talks with President Donald TrumpThe deportees were questioned inside the airport terminal building by different government agencies including the Punjab Police and various state and Central intelligence agencies to check if they have any criminal recordWith PTI and ANI inputs