Punjab: “Travel agents cheated us. We were promised a direct flight to the US, but they took us on the ‘Dunki’ route,” he said. Sukhpal and Harvinder from Tanda area, who were deported from the US, said the same while talking to media persons on their arrival here. “We had to risk our lives by travelling in small plastic boats in the sea for hours and then walk several miles through forests and hills. Whoever got injured or sick was left there to die. Many of our companions died. We saw many dead bodies in the forests. We request everyone not to go to the US illegally. Stay in your country even if you don’t have enough to eat.” The Amritsar police brought them to Tanda late Wednesday night. They were taken to the DSP office, where MLA Jasvir Singh Raja handed them over to their family. Sukhpal said, “The agent promised me a European visa and a direct flight to Mexico.
I was taken to Italy. From there, I and many others were taken to Latin America. We were asked to wait for another flight. We were not given anything to eat. Nobody cared about us. We called the agents, but they kept telling us that everything will be fine soon. Later they took us in taxis. After this, we spent 15 hours in the sea and then travelled on foot for about 45 kilometres, crossing 18 hills and risking our lives.” He said that when they entered the US from Tijuana in Mexico on January 22, they were arrested. The US officials asked them the purpose of their visit and they replied that they had come there in search of work.
The officials then told them that they would be given work permits after 14 days. However, they were taken to a detention centre and later sent to Amritsar. He said, “There were thousands of Punjabis in the centre, including women and children. All of them are likely to be deported.” Harvinder told media persons that the travel agent had told them that they would be taken directly to Mexico from here. However, they were taken to Qatar. From there they were taken to Brazil. They were told that they would have to take a flight from Peru after which they were taken to Peru by bus. He said, “There were no flights. We were taken to Colombia in taxis. We had to walk through the jungles for several hours. Two days later we reached Mexico. We were made to cross the Mexican border by walking continuously.”
