Ambala (Haryana) [India], February 7 (ANI): A heart-wrenching tale of deception and despair has emerged from Ambala, Haryana, where a father has shared the story of his son's ill-fated attempt to migrate to the US.
The son, who owned a shop in Ambala, was lured by an agent who promised a quick and easy passage to the US. The agent allegedly took Rs 40-45 lakhs from the family, claiming that he would send the son to the US within a month.
However, the agent's assurances proved to be false. The son was taken through the notorious "donkey route," a treacherous and illegal border crossing, where he was forced to walk for hours. He was eventually caught by US authorities on January 19 and deported back to India.
Speaking to ANI, the father urged the government to take strict action against those who are sending people to the US illegally and duping them of their hard-earned money. He also said to file a complaint against the agent.
"My son had his shop here but he got lured by an agent. The agent said that he would send him there quickly. My son was adamant that he wanted to go there. The agent misled him and told him that he would send him there within a month. But the agent wasted 8-9 months, he took a lot of money. He took Rs 40-45 lakhs," said the father of the deported Indian citizen.
"He crossed the US border on January 19 but he was immediately caught. They kept him with them for 5-7 days and then sent him back here...It took him 6 months to get there...The agent did not tell him initially that he would take him through 'donkey route'. He had assured us that he would not have to walk for even 2 minutes...My son sold off his shop and everything else. I also gave him money from my pension...I hope strict action is taken against those who are sending people duping them...We will complain against the agent...," added the father.
This comes after a US military C-17 Globemaster military aircraft landed in Punjab's Amritsar on February 5 with 104 Indian nationals.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that it is the obligation of all nations to take back their nationals if they are found to be residing there illegally and said that the Indian government is engaging the US government to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated in any manner.
In his statement in Rajya Sabha, Jaishankar said that deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE is effective from 2013. He said that there has been no change from past procedures for the flight undertaken by the US on February 5.
Jaishankar said, "Deportations by the US are organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE has been effective since 2012. I repeat, that is effective from 2012 and provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees including during transit, related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard." (ANI)