Tales of Illegal Immigrants

The return of Indians living illegally in America has started. A US military plane carrying 104 illegal migrants arrived at Amritsar airport on Wednesday. Many young people who came to America from the Dunki route after putting their lives on the line have lost their dream of living abroad. For some, the return may be comforting, but the homecoming of many young people has shaken the families who had sent their children abroad by spending money by mortgaging or selling their land. According to estimates, 18,000 Indians are to be deported from the US who are living there illegally. About 7.25 lakh Indians are living illegally in the US. Thousands of agents doing the business of sending them abroad have looted the youth going abroad. There has also been a lot of exploitation of those who go abroad illegally. The bitter truth of those who go abroad through pigeonholing and Dunki routes is that they have also been used in human trafficking, drug trade and other illegal activities.

Seeing the pictures of deported Indians being handcuffed, every Indian has been pained. The case found resonance in Parliament. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while responding to this issue, has assured that he will take up the issue of inhuman treatment of Indians with the US. There is a lot of criticism of the American attitude on this issue. If illegal immigrants are caught not only in the United States but also in any other country, then they are definitely criminals and every country behaves like this according to their own laws. Illegal migrants are symbolic criminals. The other aspect is that there are people who are eager to settle abroad and say that we are being politically persecuted in India. Khalistan supporters have taken refuge in the US and Canada citing similar reasons.

The returned Indians include 30 from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, 33 from Gujarat, three from Maharashtra, two each from Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. The painful stories that Indians deported from America have told are goosebumps. Everyone has the same story of how he spent a few years in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and England and traveled to America. Some of them paid Rs 35-40 lakh to the agents and wandered through the jungles and crossed the US border. Some risked their lives to cross rivers and had to live a miserable life even after reaching America. The storm, which came from thousands of kilometers away, is now causing a stir in small villages of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. These people also had to suffer from apartheid. The Americans also abused them like Dog and Stinky Rat. If someone spit on their face, they did not even oops, because the agents who showed the vegetable garden had sent them to explain that such acts are normal. Whether someone slaps you, cuts your salary or spits in your face, they have to keep quiet. Neither should they complain to the police, nor beat them up, otherwise they will be caught. The entire episode is a lesson for those who are willing to take the wrong path and go abroad. India's attitude in this matter is that of a responsible country. India cannot support illegal migration. India has already assured the Trump administration that it will accept illegal immigrants. In India too, there is a lot of politics about illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. Illegal Bangladeshis infiltrate into India, make Aadhaar cards, ration cards, etc., by paying bribes and start exploiting Indian resources.

Now there is a need for India to identify illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators on a war footing and send them back to Bangladesh. Illegal immigration is a problem not only of India but also of the US, Canada and many other European countries. Due to illegal infiltration, demographic changes are taking place in many countries and jihadi elements are raising their heads. Jihadi elements are carrying out violent acts in European countries. In such a situation, there is a danger of saving their culture in many countries. US President Donald Trump has come back to power on the immigration issue. Illegal immigrants also have a negative impact on the economy. India needs to learn a lesson from the US. Our sympathies are definitely with the Indians who returned from America. There is no doubt that the youth of the country are not getting employment, so they crave to go abroad. The second aspect is that if lakhs of rupees are invested in the country to go abroad, then their circumstances can change. Now the question is whether there should be a special policy for them. How to rehabilitate these people? There is no doubt that America shows its hegemony and it is openly promoting the policies of extreme protectionism, but the people of India also have to understand that it is better to live and earn with dignity in their country than to live a humiliating life abroad.