US remains favourite among Punjabis for migration

Chandigarh, PTI: The US remains a favourite work destination for many people from Punjab because of potential high earnings despite many life-threatening risks involved in migrating to that country in illegal ways, immigration consultants said on Thursday. Those who yearn for becoming US citizens spend lakhs of rupees by taking loans and borrowing from relatives and sometimes end up losing their hard-earned money after they get caught entering America in an illegal way.

The deportation of 104 illegal Indian immigrants from the US brought this issue to the spotlight, indicating strong desire among people to migrate to America in an illegal manner. A US military aircraft carrying these 104 illegal immigrants from various states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump government as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants. Of them, 33 each were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.

Nineteen women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two girls, aged five and seven, were among the deportees. “There is a good earning potential in the US which lures people to migrate to the US,” said an immigration consultant. “If someone spends Rs 50 lakh to reach the US, one can recover it within a year. Truck drivers, in particular, earn between Rs 7-8 lakh per month, and currently, there is a shortage of truck drivers in America,” said Sanyog Dadwal, an immigrant consultant. He said in the past, those who managed to reach the US could secure their stay and eventually obtain a green card after working for 10-12 years.

However, this large-scale deportation marks a significant shift in US immigration policy, which may deter future aspirants from attempting to move illegally. consultants also sought strict action against those illegal travel agents who put the lives of people at risk by sending them through “donkey route” - an illegal pathway.