Shackled and Helpless: The stories of Indians arrested for trying to enter America illegally are heartbreaking. People who went on a dangerous journey in search of a better future, remembering the torture they had to face there, bring tears to their eyes.
The experiences shared by people like Sukhpal Singh and Lovepreet Kaur, who were forcibly returned from America, are unbelievable and horrifying. They had to face inhumane treatment while being kept in custody. They were even served beef to eat, which they refused to eat and survived by eating only snacks.
Spent 12 days eating only snacks
Sukhpal Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur, Punjab, said that after being detained in America, he was kept in a camp. There beef and snacks were given to eat. Since he did not eat beef, he had to survive by eating only snacks for 12 days. He was treated inhumanely in custody, and he was not given any kind of legal assistance.
Shackles were put on waist and legs (Shackled and Helpless)
Sukhpal Singh said that when it was his turn to be deported to India, his hands were handcuffed, and shackles were put from waist to legs. During this time, no one was allowed to move from their seat. Even using the toilet was strictly prohibited. After leaving America, when the plane reached Amritsar, the shackles were removed, and he got proper food for the first time.
The travel agent took 30 lakhs; I still had to suffer torture
Sukhpal said that he had previously worked as a chef in Italy. In the hope of a better life, he decided to go to America and gave Rs 30 lakh to a travel agent who claimed to take him to America safely. But instead, he was taken to Nicaragua, and then an attempt was made to take him to America via Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Also Read: I Only Want Highly Skilled People Coming to America, Said President Trump on H-1B Visa
Fellow traveler lost his life in dangerous journey
Shackled and Helpless: Sukhpal said that to reach America, he had to make a difficult journey of 12 hours in a small boat from Mexico to the California border. During this, one of his fellow travelers drowned and died. As soon as they entered the American border, they were arrested and put in a camp.
Had to endure torture for 25 days with son
Lovepreet Kaur, a resident of Bhulath in Kapurthala, also took a deadly journey to go to America. She had left with her 10-year-old son and had given Rs 1 crore to the travel agent. But she too was taken to different countries and finally arrested in America. In custody, even her jewelry, bangles, and earrings were taken off. After staying in the camp for five days, she was deported. On February 2, the police put handcuffs on her hands and sent her to India with shackles on her feet. However, this was not done with her child.
The handcuffs were only removed when they needed to use the restroom
Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Pilibhit, was also a part of this painful journey. He had paid Rs 22 lakh to the travel agent but was arrested before reaching America. He was in the custody of American soldiers for 22 days. Gurpreet told that he was made to sit in shackles along with 104 other Indians in the plane. Only sandwiches and juice were given to eat, and the handcuffs were opened only to go to the toilet.
The plight of illegal immigrants
Recently, illegal immigrants from China and Cambodia were also deported from America, but their country refused to accept them. In such a situation, those people are still stuck in America.
Expelled from England after visa expired
Many Indians were told that they were living in England, but they were expelled from there due to the expiry of their visa. That is why they planned to reach America. However, this dangerous decision of going to America illegally became one of the worst experiences of their life.
Also Read: Shackled on U.S. Flights! Heartbreaking Tale of Deported Indians