Raped and tortured: How Indians go through hell to reach US illegally

The pursuit of the American Dream — a life of prosperity, success, and opportunity — has long captivated the imagination of people worldwide, including countless Indians. To fulfil their ‘American Dreams’, thousands of Indians are risking their lives to reach the United States illegally, taking the ‘Dunki route’, which passes through dense jungles, difficult terrain and choppy waters. The result is that Indians now represent the third-largest group of illegal migrants to the US. However, the journey to the US is through hell.

An agent reveals that 10-12% of those taking the illegal route to the US either die, or are killed on the way.

Human traffickers charge around $50,000 to $100,000 per person (approximately Rs 40 lakh to 80 lakh) to take illegal immigrants to the US.

Shah Rukh Khan’s movie ‘Dunki’ is based on the ‘donkey route’ or ‘donkey flight’ that thousands of Indians take to reach countries like the US, the UK or some other European country every year.

This journey involves multiple stops in different countries, including Central American nations like Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala, where Indian citizens can easily obtain visas. These nations, located between Mexico and South America, serve as gateways for illegal immigrants entering the US via Mexico.

From there, the illegal immigrants start their journey, guided by coyotes (person paid to secretly and illegally bring people across the border into the US) and controlled by mafia gangs.

This dangerous journey can take up to two years and involves numerous risks, including robbery, crippling injuries, rape, and death at the hands of criminal gangs, according to an investigation by Sky News.

This is not the only route through which illegal immigrants try to enter the US. Illegal immigrants also take a route via Canada.

Brazil is also on the list of illegal immigrants from India who are using the country as a transit point to reach the US.

The routes and their difficulties depend on the amount the illegal immigrant paid.

According to a 2022 report by Pew Research Centre, there are approximately 725,000 unauthorised Indian immigrants in the US, making them the third largest group after those from Mexico and El Salvador.

A record number of 96,917 Indians were nabbed or expelled in 2023 for trying to cross into the US, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. Thousands more might have been able to successfully make it into the US.

DUNKI ROUTE: RISKY JOURNEY BUT LUCRATIVE BUSINESS

The ‘Dunki route’ has become a lucrative business, with smugglers charging amounts ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per person (approximately Rs 40 lakh to 80 lakh).

Subhash Kumar, a 36-year-old illegal migrant, said he spent his savings and borrowed money to pay a gang $50,000 to help him reach the US.

However, after paying the money, he was instead flown to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he was kidnapped and held for ransom.

According to Sky News, the gang created fake boarding passes and visas, using false backgrounds to make it appear as though he had arrived at the US border.

The trade is so in demand that thousands of traffickers are involved in it. Most of these traffickers come from northern Indian states, particularly Punjab and Haryana, according to Sky News.

INDIANS SELL LAND, JEWELLERY DRAWN BY AMERICAN DREAM

The desperation to reach the US and fulfil ‘American Dream’ is driven by high unemployment, stagnant incomes, and distress in the rural economy in India. Many families sell their land, jewellery, and even their homes to pay for these illegal migration services.

The risks involved in this journey are significant. Illegal migrants face the possibility of being caught, tortured, jailed, or even dying during their journey.

In 2022, a couple and their two children froze to death near the US-Canada border, and another family drowned trying to enter the US from Canada by boat across the St Lawrence River.

Joginder (changed name), a trafficker, reveals that 10% to 12% of migrants die on the way or are killed for not paying the required fees.

“I send about 500 migrants every season, and there are three season in a year,” Joginder told Sky News.

Indian authorities have started cracking down on smuggler networks, but the scale of the problem is overwhelming.

“This year we have registered 46 criminal cases and arrested 75 people involved. Those abroad upload photos of themselves with big bungalows and cars and the youth get attracted and want the same,” Superintendent Upasana said.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HARROWING STORIES

The stories of those who have attempted this journey are harrowing.

At the US-Mexico border, migrant women and girls face widespread sexual assaults that often go unreported and unpunished, according to The New York Times.

Undocumented women travelling to the US border endure brutal treatment from smugglers, including beatings, rape, forced prostitution, and being shackled.

“One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek through Mexico,” former President Donald Trump stated, reported the New York Times.

“The mafia control the borders. On the route many wrong incidents take place, and terrible things happen to women, I can’t say it here. But they have to bear it to reach America,” Joginder told Sky News, in a reference to the sexual assaults.

Malkeet Singh, a 30-year-old technology graduate, was killed by traffickers while trying to reach the US. To fulfil his dreams, his family sold property to pay the traffickers. He travelled to Doha, Almaty, Istanbul, Panama City, and then reached El Salvador.

He was unable to achieve his American Dream and was killed. His body was later identified through a social media post.

Another illegal migrant, Sahil, went missing in his quest to reach the US. Now, his 45-year-old father, Shiv Kumar, is searching for his 19-year-old son.

That the dream is through a living hell doesn’t deter the thousands who bet everything to reach the US, that is if they survive.