He also rued the loss of Rs 50 lakh he raised from banks and kin to migrate, besides enduring gruelling treks to get to the US and the gut-wrenching uncertainty that accompanied every step
A C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US military brought the 104 illegal immigrants to Amritsar airport on Wednesday. Pic/PTI
Nagpur resident Harpreet Singh Laliya, who is one of the 104 Indians deported from the United States of America (USA), claimed on Thursday that he had planned to go to Canada but a mistake of his agent ensured he returned in ignominy in handcuffs and chains around his legs.
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According to news agency PTI, Laliya also revealed that he lost Rs 50 lakh taken as loans from banks and his relatives to migrate to Canada, and stated that the journey to get get to the US included gruelling treks and gut-wrenching uncertainty that accompanied every step.
A C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the US military brought the 104 illegal immigrants to Amritsar airport on Wednesday. They comprise 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.
"I had gone on a Canada visa. I started my journey from New Delhi on December 5, 2024. I had a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi the next day, but was not allowed to board, after which I returned to Delhi and stayed there for eight days. Then I was made to board a flight to Cairo in Egypt, from where I was supposed to go to Montreal in Canada via Spain," Laliya told reporters.
"After staying in Spain for four days, I was sent to Guatemala, then from there to Nicaragua, further to Honduras and Mexico and then to US border. I spent Rs 49.50 lakh in all. This money was taken from banks as loans and from friends and kin. I had gone on a Canadian visa and wanted to go to work in that country. However, due to my agent's mistake, I suffered this ordeal," Laliya claimed, adding that he was held by the mafia in Mexico for 10 days.
According to PTI, the Nagpur resident further stated that he underwent a four-hour mountain trek in Mexico and a gruelling 16-hour walk to the US border.
Highest deportation recorded in 2019: Jaishankar to Parliament
Speaking on the deportation, Laliya said he and the 103 other deportee were taken to a "welcome centre" and then put on the US aircraft after being handcuffed. Their legs were also chained, he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Opposition stepped up its attack on the Union government for the humiliation meted out to the deportees as well as the misery they suffered en route. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for deportations organised and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities in the US "provides for the use of restraints".
"However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained," Jaishankar told the Parliament and asserted that the process of deportation has been ongoing for several years and is not new.
Citing the data available with the Indian law enforcement authorities, the minister said that in 2009, a total of 734 were deported, followed by 799 in 2010, 597 in 2011, 530 in 2012, and 550 in 2013.
As per Jaishankar's statement, in 2014 when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, 591 illegal immigrants were deported from the US, followed by 708 in 2015, 1,303 in 2016, 1,024 in 2017, and 1,180 in 2018, PTI reported.
The highest deportation was recorded in 2019 when 2,042 illegal Indian immigrants were sent back. In 2020, the deportation number was 1,889, followed by 805 in 2021, 862 in 2022, 670 in 2023, and 1,368 last year.
(With PTI inputs)
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