Days after over 100 illegal immigrants were deported from the United States to India, several people shared their harrowing experience of illegally entering America via ‘donkey route’. A viral video allegedly showed a group of Indians travelling, hiding, and staying in tents in the jungles of Panama, on their way to illegally enter US.
In the unverified video, which has been doing rounds on the internet, men, women, and even children can be seen camping in a forest clearing. Many were wearing raincoats and setting up tents during heavy rainfall in the forest. Mint couldn’t independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Women with infants, people sitting in mud | Viral video
Several Indians attempt to enter the United States illegally to fulfil their ‘America dream’. US President Donald Trump has reiterated his stance on deportation illegal immigrants back to their native countries. The viral video shows the risks, Indians have to take during donkey route.
The viral video showed women holding infants. Many people were sitting in mud, some were wearing rubber boots and raincoats to save themselves from the harsh forest conditions and heavy rainfall.
What is ‘donkey route’?
‘Donkey route’ refers to the dangerous journey people take to illegally enter countries like the United States and United Kingdom. According to an Indian Express report, “Donkey travels is an illegal trip a lot of people take to get out of their country across borders all over the world.”
104 Indians brought back from the United States
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal immigrants hailing from various states landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of a crackdown it resolved to carry out when it was sworn in last month.
Of the deportees, 33 each are from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh, sources said.
Nineteen women and 13 minors, including a four-year-old boy and two girls aged five and seven years, were among the deportees, they said.
S Jaishankar on US deportation of Indian nationals
Amid huge political uproar over the deportation of Indians this week, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday addressed the Rajya Sabha over the issue. In his statement he said that it is the obligation of all nations to take back their nationals if they are found to be residing there illegally and said that the Indian government is engaging the US government to ensure that the deportees are not mistreated in any manner.
In his statement on the US deportation of Indian nationals in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Jaishankar said, “Deportations by the US are organized and executed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft used by ICE has been effective since 2012. I repeat, that is effective from 2012 and provides for the use of restraints. However, we have been informed by ICE that women and children are not restrained. Further, the needs of deportees including during transit, related to food and other necessities, including possible medical emergencies are attended to. During toilet breaks, deportees are temporarily unrestrained if needed in that regard.”
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