Price of American dream: Gujarat family pays Rs 1 crore to reach US, deported to India

An investigation is underway to find out the illegal immigration agents who helped people reach the US

On Wednesday afternoon, a US military C-17 Globemaster aircraft landed in Amritsar, Punjab, carrying 104 deported Indians, marking the end of their pursuit of the “American dream.”

The immigrants, who had invested everything in the hope of a better life in the United States, were sent back to India after being detained at the US-Mexico border.

One deported Gujarati family claimed that they had paid Rs 1 crore to reach the United States, while another had sold one-and-a-half acres of land and spent over Rs 42 lakh to send their relatives abroad.

The Indian government has not ruled out more deportations, reported the Times of India. As per the government, citizens whose records had been verified would be accepted back, just as during both the Biden and Trump administrations.

Many deportees shared that they were detained at the US-Mexico border about 10 days ago. Some of them even came from the UK before reaching the US.

The residents of Punjab and Haryana were reportedly sent back by road, while those from Gujarat and other states were scheduled to be flown back on the same day.

An investigation is underway to find out the illegal immigration agents who helped people reach the US. The police are trying to find out the amount of money involved in the process.

Charanjit Singh, a retired police officer from Amritsar, came to receive his grandson, Ajaydeep Singh, who had been living in a US camp before his deportation. While some families were aware of their loved ones' return, others chose not to inform their families about the situation, according to officials.

Special counters were set up at the airport to process the deportees, and buses and police vehicles were dispatched to transport them back to their hometowns.