'Paid ₹1 Crore To Reach US, Sold Lands': Deported Indians' Price Of A Failed American Dream

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Several deported Indians who returned to India on February 5 on a US military plane say they feel betrayed by the agents they paid to help them enter the United States illegally.

A senior official told the Times of India that many deported migrants felt betrayed by the individuals they paid to help them reach the US. The official shared that one Gujarati family claimed to have paid ₹1 crore for the illegal journey.

Also Read | Indian deportees recall gruelling 'dunki' route to US: 'Crossed 17-18 hills...'

In another incident, the official told TOI that an uncle from a village in Amritsar shared that his family sold 1.5 acres of land and spent over ₹42 lakh to send his nephew abroad, who reached the US via Mexico just a few months ago.

According to the report, the senior police officer indicated that authorities would investigate those who assisted the deportees in reaching the US, as well as the amounts paid to these illegal immigration agents.

Also Read | Were Indians deported by US in 'handcuffs and chains'? Govt breaks silence

A US military plane carrying 104 deported Indian migrants arrived in Amritsar on February 5. This was the first such flight to the country as part of a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration.

According to a report from TOI, of these 104 deported individuals, 79 were men, and 25 were women.

Sources told PTI that 33 were from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three each from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.

Were the deportees handcuffed?

A viral social media post circulating online shows Indians "handcuffed" and“humiliated” while aboard the plane. However, a PIB Fact Check says,“The image being shared in these posts does not pertain to Indians. Instead, it shows those deported to Guatemala.”

MENAFN06022025007365015876ID1109175186