Trump’s crackdown: Illegal migrants from Haryana face uncertain future, families worried

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a crackdown on undocumented immigrants have caused anxiety among parents in Haryana, who paid ₹40-50 lakh to send their children to the US via “donkey route”.

Reports indicate that the Trump administration has officially raised the issue with the Indian government regarding the deportation of approximately 18,000 Indian nationals. 

Shamsher Singh (name changed), a resident of a village in Rohtak, shared his concerns about his younger brother, who travelled to the US through illegal means in September last year after paying ₹46 lakh to an agent based in Kurukshetra.

“When my brother scaled the giant fence after staying in other countries, our dream of sending him to the US was fulfilled. He surrendered to US Customs and Border Protection officials and applied for political asylum. He has also filed a case in court, but we are worried about his future after the newly sworn-in president announced a deportation plan,” he said.

The situation reflects the larger issue of illegal immigration networks in India, the risks involved in such perilous journeys, and the financial burden on families seeking better opportunities abroad.

As per recent Pew research, Indians made up the third-largest group of undocumented migrants in the US, behind people from Mexico and El Salvador.

Sunita (changed name) from Sonepat said that her daughter was preparing for the USA study visa after completing BSC (non-medical) but was refused twice after which she went USA through donkey route. “In March 2024, she along with her cousin went to the USA through the Donkey route after a Panipat based agent’s assurance. We are now worried about the deportation,” said Sunita.

22-year-old Praveen Kumar (name changed) from Jind, who is working as a taxi driver in Texas said that his mother had sold 1 acre of land at ₹ 27 lakh in 2023 to send him to the USA.

“Last year in November, my younger brother had also reached the USA but he is yet to get a work permit. I have a five-year work permit from 2023 to 2028 but I can’t quit the country. If I left the country, I won’t be able to come back here. If asylees are sent back, our lives will be shattered. I am working as usual but worried for my brother, who is yet to get a work permit,” he added.

Jatin Kumar (name changed), a resident of Baldi village of Karnal said that his cousin is at a detention centre in the US for the last six months and they don’t know what happens next.

“His parents spent ₹40 lakh to send him to the US last year. Since he is at the detention centre, we all are worried for him, but as the news broke that Donald Trump will send the illegal immigrants back to India, his parents are now uncertain about his future,” Kumar said.

Similarly, Tushar Singh (name changed) from Ambala’s Barara said that his son is in the US for the last one year, but did not get work there and now he will be deported soon. “We sold a piece of our agricultural land to send him abroad, so that he could lead a good life unlike us. But now all our dreams have shattered,” he added.

Sudhanshu Kaushik, who leads the North American Association of Indian Students, believes that in the previous couple of years post Covid—the largest influx of illegal migration has occurred from Haryana due to various reasons, but now the situation is getting terrifying for the families back home.

“A lot of people say a lot of numbers but even some conservative estimates states that over 1 million illegal migrants of Indian origin currently are in the US, so this 18,000 number is not much if you think about the larger scale of illegal migration that has occurred from Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat. But it does set the fear in the mindset of so many people because it’s not just about people who are being deported right now it’s also all the people whose cases were stuck in the courts,” he told the HT over phone.

“We have way too many people who have gone people who have sold their ancestral lands, spent ₹40-50 lakhs to fund their travel via donkey route to the United States. Then some people end up staying a month will now be sent back and some people who’ve been working for years on minimum wage and haven’t yet paid their debts off will be sent back,” he added.