Dunki
Yesterday,
the United States deported 104 Indian immigrants who had entered the country illegally, using a military aircraft for their repatriation. But this is just the beginning—thousands more are awaiting deportation.
Many migrants come from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, where the dream of settling abroad remains strong. While wealthier families send their children overseas for higher education and business opportunities, many others take risky and illegal routes in search of a better life. Some overstay their tourist visas and blend into the undocumented workforce, while others pay lakhs of rupees to agents who smuggle them across dangerous borders. These journeys are full of hardships, with migrants crossing deserts, rivers, and forests, often facing arrest, exploitation, or even death along the way.
Bollywood’s 2023 film Dunki, starring Shah Rukh Khan, captured illegal migration's emotional and physical toll, showing the risks and struggles involved.
In Punjab, the urge to migrate to Canada has become so strong that it almost feels like a necessity. During my time at Reliance Retail, I met many landlords who owned successful businesses—marriage palaces, retail stores, and farmland. Yet, they were eager to lease their properties because their children had no interest in continuing the family trade in India sheer due to peer pressure.
For poorer families, the pressure is even greater. Many parents, influenced by relatives abroad, sell their land or take heavy loans to send their children overseas, without fully realizing the challenges that await them. Many migrants end up in low-paying jobs like housekeeping, driving, food delivery, and manual labor—jobs they would never have considered doing in India.
This mass migration has left many villages in Punjab looking deserted, with only the elderly left behind. As families move away, their land becomes vulnerable to encroachment. Many NRIs, fearing legal battles over their properties, prefer to sell them off, leading to the slow decline of their ancestral homes.
The deportation of illegal immigrants is not just a legal issue; it highlights a deeper problem—India’s struggle to provide enough jobs and opportunities. Instead of focusing on industrial growth and infrastructure, the government relies more on welfare schemes—free power, rations, free bus travel, and pensions for women. If young people do not find good opportunities in India, they will continue to look elsewhere, even at great personal risk.
Illegal immigration is not just about breaking laws—it is a reflection of economic reality. If we do not create enough opportunities at home, we will keep losing our hardworking and ambitious youth to other countries. It’s time to reflect on this reality and take action. Will we?
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