Jumping fences, crossing jungles: How migrants use ‘dunki routes’ to reach US

“For 40 hours, we were handcuffed, our feet tied with chains and we were not allowed to determination an inch from our seats. It was worse than hell”: Harvinder Singh

Prime Minister, perceive to this man’s pain. Indians merit Dignity and Humanity, NOT Handcuffs. pic.twitter.com/WUOwUrCvMB

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 6, 2025

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the mode of deportation arsenic “an insult to India” and “the dignity of Indians.” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar besides addressed the contented successful the Rajya Sabha, saying, “We are engaging the US Government to guarantee that the returning deportees are not mistreated successful immoderate mode during the flight. At the aforesaid time, the House volition admit that our absorption should beryllium to ace down powerfully connected the amerciable migration industry…”

Earlier fashionable successful Punjab and Haryana, these “dunki routes” for reaching the US are present uncovering takers successful Gujarat, too. Of the radical who landed successful India connected Wednesday, 33 were from Gujarat and Haryana each and 30 from Punjab. Travelling to countries similar the US without valid documents is often done with the assistance of “agents” and the journeys impact important hazard and danger. Here is what to know.

Reaching US, via South America

The archetypal measurement successful the astir fashionable dunki way from India is to scope a Latin American country. Countries similar Ecuador, Bolivia, and Guyana person visas connected accomplishment for Indian citizens. Some different countries, including Brazil and Venezuela, springiness tourer visas to Indians easily. A migrant’s way besides depends connected which countries his cause has ‘links’ successful — links to quality trafficking networks.

Reaching Latin American countries, thus, is not tough. However, it tin instrumentality months. One pistillate named Lovepreet Kaur, who was aboard the US subject plane, said she travelled with her 10-year-old son. “We were flown to Medellin successful Colombia and kept determination for astir 2 weeks earlier being moved to San Salvador (capital of El Salvador) successful a flight. From there, we walked for implicit 3 hours to Guatemala, past travelled by taxis to the Mexican border. After staying successful Mexico for 2 days, we yet crossed implicit to the US connected January 27,” she told The Indian Express.

Some agents put a nonstop visa for Mexico from Dubai. However, landing straight successful Mexico is considered much dangerous, successful presumption of apprehension by section authorities. The nearer a state is to the US border, the much hard it is to get a visa from India. Most agents onshore their clients successful a Latin American state and past instrumentality them to Colombia.

Perilous travel to the north

From Colombia, the migrants participate Panama. This involves crossing the Darién Gap, a unsafe wood betwixt the 2 countries, with risks of chaotic animals and transgression gangs. Migrants tin look robbery and adjacent rape successful this portion — crimes committed present spell unreported and unpunished. If everything goes well, the travel takes 8 to 10 days. If a migrant dies, determination is nary mode to nonstop the assemblage location for past rites.

Agents complaint betwixt Rs 30-40 lakh to Rs 1 crore per idiosyncratic and usually instrumentality the sum earlier the migrants scope the US. Rakinder Singh, 1 of the deportees, told The Indian Express, “The cause would seldom talk directly. Mostly his men would telephone connected WhatsApp, sometimes from a Spain fig oregon Dubai.”

He said they crossed Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama jungles, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala earlier yet reaching Mexico. “We crossed the borderline by jumping implicit the obstruction utilizing a ladder,” helium added. Middlemen besides lied to them, saying a vessel would instrumentality them crossed Panama’s jungles but they had to transverse the jungle connected foot.

Guatemala is simply a large coordination centre connected this route. Migrants are handed implicit to caller traffickers here, to participate Mexico and proceed the travel towards the US border. Now starts the crippled of fell and question with authorities agencies. Gurdaspur younker Gurpal Singh (26) was killed successful a autobus mishap successful Mexico portion connected the mode to the US arsenic an amerciable migrant successful 2023. In his past telephone to his sister backmost successful Punjab, helium told her they had been stopped by the Mexican police, and had taken the autobus hurriedly to escape.

Possible to debar the forest, not the risks

Another way from Colombia starts from San Andrés to debar the wood successful Panama. But it is not overmuch safer. From San Andrés, migrants instrumentality boats to Nicaragua, a state successful Central America. Fishing boats with amerciable migrants spell to Fisherman’s Cay, astir 150 km from San Andrés. From there, migrants are transferred onto different vessel to Mexico.

The 3,140-km borderline separating the United States and Mexico has fencing, which the migrants leap across. Many take to transverse the unsafe Rio Grande river. However, the US authorities bash not airs overmuch of a situation portion crossing the border. It is aft crossing implicit that migrants are detained and past kept successful camps. Now, their destiny depends connected whether US authorities find them acceptable for asylum.

Another way takes migrants to Europe, and from there, straight to Mexico. “It each depends upon the agents’ contacts. It is easier to spell done Europe. However, the time the Europe-Mexico way comes nether the lens, radical volition autumn backmost connected the accepted route,” said a migrant who crossed 9 countries connected the dunki way to scope the US.

This explainer contains portions from a story archetypal published successful 2023.