Donkey Route… Through this, 104 Indians living illegally in US after entering were deported on Wednesday (February 5). When hearing the name Donkey Route, the first thing that comes to mind is Panama's jungle (Darien Gap). People from Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and other states of the country had crossed this to reach America to fulfill their 'American Dream'. What exactly is this Donkey Route, who are the donkers, what compulsions existed that made people risk their lives to head towards America. There are many such questions, to find answers to which Dainik Bhaskar spoke with travel agents, immigration experts and people who entered America through the Donkey Route… First read this statement from Akash from Karnal, Haryana… A group of 150 people left for America through Panama's jungle. They remained hungry and thirsty on the way. Saw skeletons everywhere. Slept next to them. When they came out of the jungle, only 50 people were alive. How the Donkey Route trap begins First, 3 reasons to go to America… 1. Good earnings, better life: In India currency is Rupee and in America it's Dollar. One dollar there converts to many times more rupees here. So people think that once they reach America, they will earn thousands of dollars which will become lakhs of rupees in their country. This will get them a bigger house, bigger car. Children's future will be secure. Even with a job's salary in rupees in the country, basic needs will be met but dreams won't be fulfilled. This is where the American Dream begins. 2. Unable to get visa: There are visa rules for going to America. One has to pass the IELTS exam. Some people fail in the exam. Some people are not good at English. Some cannot complete visa-related formalities, so then they are left with no option except crossing the border illegally, known as the donkey route. 3. My neighbor went to America so I will also go: This trend exists in many states including Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat that if the neighbor has gone to America, they also want to go. Whether it's social pressure or prestige, settling abroad makes them feel proud. As a result, they risk everything and take the path to America. Again the false promise of guaranteed entry through agents
When a person becomes mentally prepared to go to America, agents enter the picture. They show dreams of guaranteed US visa, good job there and then permanent citizenship. They file for visa. They keep extracting money. When visa doesn't come through, they trap people into going to America through donkey route. For this, they make arrangements with smugglers. The smugglers have proper packages… Sold land-jewelry, took loans to arrange money
People sell their land in the desire to go to America. If money falls short, they sell household jewelry. They keep paying smugglers by taking loans from banks or private lenders. Some people hand over their life savings to smugglers. Mostly lower middle class gets trapped in this. They pay smugglers anywhere from 25 to 60 lakh rupees. Donkey route to America…
The distance from India to America is about 13,500 km. It takes 17 to 20 hours to travel here by air. However, via the donkey route, this distance increases to 15 thousand km and the journey takes months. Most people go through Latin American countries
The first and most popular stop for donkey route from India is reaching Latin American countries. These include countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Guyana. Indians get visa on arrival in these countries. This means that there is no need to obtain a visa in advance to travel to these countries and visa is given on the spot. Indians are easily given tourist visas in some countries including Brazil and Venezuela. From here they reach Colombia through the donkey route. Many people go to Latin American countries via Dubai. This requires them to live in containers for months. The donkey route depends on how many connections the agent you are going through has in the respective countries. Although it is not difficult to reach Latin American countries, it still takes months to get there. Sometimes people reach after ten months of hard work and spending money. Dangerous jungles, fear of poisonous snakes in rivers and streams
After reaching Colombia, Donkeys enter Panama. Between these two countries lies the dangerous Darien Gap jungle. Crossing it is extremely risky. There is always fear of poisonous insects and snakes among the rivers and streams. These jungles are also known for dangerous criminals. Donkeys get robbed in this jungle. Whether it's a woman or a man, criminals here even commit rape with them. Sometimes if a Donkey falls asleep for a while, a snake bites them. Finding dead bodies of Donkeys in this jungle is not uncommon. There is no government here. If luck favors and everything goes well, a Donkey crosses the Panama jungle in 10 to 15 days. Guatemala is a major center where agents are exchanged
After crossing the Panama jungle, the next stop is Guatemala. Guatemala is a major coordination center for human trafficking. Moving towards the American border, here Dunky is handed over to other agents. Daler Singh, who returned to Amritsar, said that one has to stay hungry and thirsty for 3.5 days here. Robbery, violence, and danger from animals are common on this route. Many people also die on this path. Path through dangerous river too
If someone doesn't want to go through the Darien Panama jungle, there is another route from Colombia. This route starts from San Andres. It is said that this route is extremely risky. From San Andres, migrants take boats to Nicaragua, a Central American country. After traveling 150 kilometers by boat from here, they transfer to another boat that goes to Mexico. The border police patrols this river. Dangerous animals in the river are ready to take lives. Entering America by jumping 18 to 30 feet wall
Now migrants have to go from Mexico to the US border. There are different types of difficulties on the routes. Along with cold weather, there is also desert in between. After this, migrants reach the US-Mexico border where there is a 3,140-kilometer-long wall. Its height is 18 to 30 feet. Donkeys jump over this to enter America. Those who cannot cross the walls choose the dangerous path of crossing the Rio Grande river. Before going to America, Donkey's passport and identification documents are taken away. This is because if his identity is revealed, he will be deported back to India. Now Donkey has illegally entered America. What happens after reaching America? If Dunki has any relative or acquaintance who is an American citizen then… Expert said- If going through a travel agent, verify them first
Jalandhar's visa expert Saurabh Bajaj says that if people follow the correct procedures, they won't face difficulties. Work visa or study abroad doesn't cost 40-50 lakhs. This expense remains between 8 to 10 lakhs. He said that if you want to go abroad for studies or work permit, and are applying through a travel agent, first you need to check whether the travel agent you are choosing is registered with the Punjab government or not. This information can be easily found on the administration website of that district where the agent is working. Their list is updated there. Second, all of this happens online. It will also need to be checked whether the Protector General of Immigrants (PGI) has that register or not. Why these agents are completely secure. Third, all the application processes are available on the official website of the country you want to go to. All information can be obtained from there.Original Article