What happened?
According to media reports, the latest batch comprised about 50 to 54 men from India, the vast majority from Haryana’s districts including Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra.
They landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) and were handed over to local authorities. Many are in the 25-to-40 age bracket.
The individuals admitted to having paid large sums in one case up to ₹57 lakh to migration agents, selling land and borrowing money in the hope of building a future abroad.
The “Donkey Route” explained
The term refers to illegal migration pathways used by hopefuls to reach the United States via convoluted land-and-sea circuits, bypassing formal channels.
One deportee from Kaithal, named Naresh Kumar, told of selling one acre of land and spending months travelling via Brazil and South America before arriving in the US only to be arrested after 14 months.
Why the crackdown?
The US under President Donald Trump has stepped up deportations of undocumented immigrants since January 2025. In the current year alone, over 1,500 Indians have been deported.
Agencies in India, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have already begun probing networks of agents facilitating the donkey-route migrations, seizing passports and hawala records.
Voices of the deported
“I paid ₹42 lakh initially, then another ₹6 lakh in Guatemala, and finally ₹2.85 lakh. Total ₹57 lakh,” said Naresh Kumar of Kaithal. “I left Delhi on January 9, 2024, reached the US via Brazil in 66 days, but ended up in jail.”
A 21-year-old from Karnal revealed he was handcuffed and leg-shackled when deported, shocking his family in India.
Local police confirmed the deportees arrived late at night, and urged youth not to attempt such illegal routes.
Risks & red flags
- Huge financial losses many sold land or borrowed heavily only to end in detention overseas.
- Legal consequences being arrested, held in foreign jails, deported, handcuffed/shackled upon return.
- Human-trafficking risk agents manage complex routes and exploit migrants under threat of abandonment or arrest.
- Reputation & visa impact illegal migration can harm future travel/visa prospects for you or your family.
Authorities emphasise that migration via formal, legal channels and proper documentation must always be the path chosen.
