Gurpreet Singh, 39, stood shackled at the waist, wrists cuffed, and legs bound as U.S. Border Patrol escorted him across a Texas tarmac toward a hulking C-17 military aircraft.
On February 3rd, after months of hardship, his hopes of building a life in America collapsed. “It felt as though the earth itself was crumbling beneath me,” he recounted, moments before being forcibly returned to India.
Gurpreet is among thousands of Indians who, fleeing soaring unemployment and stagnant opportunities back home, have risked their savings—and lives—to illegally cross the U.S. southern border.
Pew Research estimates approximately 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants reside in the U.S., forming the third-largest group after Mexicans and Salvadorans.
His deportation marks one of the first under President Trump’s intensified crackdown, which prioritizes rapid removals over asylum hearings. Gurpreet had hoped to seek refuge, citing threats he faced in India, but was expelled without a formal review—a direct result of Trump’s executive order bypassing due process.
Chains and Outrage
Images of Gurpreet and others in restraints, circulated by U.S. Border Patrol in a dramatic video warning, “Cross illegally, and you *will* be removed,” ignited fury in India.
Opposition leaders condemned the “degrading treatment,” questioning Prime Minister Modi’s silence despite his rapport with Trump. Gurpreet lamented, “Our government should have intervened. Deportations didn’t need chains.”
Following diplomatic protests, Indian officials secured minor concessions: subsequent flights excluded shackles for women. Yet, the Trump administration’s harsh tactics appear to be achieving their goal.
“No one will dare attempt this ‘donkey route’ now,” Gurpreet declared, referencing the perilous smuggling networks now in disarray.
Desperation and Broken Promises
Behind Gurpreet’s journey lies India’s economic despair. Official unemployment rates (3.2%) mask a fractured reality: only 22% of workers earn steady wages, while many survive as self-employed or unpaid laborers.
“If I earned even 30,000 rupees [$340] monthly, I’d never have left,” said Gurpreet, who supports his wife, elderly mother, and infant child.
His trucking business crumbled during India’s abrupt 2016 currency ban, which voided 86% of cash overnight. A later logistics venture collapsed amid COVID lockdowns. Denied visas to Canada and the U.K., he liquidated assets, borrowed heavily, and paid smugglers $45,000 to reach the U.S.
A Harrowing Journey
Gurpreet’s odyssey began in Guyana, traversing South America via buses, boats, and perilous jungle treks. The Darién Gap—a lawless, roadless rainforest—proved most brutal.
“We walked five days through chest-high rivers, rain-soaked, guided by blue plastic markers tied to trees,” he recalled. Cracked nails, thorn-pierced hands, and near-starvation followed.
After detention in Panama and a month-long wait in Mexico, Gurpreet scaled razor-wire fences near San Diego on January 15th—days before Trump’s inauguration.
He surrendered to Border Patrol, expecting asylum proceedings under Biden-era protocols. Instead, ICE detained him, and within weeks, he was bound for deportation.
A Cycle of Debt and Despair
Back in Punjab, Gurpreet faces mounting debts and dim prospects. “Paper statistics don’t reflect our reality—no jobs, no hope,” he said. His smuggler, now untraceable, left him with a bitter analogy: “We were thirsty, so we sought the well. They didn’t force us.”
As U.S. policies deter new migrants, Gurpreet’s story underscores a grim truth: without systemic change, desperation will continue to drive such journeys—no matter the cost.