The landing of US Army C-17 Globemaster aircraft carrying 104 expelled Indian nationals deported from US landed in Amritsar on February 5, garnering the headline news in India, gripping the nation. The deportees were primarily from Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab. There were 33 from Gujarat and Haryana each, 30 were from Punjab, and the remaining 8 were from Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Out of the total of 104, 72 were men, 19 women, and 13 were children.

The family members waiting outside the air station in Amritsar shared accounts of how most of the deported left the country choosing the “Dunki route” in search of greener pastures. Many of those seeking green pastures had only recently entered the US illegally, by spending INR 40 -50 lakhs to fund their journey by liquidating their assets as property. Now they were returning with dashed hopes and a crushing debt that they incurred to fund the journey, along with an uncertain future. The news is not just causing dismay in the families of those returning, but also amongst the state governments and central government. There has been a criticism the way the illegal immigrants were returned handcuffed during the flight back home.

But what about the ordeals these illegal immigrants endured to make their perilous journey, full of hazards in their quest of their American dream? How much did they pay to the unscrupulous travel agents, and the long circuitous journey spanning many months and many countries that they undertook to get there. Obviously, there is an allure of better job opportunities, higher quality and less stressful life, better educational standards, which they are unable to avail back home. The lack of suitable, stable, satisfying work environment, coupled with success opportunities are the fundamental drivers of this colossal human trafficking. The pull of economic upliftment with higher living standards is so high the perspective immigrants are willing to put their lives in danger. On top of it we add the “aping factor” or “keeping up with the Jones”, this trend is becoming explosive. Blaming the unscrupulous travel agents for this menace is not going to solve the problem.

The nation must face this reality and provide suitable alternatives back home so that this thought of leaving the country at any cost should not even come to mind. The underlying socio-political issues, high inflation, quality of education, and job opportunities must be addressed. The quality of education is in a serious need of upgrade, so that valueless education at high cost is not the norm. Similarly, the elected government must create job opportunities keeping the aspirations of citizens in mind and a priority. At present the elected representatives are solely concerned with enriching themselves. The citizens do not see any hope or opportunity in the country, so the lure of “phoren” is very high. If these fundamental and structural changes are incorporated the menace of leaving the country at any cost will not raise its ugly head. Let us hope that this tragic deportation acts as a wakeup call for the nation and its leaders to do some introspection and make some fundamental changes to the economy.