Jatinder Singh, one of the 112 Indian immigrants deported from the US to Amritsar on Sunday, shared his harrowing experience of a two-week stay in a US detention camp, where he claims he was tortured and deprived of proper food. Singh, 23, also accused the US Army of throwing his turban (dastar) in the trash after forcing him to remove it, in an interview with India Today.
Singh said he left India on September 12, 2023, seeking better job opportunities abroad due to a lack of employment in Amritsar. He was apprehended at the US border on November 27, 2023, and detained for two weeks. He described how, despite his objections, he was made to remove his turban as part of the camp’s “rules” and claimed it was discarded. Additionally, Singh said the camp staff gave him minimal food, mostly Lay’s chips and Frooti juice, twice a day, and subjected him to uncomfortable conditions, including low temperatures and dry air.
Singh explained that he had paid a human trafficking agent Rs 50 lakh to help him migrate to the US. His family sold their land and jewelry to raise the money. The agent, who promised a safe passage, led him through the dense jungles of Panama before entering the US from Tijuana, Mexico. Singh recounted a disturbing experience where he saw the bodies of other illegal immigrants in the jungle. After being apprehended by US border police, he was sent to the detention camp.
Singh also claimed that during the 36-hour flight back to India on a US military plane, he was kept in shackles while other detainees, including men and children, were not. He described the discomfort of being unable to access food or use the restroom until shortly before landing.
Singh said he now intends to find a job in India and will never attempt to migrate abroad again. His experience follows growing concerns about the treatment of deported Indian immigrants, particularly after a February 5 incident when 104 deportees arrived in Amritsar, some of whom were reportedly kept in shackles throughout their flight.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly condemned the removal of turbans from Sikh deportees, with its chief, Harjinder Singh Dhami, calling for an investigation and action against those responsible.
A second US military aircraft carrying 116 deportees arrived in Amritsar late Saturday night, with several passengers claiming to have been restrained in shackles during the flight and some Sikh deportees allegedly being forced to remove their turbans. This brings the total number of illegal Indian immigrants deported from the US to 332 across three flights.