Allege inhuman treatment - Youths detained in US in pitiable state
Wednesday, 27/08/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140827/punjab.htm#25
Chandigarh : With dreams of a better future in his eyes, Paramjit Singh of Mahabalipur near Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, was desperate to immigrate to the US. He did manage to reach there, but illegally through a travel agent who fleeced him. Not able to find the promised employment and deportation staring at his face, Paramjit allegedly committed suicide in December last year.
Gurpreet Singh of Kot Fatuhi village in Hoshiarpur district is another youth duped by unscrupulous travel agents. He was part of a group of 40 youths sent illegally to the US. They ended up in a detention centre. They had to go on a hunger strike in April alleging pitiable living conditions at the centre. Some relief was given to them but their plight has not changed much.
At the root of the problem is a "multi-national" group of travel agents. Sources say the agents operate from different countries and take the immigrants to the US or other countries through a circuitous route that starts from Punjab to Russia, Dubai and several other countries.
Harkirat Singh of Koomkalan in Ludhiana, Sarabjit Singh of Kharkuwal in Nawanshahr and Gurpreet Singh, all lodged at a detention Centre at El Paso, have, in letters sent to the North American Punjabi Association and The Tribune, written about their plight and the names and addresses of the travel agents who had duped them.
California-based NAPA has taken up their case with the US and the Indian government. The youths wrote how their family sold off land and jewellery for their better future abroad. They also revealed the route they were taken through before ending up at the US detention centre.
Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director, NAPA, said the Punjab Government did not come to their aid nor did it take action against the travel agents. "There are several youths at detention centres in various parts of the US who had sent complaints to the Punjab Police and the NRI Commission, but no action has been taken against the agents so far," he said.
Justice Anand Kumar (retd), chairperson, Punjab Commission for NRIs, said the commission had sent several directives to the state government for taking action against the travel agents but nothing much had been done.
Chahal said he recently visited the El Paso detention centre and found that the detainees there were living in miserable conditions. They were not given proper food and medical facilities, he said.
Chahal said the youths told him that they had started their journey from New Delhi to Dubai, Moscow, Hawana, and Guatemala from where they were taken in police vans to Mexico. "They were handed over fake ID cards and every time they were under the supervision of persons donning uniforms of the Mexican police. They stayed in Mexico for about 10 days after which they were told to cross the US-Mexico border. They were arrested while trying to cross over to the US," he said.
There are several youths at detention centres in various parts of the US who had sent complaints to the Punjab Police and the NRI Commission, but no action has been taken against the agents so far Satnam Singh Chahal, north american punjabi association.
