Knowledge Nugget: Why ‘Dunki Routes’ used by deported immigrants from US matter for UPSC exam?

The Trump administration has identified about 20,000 Indian illegal immigrants as part of its mass deportation plan. Indians comprise about 725,000 illegal migrants — the biggest group outside of Central and Latin America.

Key Takeaways:

1. “Dunki” or “donkey journey” refers to the long-winding, often dangerous routes that people across the world take to reach the places they want to immigrate to. These difficult journeys are undertaken due to a lack of requisite legal permits or financial resources. The American authorities have deported those who have taken this illegal route to reach America.

Credit: Express design team

2. Deportation is the process of removing a non-citizen from the US for violating immigration law. The US may detain and deport non-citizens who participate in criminal acts, are a threat to public safety; or violate their visa. The foreign national may be held in a detention centre before trial or deportation.

3. According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador remain top countries where citizens are deported or repatriated from the US. However, India figures above China and almost equals Brazil.

Operation of the network

1. According to an analysis by the Delhi Police’s IGI unit, passengers are sent to countries with visa-on-arrival facilities before being shipped to their destination countries through illegal border crossings.

2. Officers said passengers with fake Schengen visas are sent to relatively accessible European countries like Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan. From there, they are routed through Central American or Caribbean countries such as Guatemala and Costa Rica to US.

3. Another common route includes going to Turkey on a tourist visa or Kazakhstan on a visa on arrival and taking a “Dunki” route to Russia from there.

One of the Dunki route followed to reach USA. It involves crossing Darien Gap connecting Panama and Colombia. (Express)

4. Traveling to Malaysia from Bangkok takes barely a 15-minute bus ride or a 20-minute boat ride. In some instances, a passenger obtains a fake Schengen visa before heading to Mexico, where they receive the visa on arrival. From here, they take the “Dunki” route, travelling several kilometres through the border points to reach the US.

India’s action after the deportation

1. After the deportation of the illegal migrants from the USA, the Indian government said that it is “seriously considering” enacting a new law, tentatively titled ‘Overseas Mobility (Facilitation and Welfare) Bill, 2024’, to establish an enabling framework which will promote “safe, orderly and regular migration for overseas employment”.

2. Keeping in view the “contemporary global migration dynamics and the needs of Indian citizens”, it says that the committee has over the years underscored the pressing need for a comprehensive legislative overhaul to replace the outdated provisions of the Emigration Act 1983.

3. The ministry said that Indian missions/consulates spread awareness amongst emigrants and issued advisories for prospective emigrants. These awareness activities such as advisories equip emigrants with information on safe migration practices, registered recruiting agents, valid foreign jobs, and ways to avoid fraudulent recruiting agencies.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: The issue of H1-B visa

1. One of the major concerns in the India-USA ties is the issue of H1-B visas. In the USA, immigration is one of the most polarising political issues. According to a YouGov poll from October, 14.6% of registered voters felt it was the most important issue in the (then) upcoming election. This number was only 2.1% in 2012. Trump has successfully cashed in on such sentiments, promising to make conditions better for the average working-class American by curbing immigration.

2. The H-1B visa program allows American employers to hire immigrant workers in occupations that require “a high level of skill” and “at least a bachelor’s degree”, according to the US Department of Labour.

3. The program was started in 1990, with the intention of helping “employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the US workforce by authorising the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorised to work in the United States”.

4. An H-1B visa can be issued for a maximum of six years at a stretch, after which the visa holder has to either leave the US for a period of at least 12 months before returning, or apply for and receive permanent residence (“Green Card”).

5. People born in India are the largest beneficiaries of the H-1B program. Data from the US government show that Indians account for more than 70% of all H-1B petitions approved each year since 2015. People born in China come a distant second, hovering at the 12-13% mark since 2018.

(Source: Many of those Indians deported by US were detained from America’s border in last two months, Rubio-Jaishankar discuss ‘irregular immigration’, Jumping fences, crossing jungles: How migrants use ‘dunki routes’ to reach US)

UPSC Special on the Issue of Migration

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How to facilitate safer and more productive migration patterns

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