Young individuals from India are embarking on a determined and perilous journey to realize the "make or break" American aspiration
In this bustling nation with a population of 1.4 billion, young, educated individuals yearning for better opportunities are shelling out substantial funds to leave the world's fastest expanding major economy for the United States.
"This is the donkey route," mentioned law student Ankit Chaudhary. "It's a path that passes through numerous countries and eventually allows us to surmount the US boundary's wall."
Chaudhary relayed to CNN that he shelled out more than $50,000 to a faciliator for assistance in crossing multiple borders and navigating the hazardous wilds of Latin America to unlawfully enter the United States. However, his aspirations of fleeing were dashed when his mediator was apprehended.
This perilous odyssey emerges as an alarming emerging pattern in India, potentially straining ties with the United States, a nation contending with persistent issues concerning unauthorized immigration, as the looming November presidential election approaches.
In a mere four years, government figures indicate a staggering increase in the number of Indian citizens susceptible to illegal entry into the United States. From 8,027 in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the number soared to an astounding 96,917 during the 2022-2023 period.
Recent research from Pew reveals that Indians rank as the third-largest group of undocumented migrants in the United States, trailing behind those from Mexico and El Salvador.
The disheartening statistics serve as a stark reminder of the struggles faced by Indians in the world's most populous democracy. Glaringly contrasting with the ambitious and resilient image projected by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he pursues his goal of turning India into a global superpower by 2047.
"Viskit Bharat (Developed India) is a nation where no individual is too small to harbor dreams, and no dream is too vast to come to fruition," Modi remarked in May. "Viskit Bharat is a nation that does not restrict anyone's growth based on their social circumstances or birth. Everyone, regardless of their standing, can aspire for success at the summit."
However, not everyone wholeheartedly believes in the dream's feasibility.
Chaudhary intends to apply for a US visa, but, should that attempt fail, he is left with no other option but to risk an illegal exodus. "People have no income or employment. Some are even starving," Chaudhary lamented. "I am left with no alternative but to leave."
Lack of employment opportunities
The narrow alleys and streets of Karnal villages were eerily empty upon CNN's visit in July, with gates to some homes shuttered and gathering dust.
No signs of young people were to be found; instead, elderly men leisurely occupied their time smoking hookahs and playing cards on the stoops of their homes.
Evidently, homes of parents who have emigrated lived abundantly; opulent bungalows with luxury vehicles and farm tractors adorned with the American flag, gifts from family members residing overseas.
For the fiscal year from 2022 to 2023, the jobless rate among individuals 15 and older in Haryana state stood at 6.1%, as per data released by India's Ministry of Labour and Employment. This marked a significant increase over the national average for the same period.
However, the unemployment rate among individuals within the age group of 15 to 24 was substantially higher, reaching 45.4% across the country in the same year. Official unemployment rates in developing nations tend to be low due to financial constraints that limit extended unemployment spells, causing individuals to accept any available job, regardless of its quality.
The narrow corridors and alleyways of a Karnal village. In his home in Mator village in the Kaithal district, Rajeev Kumar shared that his older brother Malkeet, a rice farmer, had contemplated an exodus to the US last year.
"He had been pondering it for some time," Kumar explained. "There are no opportunities or employment in this region ... his objective was to venture there and generate income for our happiness."
The family borrowed $30,000 from friends and relatives to fund their brother's journey under the supervision of a mediator.
The sibling's voyage involved embarking on a flight departing from New Delhi, before stopovers in countries with lenient visa policies and eventual arrival in Latin America if attempting entry via the southern US border.
There, connects were made with smugglers who guided them through treacherous wildlands to the US-Mexico border, where they took up positions in hope of border patrol agents, petitioning for asylum. When asked, most had been instructed to express apprehension towards their safety in India and voice their beliefs that their lives were at jeopardy, the families claimed.
Malkeet departed India in February, initially landing in Dubai before continuing to Almaty, Kazakhstan, according to his family. From there, he proceeded to Turkey, with a layover in Istanbul airport for a day, before heading to Panama City and then San Salvador.
There, he entered into a liaison with a smuggler and dismissed contact with the outside world before embarking on the most arduous, physically demanding segment of his escapade – the trek towards Guatemala.
The Indian economy doesn't produce enough decent jobs in the non-agricultural sectors for newly educated job seekers, leading to high and escalating unemployment rates, as per a report.
In Karnal, young, educated individuals often seek work elsewhere. Muzaffar Chishti, director at the Migration Policy Institute in New York, stated that push factors like these play a significant role in influencing people to embark on this journey.
Chishti, who monitors the trend of unlawful immigration into the US, said that if these job seekers have a 50% chance of entering the US, it serves as an allure.
Before the Biden Administration's recent crackdown on the border, there was a belief that embarking on this journey could yield success.
Many have shared their attempts on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, using their experiences to promote the prospect of "the American Dream."
Ankush Malik, whose YouTube channel has nearly 60,000 subscribers, is among those who have successfully entered the US through Mexico. He now works as a truck driver and often showcases his wealth on social media, bragging about his purchases and travels.
However, not every account portrays a positive scenario.
Malik documented his own journey from Haryana to the US, detailing his flights via Qatar and Amsterdam before starting his jungle trek in Panama. One video depicted the men looking exhausted and bedraggled, with insect bites and searching for safety as they pause for the night.
In the video, a migrant expresses frustration, stating, "10 lakh rupees ($12,000) has been wasted. They've made us into donkeys."
Seeking Asylum
If they manage to reach the US, the migrants' uncertain journey continues as they wait to be picked up by Customs and Border Protection officers, according to Chishti.
"The customs officer first needs to assess if the person is in physical danger or malnourished," Chishti explained.
"They provide them with a bottle of water. At this point, the person says 'I'm here to seek asylum.'
"According to US law, if someone claims asylum, they must be given a hearing to present their case."
While they wait for their hearing, the customs officer takes them to a processing facility for a medical screening, security checks, and interviews.
Following the screening, the official determines whether to consider their asylum application, which can take years to process.
While in the US, asylum applicants can apply for employment authorization and must wait at least 180 days for a work permit.
In 2023, 46% of asylum claims from Indian nationals were approved, as per the Justice Department.
Earlier this summer, the Biden Administration issued an executive order largely barring migrants from seeking asylum at the US southern border and imposed severe penalties on those illegally crossing.
US Border Patrol reported a significant decline in illegal border crossings since then.
A 35-year-old farmer and father of two from a Haryana village, who CNN agreed to keep anonymous, attempted the journey in 2019. He recounted his six-month odyssey from India to the US border.
Once he reached the US border, he was sent to a San Diego prison, where he shared a single cell with up to 70 asylum seekers from South Asia while their cases were being reviewed.
However, US authorities found that he faced no persecution in India and eventually sent him back home.
The man wanted to remain anonymous as he plans to attempt the journey again. "I don't make enough while farming here," he said.
An agent from Haryana, who wished to remain unnamed for legal reasons, admitted to sending between 150 to 200 people via the "donkey route" to the US.
When CNN interviewed him in July, he claimed that all his clients had safely reached the US and none had been sent back.
However, this month, the agent reported a significant change in conditions for migrants.
"There has been an increase in the number of people being deported," he said. "This has caused fear among those attempting the journey illegally and the agents involved in the 'donkey route.'"
As a result, the agent has stopped his activities fully.
His account was corroborated by another smuggling agent CNN spoke with in Haryana.
"Most people are putting their plans to go to the United States via the 'donkey' route on hold," he said. "They do not want to waste thousands of dollars."
As Trump campaigns for a return to the White House, he continues to express strong negative views about immigration, blaming migrants for various issues such as rising crime and pet theft.
"Our country is being lost, we're a failing nation," Trump said during a debate with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
But even if Trump wins the November election, smugglers CNN interviewed in India believe that the 'donkey route' will eventually re-emerge.
"In my opinion, the 'donkey route' will never completely stop," said the first agent. "New routes, networks, and strategies will be devised to overcome the obstacles."
Kumar was on edge at home in India, anticipating his brother Malkeet's journey via donkey from India the previous year.
Malkeet shared snapshots of his flight tickets and selfie clips as he journeyed, before tackling the most perilous section: a hike through Guatemala.
Kumar yearned for word that Malkeet had arrived safely. Instead, he received videos verifying the worst.
"We received videos of his deceased body through various WhatsApp groups. Someone showed us and asked if it was my brother, and we recognized him," Kumar shared.
The family discovered that Malkeet had been gunned down by criminals on a riverbank, bordering El Salvador and Guatemala.
Malkeet's body was eventually returned to them close to five months later.
"Filling the void left by my brother's death is an impossible task," Kumar stated, now working on the family's fields on his own.
Despite this heartbreaking incident, enthusiasm for venturing abroad persists. Kumar admits that many young people in his village harbor dreams of illegally migrating overseas.
"Here, people know they might perish from unemployment, but they perceive it as a better choice to take the risk and go," Kumar explained. "The sentiment is 'do or die' for our people."
Despite the risk and potential dangers, many Indians, like Chaudhary and Malkeet, view the United States as a land of opportunities, leading to an increasing number of individuals seeking to illegally enter the world's leading economic power.
India's high unemployment rates, particularly among the younger generation, are driving this trend, with individuals seeing illegal immigration as a better option than living in poverty or unemployment in their homeland.
