Washington:

Davinder Singh, a 21-year-old from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, recounts his harrowing experience at a US detention center after being detained for crossing the US border illegally. Singh was part of the second batch of 116 Indian immigrants deported back to India in a military aircraft. He describes the detention center as a place where basic human rights were disregarded, with extremely low temperatures, “wafer-thin blankets”, and no proper food.

Singh’s journey to the US was a perilous one, spanning several countries, including Amsterdam, Suriname, Guatemala, and the Panama forest. He eventually crossed the US border on January 27 but was detained by the US Border Patrol. Singh spent 18 days in detention, where he witnessed US officials disrespecting Sikh immigrants by throwing their turbans into the dustbin. “It was very painful watching turbans being thrown into a dustbin,” Davinder told PTI.

The conditions at the detention center were inhumane, with Singh and other immigrants being kept in a hall with inadequate clothing and blankets to withstand the freezing temperatures. “When we would tell them we were feeling cold, they wouldn’t bother at all,” he said.

The food provided was also insufficient, with Singh receiving a small packet of chips and juice five times a day, along with half-baked bread, half-baked rice, sweet corn, and cucumber. There was beef, but as a vegetarian, Davinder did not have any. He stayed for 18 days at the detention centre and they wore the same clothes all those days.

“It was mentally traumatic to stay in the detention centre”, he said.

Singh’s story highlights the traumatic experiences of immigrants in US detention centers. His family spent a significant amount, Rs 40 lakh, to send him to the US, only for him to be deported. Singh now plans to join his father’s electronic goods repair shop in Tanda, Hoshiarpur. 

Amid Trump’s crackdown against illegal immigrants, three batches of deportees have been brought back from the US to India.