The slang Kabootarbazi is often circulated in Gujarat’s circles. For those unfamiliar with the word, Kabootarbazi is the process of Gujaratis being illegally sent to the US, facilitated by immigration mafias. For background, the traffickers generally assure them of remuneration lesser than the legal minimum wage in the United States for odd jobs at manufacturing facilities, convenience stores and other businesses controlled by Indians.
Vibes of India has been reporting how an increasing number of Gujaratis are falling for the Satanic bait. They risk their reputation and lives to land these promised lucrative jobs on foreign shores. And so, undeterred by the consequences of deportation and enticed by the allure and social prestige of having a US or UK visa, they’re courting disasters. In many cases, the desperation is attributed to economic hardships, ironic of a state celebrated for its thriving diaspora and business community. These immigration attempts are also motivated by a desire to reunite with family members who are already in the United States.
Now, in an ‘enough is enough’ move, the US is determined to implement a stringent illegal immigrant deportation policy. Last year, 2,647 Indians were arrested for immigration offences, and all of them are probably going to be deported, according to the most recent US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report. Among the infractions were unlawful entry and overstaying their visas.
US President-elect Donald Trump has already gone on record saying that he would make business very hard for countries that refuse to take back migrants. He warned that such countries would face substantial tariffs. “I’ll get them into every country, or we won’t do business with those countries,” Trump was quoted as saying.
The deportation has begun in all earnest, with one flight landing in New Delhi in October last year, carrying nearly 120 Indian illegal immigrants, media outlets reported.
As many as 17,940 Indians are among the 14.45 lakh people on the non-detained docket, following final orders of removal from the US, the ICE data claims.
The data further reveals that the number of Indians deported increased 400% in the fiscal year 2024 compared to 2021 (292 out of 59,011 deported). During the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,928 illegal Indian immigrants were deported. In 2021, the total number of Indians deported reached 3,467, it adds.
Earlier reports claimed that approximately 90,000 Indians, many of whom came from states like Punjab, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, were arrested in the last three years while trying to enter the United States illegally.
The latest report places India at fourth among countries with the highest number of detainees after Mexico (5,089), Honduras (2,957) and Guatemala (2,713).
Gujarati’s desperation to head to the US shores could be gauged by the way they’re willing to pay exorbitant amounts to immigration agents. The 60-odd Gujaratis, on board the Nicaragua-bound plane, which was sent back from France over suspected human trafficking, were willing to shell out Rs 60 lakh to Rs 80 lakh.
There have been tragic examples such as that of the four members of the family from Dingucha who froze to death while attempting to illegally enter the US via the Canadian border. The chilling episode involving 136 missing immigrants, who chose to enter the US through the Mexico-Turkey route, still haunts the country.
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