Now that US military aircraft have started bringing to India those Indian nationals who were staying in the United States illegally, it needs to be made amply clear that there is no scope for sympathy for such people. Anyone who takes what is known as the “donkey” route to sneak into foreign countries illegally—be it the US, the UK or any other country—is participating in an act of crime. Illegal immigration is a criminal activity and if these immigrants have been treated like criminals in the US, it is because they are criminals. There is no softer way of putting it. Hence, it is surprising that Punjab government’s NRI affairs minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal is of the view—according to media reports—that these returnees should have been treated better by the US as they have contributed to the US economy—which is a ridiculous argument. The minister concerned is also of the view that the youths who are being sent back should be counselled, rehabilitated, jobs found for them and in case they have taken huge loans from banks to fund their misadventures, the interest on such loans should be written off. It seems it never struck the minister that all this amounts to legitimising rank illegalities. People who break the law do not get any privileges. While there may be strong support for illegal immigration among sections of the minister’s voters, but not everything can be about vote bank politics. These returnees have not only broken the law, they have also given a bad name to the country by their disgraceful behaviour. Most of them have pushed their families to penury by sucking out their savings to pay unscrupulous agents who have helped them reach the foreign shores. If they have taken bank loans they would have done it under false pretext, for banks would not give any loans for the purpose that they have sought it. So the whole process is mired in corruption and illegalities. In fact, they deserve exemplary punishment so that no one dares to follow in their footsteps.
The message must go out that any attempt to move to another country illegally is fraught with hazards. Illegal immigration always involves human trafficking, with all its attendant problems, including death. Being undocumented, such immigrants are at the mercy of crime syndicates, who use them for drug trafficking and other criminal activities. There are also cases when criminals wanted by India flee to other countries using these illegal routes. India has always been against illegal immigration, the reason why it doesn’t have any problem taking back these returnees, provided it is established that they are Indians. But it can do a better job of spreading awareness among the target public about the risks involved in illegal immigration—for it is known from which demography in which state most of the illegal immigrations take place. It also needs to do a better job of cracking down on the criminal networks that facilitate such illegal immigration. Tracking them down is not that tough, what’s needed is the will. And for this action needs to be taken even against elements of the local police and politicians some of whom are involved in these rackets.
Most importantly, there has to be a change of mindset at the level of the society, for which education is necessary, to inculcate a sense of optimism and belief in one’s own country.
A country like India understands the problems associated with illegal immigration, thanks to the porous borders it shares with some of its neighbours. India’s border with Bangladesh is like a sieve, as a result of which rapid demographic changes have been taking place in Assam and West Bengal in particular. The situation is so precarious in Assam that there is fear that inside the next couple of decades Assamese speaking people will be in a minority in that state, because of the illegal Bangladeshis. West Bengal’s border districts too are witnessing demographic changes. Illegal immigrants are spreading all over India, taking away jobs and posing a security threat to the country. Many of these illegals have even an electoral impact because of the papers they have obtained from some local politicians. This has to change. If it is acceptable for Donald Trump to throw illegal immigrants out, the same is true for India as well. It is just that the process of identifying the illegals may be time consuming and will require painstaking work. But the resolve to deport illegal immigrants to their respective countries must be there.
