The 'American dream' that came crashing down

From Brazil to Panama's deadly jungle routes

- S LALITHA @ Nandgarh (Haryana)

WHEN 27-year-old Vishal left his village of Nandgarh in Haryana's Yamuna Nagar district in April 2024, he carried with him the hopes of his family and a dream — to make it big in the US. What he didn't know was that the journey would lead him through jungles, jails, and the very edge of survival.

Videos of Vishal being handcuffed and pinned down by US immigration officers at Newark Airport last month had sparked outrage and confusion online. Many assumed he was a student. But he was an illegal immigrant for sure. But the truth is far more complex.

Tracked down by this reporter on Wednesday, a shaken Vishal had returned to his village on June 26, after 15 harrowing months. He is not a student, but a Class 10 pass-out who once tilled his family's land. And he had been duped of ₹45 lakh by a Karnal-based agent who promised him an American work visa.