In US deportations, an opportunity, a warning

States must reorient policies and priorities to disincentivise illegal immigration by creating educational and employment options at home

- Suresh Kumar

For decades, North America has been the promised land for Punjabi immigrants – an anxious gateway to prosperity and a better life. Families in Punjab have invested generations of savings to send their young abroad, often through legal channels, but sometimes through dangerous and exploitative back doors. The dream was simple: A better future, a stable life, and economic success. However, the game has changed.

When Donald Trump entered the White House for a second term, his stringent immigration policies sent shock waves through immigrant communities – legal immigrants in the queue (including thousands from Venezuela) suddenly found themselves on tricky terrain; and illegal ones, who had hitherto benefited from administrative inaction, found themselves on flights back home. Deportation flights have returned thousands, including about 104 Indians, of whom nearly one-third were Punjabis. Reports indicate that the Trump administration had earlier identified approximately 20,407 undocumented Indians, with 17,940 under "final removal orders", making them subject to deportation.

Canada has long been seen as the softer, more immigrant-friendly alternative to the United States (US). Trudeau championed an inclusive, progressive approach to immigration, bolstering the confidence of thousands who looked to the Great White North as their new home. Punjabi students flooded Canada in record numbers, viewing a student visa as a pathway to permanent residency.