MANY PUNJABIS CAMP AT MEXICO BORDER

Many people from Punjab currently wait at the Mexican border, fearing arrest and deportation if they make the illegal crossing into the United States, according to Indian illegals who have returned home.

- HARPREET BAJWA @Chandigarh

While there is no official confirmation about this claim, a few deportees said the prospective migrants who managed to reach Mexico recently are currently biding their time in towns along the US border.

They were apparently on their way out of India as the first of three flights from the US carrying deportees touched down at the Amritsar airport. The prospects of the waiting people look bleak as they may not be able to stay in Mexico for a longer period or make their way back home.

According to sources, "The reason is that the agents demand more money to get them back home. They are asking them to fend for themselves if they can't afford it. They don't know how long they have to be in Mexico. They are just waiting and watching."

Sources said the new batches face another issue—their status in Mexico.

An officer explained on condition of anonymity that there are three kinds of travelers from Punjab.

First are those who legally left India to the first port of any European country, the UK or the Middle East. If they had gone to the UK, they would have gone to Mexico after waiting a few days. If they could afford it, they might have flown direct.