Ahmedabad: A U.S. military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday, including 33 individuals from Gujarat. These 33 Gujaratis reached Ahmedabad by flight on Thursday morning. While exiting Ahmedabad airport, their faces were covered, and they did not speak to the media. They were safely escorted to their respective hometowns under police supervision. However, an audio clip has now surfaced in which a deported individual is sharing his experience.

Here is what the deported individual shared:

Questioner:
What happens in this, how did you feel? And should you go there or not? If you want to go, how should you go to America? Should you go legally or illegally? How did you feel?

Deported Person:
Yes, sir. Now I am telling you that we have just returned from there. The 20 months of our journey and the seven days in the camp—what we saw, the security we experienced in our country—we have not experienced that in other countries. In other countries, we faced problems, and our children faced problems.

In Mexico, we felt a little insecure and scared of the mafias because they all had rifles and guns. So we were a little afraid. We were kept in a camp there and provided food and water, but we did not get what we should have. I was separated, our children were separated for seven days, and we could not talk to each other or our family. We were deeply scared, wondering what would happen to us… But when we came back to India, we felt some peace that we were in our own country. So I am saying that even if you have a small job here or survive on simple food like chilli roti, it is still better. Going to another country is a very difficult task…

Questioner:
How was the behavior of the American police toward you?

Deported Person:
The American police behaved well with us. They did not let the children suffer. But when we were leaving, we were handcuffed… That was a bit of a problem for us.

Questioner:
Okay, so you had handcuffs on your hands and feet?

Deported Person:
Yes, my hands & feet were cuffed, and so were my wife’s.

Questioner:
This should not be done.

Deported Person:
Yes, because we were on a flight returning home… We were not going anywhere else. But we had a lot of trouble because they had handcuffed us.

Questioner:
What were you given to eat?

Deported Person:
They provided us food five to six times a day, but it was mostly wafers, apples, and small juice packs.

Questioner:
Okay, was non-veg served there?

Deported Person:
Yes, there was non-veg, but we didn’t eat it. We asked for veg, but they only gave us fried rice, which was also undercooked, so we didn’t eat much. We feared it would harm our bodies. For seven days, we only ate apples, juices, and wafers—and so did the kids.

Questioner:
How did you go to America from here?

Deported Person:
We traveled from Delhi to Paris on a legal visa. From Paris, we went to Madrid, then took a flight to El Salvador. From there, we traveled by taxis, cars, and trucks to Mexico. Once in Mexico, we crossed the Tanuja border and surrendered to the US Border Security Police. They confiscated everything—our phones, bags—so we lost contact. From there, they took us to the camp.

Questioner:
So did the agent tell you that if you got caught, they would take you to the refugee camp?

Deported Person:
Yes, they told us that we would be taken to the camp and released in four or five hours…

Questioner:
How much money did you spend?

Deported Person:
We spent money, but we did not pay anyone.

Questioner:
Okay, okay… So, should we go to America or not?

Deported Person:
No, sir. I fold my hands and say—do not go. If you get a job here in Gandhinagar or Ahmedabad, work and live a good life with your family. I strongly say no, we should not go. We have faced a lot of problems ourselves, and we cannot bear to see the pain and suffering that children go through. That is why we should not leave our country and go to America.