The Cost of the American Dream for Undocumented Indian Immigrants
Image Description: A group of five people in white, green, and orange shades of traditional South Asian attire stand in front and look straight ahead. Behind them is a faceless crowd in dark blue created by simple yellow outlines.
$100,000. This is how much it costs to migrate from India to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. For most people, this figure is unimaginable; however, it is the price a select few are willing to pay for what they believe will be a better future for themselves and their family. Yet, given India’s recent economic growth and social developments, what is driving Indians to risk everything they have for the American Dream?
Undocumented Indian immigrants are rarely represented in mainstream media or the focus of political rhetoric. However, they make up the third-largest undocumented group in the U.S., behind only Mexican and Salvadoran nationals. According to the Pew Research Institute, the current undocumented Indian population is 725,000 as of 2022, though the American administration hopes to see the number fall drastically.
Since President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, the Trump Administration has deported 347 Indian immigrants—men, women and children alike—back to India on four separate flights, the most recent being on Feb. 5. Although the deportation process has varied, most were held for days in detention centers known for their dehumanizing conditions. Jaswinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant who had been caught while crossing the border on Jan. 27, recounted being held in a detention facility for eighteen days before being taken back to India on a U.S. military flight. While detained, his turban and the turbans of other Sikh detainees were forcibly removed and thrown away. Turbans are an expression of the Sikh faith, as they represent a commitment to the values and principles of Sikhism. Law enforcement did not allow Singh and other Sikh detainees to wear their turbans until they arrived in India.
Furthermore, while in the detention center, Singh adds that the detainees were given limited food, and what they were given contained beef, which cannot be eaten by most Hindus and Sikhs. The reprehensible treatment of immigrants by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t stop at the detention centers. Border Patrol agents shackled people’s hands and legs for up to 40 hours while on the plane traveling back to India. They also weren’t told where they were being taken, and many stated that they felt degraded by the treatment of the officers in charge.
Singh’s story is significant. It embodies the experiences of many undocumented immigrants who face similar systematic dehumanization by the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security. However, instead of placing other undocumented immigrants in detention centers, authorities have begun taking them to a hotel in Panama, where they are being held without access to a lawyer. This makes it almost impossible for those who wish to apply for political asylum to do so, as the process is incredibly complex and requires legal guidance and representation to navigate effectively. Panama and other countries like Costa Rica are agreeing to temporarily house these immigrants out of fear of backlash from the Trump Administration, particularly in the form of tariffs. However, by placing the responsibility on Panama, a country that is significantly less powerful than the U.S., to deport the undocumented immigrants back to their country of origin, the Trump Administration is evading the responsibility of processing all of the immigrants and sending them back to their country of origin. Simultaneously, by sending these immigrants for processing outside of the country, the U.S. government is stripping them of any protections they would have had under U.S. law.
The choices made by undocumented Indian immigrants are deeply tied to the economic and geographical landscape of their home state. The majority of those who decide to immigrate are from agricultural-based states; they make up the Indian middle class that holds more privilege than most in India. However, since land is the most valuable asset a family can possess in India, these families are selling off their land to raise money for the journey. There is additionally an increasing shortage of jobs and a lack of opportunities in the agricultural sector, which prevents middle-class residents in agricultural states from advancing socially and financially. People want to immigrate to the U.S. because they believe that this country is the land of opportunity and the gateway to social mobility. This belief is especially held by young men who make up the majority of people who are immigrating to the U.S. However, selling their land and taking out non-institutional loans to finance the immigration process causes families to take on greater financial burden and places immense pressure on the person who is immigrating to find a job in the U.S. If they are deported back to India, the family suffers from crippling financial loss because their land is now gone and they still must repay their loans.
Social mobility is not the only driving factor in immigration: religious persecution, particularly towards those who are Sikh, is another reason frequently given by Punjabi immigrants who apply for political asylum once they have reached the U.S. Many are supporters of the Khalistan Movement, a movement to create a homeland for Sikhs in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. This movement is largely being suppressed by the current political party in power, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Even if they are not faithful supporters of the Khalistan Movement, they allege that they are still being discriminated against for being Sikh in a Hindu-majority country, which raises concerns about how secular India actually is.
Indian immigrants arrive in the U.S. without the proper documentation in various ways. The first is simple: overstaying a tourist visa. However, for the majority of immigrants, this method is not possible. The U.S. immigration system is incredibly faulty and rooted in racism. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) documents revealed that asylum seekers from European countries are frequently given priority over refugees from Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and South Asia. Moreover, immigrants from predominantly white countries often have easier pathways to residency and citizenship compared to largely non-white countries. Not only does it take almost one year to get an appointment for a tourist visa, but most of the people emigrating from India do not speak English that well, or did not finish high school. The “Donkey Route,” a deadly and expensive route, is a last resort for many of these immigrants. This path from India to the U.S. involves hiring an agent at an incredibly high cost. These agents often pose as actual travel agents and advertise either on social media or through word-of-mouth. These agents deceive people into thinking the journey is less deadly and the risks are less severe than they actually are.
The specific path varies by agent. Generally, the journey involves a flight to the Arabian Peninsula, entry to various Central American countries, before flying to Mexico and traveling northward to the American southern border. Often, agents tell the immigrants they will bail them out if they get caught crossing the border; however, they rarely do.
Indian Prime Minister Modi has decided to placate Trump and stated that India is fully prepared to take all immigrants back. This is the first time in its history that India has accepted military flights from the U.S. carrying undocumented Indian immigrants. Modi argued that appeasement will prevent Trump from levying high tariffs on India and limiting H-1B visas, which allow “highly-skilled” workers to temporarily work in the U.S. However, this means that by protecting the economy and upper-class Indian workers, Modi is allowing thousands of others who live undocumented to suffer in incredibly dehumanizing conditions.
In a country of 1.46 billion people, there are going to be people who are brave enough to risk everything for the chance of a better life. Yet with India’s flourishing tech industry, increasing foreign investment, and recent social developments, going to such extremes to immigrate to the U.S. may seem absurd. However, it must be noted that economic and social growth will never be distributed equitably. Certain members of society will always be left behind, and it is these individuals who cling to the promise of the American Dream, only to find themselves trapped in the most inhumane conditions.
