The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased the financial incentive for self-deportation for illegal immigrants from $1,000 to $3,000. Along with this, those who register through the CBP One app by the end of the year will also be given free air tickets to return to their country from the US.

Benefits on registration till 31st December
In a statement released Monday, DHS said illegal immigrants who register for self-deportation before Dec. 31 will be eligible for a $3,000 cash incentive, government-sponsored travel, and a waiver of civil fines or penalties associated with overstaying a visa.

‘Fast, free and easy’ process
The department described self-deportation as a fast, free and easy process. Under this, users will only have to download the CBP One app, submit their information and leave the travel arrangements to the government.

Strict action if option not chosen
DHS has warned that those who do not join the plan will be arrested and deported and will be permanently banned from entering the United States in the future. This expanded incentive is part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing tough immigration campaign in his second term. The Trump administration has made strict enforcement of immigration laws its main priority.

Late night of 26th October i.e. Sunday, a flight from America landed at Delhi Airport. But there were no common passengers in this, rather they were 35 Indians, who had entered America without passport and visa. America deported all 54 Indians back to India. Actually, all these people had entered America through the donkey route. The name Donkey Route may sound funny, but on its way one finds not only forests and deserts but also dead bodies and human skulls.

So let us understand in ABP Explainer what is the deadly Donkey Route, how Indians enter America without passport and visa and why Indians are forced to do so…

Question 1- What is the matter of sending 35 Indians back to India from America?
answer- Karnal DSP Sandeep Kumar told ANI that 35 Indians tried to enter the US illegally, who were deported back to India by the US. Of these, there are 54 people including 16 from Karnal, 14 from Kaithal and 5 from Kurukshetra. After the completion of the deportation process, all the people were reunited with their families.

Sandeep Kumar told that this group had used the donkey route, which is used for human trafficking from India to America. This is an illegal and dangerous path. People from many villages and towns enter America using the Donkey Route, but nothing results.

Question 2- What is this donkey route?
answer- The word ‘Dinky Route’ is derived from the Punjabi word ‘Dunki’ i.e. DUNKI, which means to go from one place to another. When people want to go to America to earn money but due to lack of passport and visa, they adopt the donkey route. People reach America illegally after traveling through dense forests, icy rivers and scorching deserts for months. Every year thousands of Indians spend lakhs of rupees and adopt this illegal method to go to America. In popular term it is called ‘Dinky Root’.

The distance from India to America is about 13,500 kilometers. It takes 17 to 20 hours to reach America by air. However, through the ‘Dinky Route’ the distance reaches 15,000 kilometers and this journey takes months. Those traveling on this journey are generally called ‘dinky’.

Question 3- How many routes are there to reach America via Donkey Route and how difficult are they?
answer- There are 2 ways to reach America through the Donkey Route…

First way: Reaching America from Canada in deadly cold of -40 degrees

• First of all, Dinky has to apply for tourist visa for Canada, so that he can easily reach Canada from India. On reaching Toronto, Canada, Donkey has to stay in a hotel for several days waiting for the agent’s call.
• The agent takes Donkey to Manitoba Province, 2,100 kilometers away from Toronto. The cold in Manitoba is so severe that tears from the eyes freeze on the eyelids.
• The donkey is transported to Emerson village, 1,834 km away from Manitoba. This village is on the Canada and America border. From here, Donkey reaches America on foot in the deadly cold of -40 degrees. On this route, there is knee-deep snow and no human being is visible far and wide. Donkey reaches the 49th parallel border.

On January 18, 2022, a family from Gujarat tried to reach America via the Donkey Route via Canada. This included 39-year-old Jagdish Patel, his 37-year-old wife Vaishali, 11-year-old daughter Vihangi and 3-year-old son Dharmik, but the entire family died of cold before reaching America. Police found the bodies of all four people just 12 meters away from the American border.

Second way: crossing dense forests and deserts to reach America

The most common route in India, the Donkey Route, reaches America via South America, but on this route one has to cross dense forests, mountains, rivers and deserts. It has three stages…

First stop: reaching Latin American country from India

• This includes countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Guyana. Indians get visa on arrival in these countries. This means that there is no need to obtain a visa in advance to visit these countries.
  Tourist visas are easily given to Indians in some other countries including Brazil and Venezuela. From here Donkey reaches Colombia.
• Donkey Route depends on how many connections the agent through whom you are going has in the respective countries. Although it is not difficult to reach Latin American countries, it still takes 10 months to reach here.
• Many people go to Latin American countries via Dubai. In this they have to live in containers for months.

Second stop: reaching the US border from Latin American countries

• After reaching Colombia, Dinky enters Panama. There is a dangerous forest ‘Darien Gap’ between these two countries, crossing which is extremely risky. There is always a fear of poisonous insects and snakes in the rivers and streams. In this forest, looting is done by donkey. Be it men or women, the criminals here even rape them.
• Many times, if the donkey sleeps for a while, the snake bites him. Finding dead bodies of donkeys in this forest is not a new thing. There is no government here. If luck favors you and everything goes well, then the donkey crosses the jungle of Panama by walking 105 km in 10 to 15 days.
• If a donkey does not want to go through the Panama jungle, he has to cross a 150 kilometer long river from Colombia. From here Donkey takes a boat to Nicaragua, a country in Central America. After traveling by boat, we transfer to another boat, which goes to Mexico. Not only does the border police patrol this river, dangerous animals in the river are also ready to kill.
• After this Donkey reaches Guatemala. Guatemala is a big coordination center for human trafficking. Moving towards the American border, Donkey is handed over to another agent.

Third stop: Crossing the border from Mexico and entering the US directly.

• Now Donkey has to go from Mexico to the US border. There are different types of problems on the way. Along with winter, there is also desert in between. After this, Donkey reaches the US-Mexico border, where a 3,140 km long wall is built.
• Donkeys jump over this and enter America. Those who cannot cross the wall choose the dangerous route of crossing the Rio Grande River. According to CNN report, from 2014 to 2023, 650 immigrants died while crossing the Mexican border.

Before going to America, Dinky’s passport and identity documents are taken away. If he is identified, he will be deported back to India.

Question 4- How much does it cost to go to America via Donkey Route?
answer- The average cost of a donkey reaching America from India is Rs 20 to 50 lakh. Sometimes this expenditure reaches up to Rs 70 lakh. Its payment is done in three installments…

1. On leaving India
2. Upon reaching Colombia border
3. Upon reaching the American border

If the money is not paid, gangs of agents get rid of Dinky by killing him in Mexico or Panama.

Question 5- Why do Indians go to America despite so many troubles?
answer- Indian people intend to go out of India for better opportunities, but many people are not able to go legally due to lack of education or any other reason. Foreign affairs expert and JNU professor Rajan Kumar says that Indian people are given the false dream of becoming rich that they will be successful by going to America…

• After entering America, Dinky deliberately hands himself over to the police there. After this he is put in jail, which is called ‘Immigration Camp’.
• A lawyer is hired to get Dinky out of jail. Its expenses are borne by the agent or a relative of the donkey. The lawyer convinces the court with his arguments that Dinky should be allowed to live in America. After this Dinky is released from jail.
• Donkey does not become a burden on America, so he is allowed to earn and eat, which keeps increasing. After 8-10 years, he gets a green card, which means that Donkey can now live permanently in the US and has the right to work. After 10-15 years, he also gets American citizenship.
• Just as in India, a scheme is launched every 5 to 7 years to legalize illegal colonies. Similarly, in America, a scheme is launched to give citizenship to illegal people. After paying some fees, Donkey becomes an American citizen.

Pro. According to Rajan Kumar, Indian people risk their lives to reach America through the Donkey Route, but after waiting for years in the detention center, they get heard in the court. Even if he wins the case, he has to do work like washing utensils and sweeping floors for 105 days, so that he can earn his living. It is not so easy to become rich by going to America. Even after 8-10 years, the chances of getting a green card are not high. In such cases, the criminals are sent back to India or have to spend their entire life in jail.

According to the September 2022 report of the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in India at 37.3%. This is 4 times more than the average unemployment rate of the country. Villages like Dharath, Morkhi and Kalwa of Haryana have become dinky hubs. People are making arrangements to go to America for employment by selling their farms, houses and gold.

The San Francisco court on Wednesday (August 20, 2025), while veriting in favor of the Trump administration, has stayed the order of the lower court at present, in which Temporary Security was maintained for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal.

The Trump administration can now move towards the removal of about 7,000 Nepali people after this decision of the court, whose Temporary Protected status period ended on 5 August. Apart from this, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of 51,000 Honduras and 3,000 Nicaraguas is going to end on September 8, after which the way to remove them will be cleared.

US circuit appeal court verdict
According to a report by the news agency AP, the San Francisco court had imposed an emergency ban on the decision until an appeal was pending, as the immigrant rights advocates alleged that the administration has worked illegally to end TPS for the people of Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal.

The judges of the federal court said in their decisions that the order of the District Court, which approves the adjournment petition of the plaintiff on 31 July 2025, is postponed till the next order of the court. These judges have been appointed by Democrat Bill Clinton, Republican George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

What is temporary protected status (TPS)
Explain that temporary protected status is a status that is given by the Homeland Security Secretary, so that the migrants can be prevented from being deported and they can get a chance to work. The Trump administration tried aggressively to remove this security, so that more people could be evacuated from America. This is part of the widespread efforts of the migrants by the administration on a large scale.

Homeland Security Secretary Christie NoM may give temporary protected status (TPS) to immigrants in America. If natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions are considered unsafe for return in their country.

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Global Hindu migrants: The current population of the world is crossing 800 crores. In this, the number of people who believe in Christian and Islam religion is crossing 200 crores. In this episode, Hindu is the third largest population in the world, which is close to 150 crores. Many of these Hindus live only in India alone, in other countries in which Nepal and Bhutan are at the forefront. However, there are many Hindus who are inhabited in other countries. On this basis, the Pew Research Center has prepared a report, which gives information about the Hindu migrants around the world. According to data, by the year 2020, 13 million Hindus are residing outside their birth country, which is about 5 percent of all international migrants. However, this number of Hindus in the global population is much lower than 15 per cent. This means that the representation of Hindu migrants is low internationally.

Hindu migrants covers a distance of 3,100 miles from their native country on average, which is more than 2,200 miles of total migrants. Most Hindu migrants live in the Asia-Pacific region, while other major destinations include the Middle East-East-Uttari Africa (24%) and North America (22%).

Major source of Hindu migrants
The Asia-Pacific region is the largest source for Hindu migrants, where 95% of Hindu migrants have been born. India, where Hindu religious majority, remain a major source of Hindu migrants. As a result of the development and the end of British rule, millions of Hindus came to India from Pakistan and Bangladesh. This historical stay remained for decades, but now it has decreased.
Major destination of Hindus
After India, most of the Hindu migrants (2.6 million) live in America, which is 19 percent of the total migrants. Other popular destinations include the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where Hindu migrants are mostly temporary workers.

India is the largest country
India remains the largest source of Hindu migrants so far, from where 7.6 million Hindus are living in other countries. Despite this, India is only 57% source of Hindu migrants despite being home to 94% of the world’s homes.

Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan
Bangladesh, a Muslim majority country, is the source of 1.6 million Hindu migrants, which is 12% of the total Hindu migrants. Subsequently, there are 1.5 million Hindu migrants born in Nepal, 11% of the total migrants. Pakistan, which is another Muslim -dominated neighbor, is the fourth most common source for Hindu migrants. The share of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan is 21% and 8% respectively, while in India and Nepal this percentage is low.

1947 division
India remains the largest source in the global pattern of Hindu migrants, while destinations include major countries like America, Middle East and India. The partition of 1947 and various socio-economic conditions in history have been having a major impact on the migration of Hindu migrants.

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