Donkey route horror exposed: Kurukshetra youth shares videos detailing torture, extortion and illegal journey to US

PTC Web Desk: A chilling account of the infamous donkey route, an illegal migration pathway to the United States, has surfaced after a youth from Haryana shared 13 videos documenting the brutal journey, exploitation and torture inflicted by human traffickers, commonly known as ‘donkers’.

Yogesh, a resident of Umri village in Kurukshetra district, revealed how he was cheated, threatened and physically tortured despite paying Rs 50 lakh to agents for illegal entry into the United States. His videos, now circulating widely, show groups of migrants walking through dense jungles with blistered feet, sleeping on roadsides, surrounded by insects and being packed into suffocating containers with no space to breathe.

Journey began with false promises

According to Yogesh, an agent contacted him on July 22, 2024, claiming that his ticket had been booked. On July 26, he boarded a flight from Delhi. Instead of being taken closer to the US, he was flown to Brazil, where he was detained upon arrival at the airport. His family contacted the agents, who demanded Rs 15 lakh for his release. Yogesh was kept in custody in Brazil for nearly one-and-a-half months, during which the agents repeatedly assured him of a direct flight to the US. However, they later decided to send him through jungle routes.

Extortion across multiple countries

From Brazil, Yogesh was taken by car through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. In Colombia, the traffickers demanded an additional Rs 1 lakh. The ordeal worsened as he was then moved through the Panama jungle, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala, before finally reaching Mexico.

In Mexico, armed gang members threatened him at gunpoint and demanded Rs 32 lakh. Fearing for his life, his family paid the amount. Soon after crossing the Mexico-US border, Yogesh was arrested by US forces due to the absence of legal documents.

Eight months in detention, then deportation

Yogesh was jailed for eight months in the US before being deported to India on September 11. Based on a complaint filed by him, the police have registered a case against the agents and initiated an investigation.

Torture in Panama jungle

Recounting one of the most horrifying phases, Yogesh said he was taken from Brazil by car to the Panama jungle. Ten persons were crammed into a four-seater vehicle, with windows sealed shut. After fleeing during the night, the vehicle abandoned them in the jungle, where they were handed over to another trafficker armed with pistols and an AK-47.

The trafficker warned that anyone attempting to escape would be shot. Migrants were forced to walk continuously through the jungle under armed surveillance.

Yogesh said they were denied food and water for two days. In the Panama jungle, they received food only once every one or two days, mostly a single serving of rice per day. Drinking water was sourced from canals and rivers.

After crossing the jungle, they waited four days near a river for a boat. During this time, continuous rain caused the river to swell, temperatures dropped sharply and their bags had already been emptied by traffickers, leaving them without extra clothing. The migrants survived nights in extreme cold before being suddenly woken up at midnight and forced onto a boat. They spent nearly six hours crossing a raging river amid rain and cold.

After crossing the river and walking nearly 60 km, they reached Costa Rica, where Yogesh bought old clothes from a roadside stall. Two to three days later, they were transported to Nicaragua and then taken towards the US border in a small canter truck from Mexico.

Around 40 to 50 persons were locked inside the canter from the outside. With no space to sit or breathe properly, the migrants were forced to remain inside the vehicle for nearly 17 hours.

On January 10, they were made to cross the border wall using ladders. However, immediately after landing on the other side, US forces arrested them. They were given only a bowl of boiled kidney beans as food.

After spending nearly eight months in detention, Yogesh was finally deported back to India on September 11.