Hope to horror: The price Indians paid for a one-way ticket to chase 'American Dream'

MUMBAI: They sold land, pawned gold, and drained their life savings—only to return home empty-handed. In packed deportation flights from the US, hundreds of Indians are arriving back with nothing but heartbreak and horror stories of betrayal, perilous jungle treks, and shattered dreams.
Harpreet Singh Laliya of Nagpur gambled Rs 50 lakh on his American dream, selling family gold and two trucks. After 62 days of unimaginable hardship—dodging traffickers, surviving dangerous crossings, and hopping from one hideout to another—he's back in India, broke and bitter. His only solace? He’s alive. A fellow migrant was shot dead when his money ran out.
For Ketul Patel, 40, from Surat, the cost was his home. He sold his property and took his family on the treacherous route to the US, only to be sent back. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
Muzaffarnagar farmer Devendra Singh handed Rs 40 lakh to traffickers, enduring a journey spanning Thailand, Vietnam, China, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico—only to be deported from the US.
Yet, despite these horror stories, the desperation to reach America remains unshaken. Many who once crossed via Canada and Mexico are now biding their time, waiting for another chance at an uncertain future.