JALANDHAR: Even as 44 Punjabi detainees in Elpaso Detention Centre, who were arrested by US authorities for illegally entering there through US-Mexico border last year, ended their hunger strike in the third week of April, a visit by North American Punjabi Association’s executive director Satnam Singh Chahal to the centre and interaction with the detainees has revealed that their issues were yet to be sorted out.
“Most of them are vegetarians but they complained that non-vegetarian food was being mixed in their food,” he added.
They also complained of poor medical facilities and attention to sick detainees and also recounted two particular incidents related to one detainee Maninder Singh and Gurpreet Singh.
The detainees were quoted saying that to call-off their hunger strike they were assured by the field office director of the detention centre that they would be shifted to the centres near to the places where their relatives or friends were living so that they could pursue their cases but after shifting one detainee Boota Singh, who was leading the hunger strike, to Tacoma centre the other detainees were left at Elpaso centre.
Chahal said that as he met the US Immigration and Custom Enforcement authorities who assured to address their issues. Chahal said that NAPA would also be approaching the appropriate authorities to seek the release of these detainees on parole or bonds.
How they reached there?
All of these detainees reached the US through torturous routes with the help of human trafficking agents. Almost all these detainees started their journey from New Delhi Airport to Dubai, Moscow, Hawana, Guatemala and Mexico.
They completed their journey by air up to Guatemala and from there they were taken to Mexico in police vans. At every spot there were sub agents to take care of them.
“They told me that during their stay in Mexico they were handed over some fake ID Cards and every time they were under the supervision of those persons who were in Mexico police uniforms. They were staying in big houses (Bungalows) on the mountains of somewhere in Mexico where sub agents were properly taking care for them. They stayed there for five to ten days. They were told to cross the US – Mexico border where the border patrol authorities asked for the identity cards, which they could not provide and were arrested and detained,” Chahal added.