Over the last several months, year-old Nishant Kumar travelled to 16 countries before finally managing to enter the United States through its border with Mexico on January 13, only to be held by border patrol as soon as his group reached San Diego in California.
Like the other immigrants who entered the United States illegally, Kumar had only one thing on his mind: the hope of a better life in a foreign land. I wanted to work as a truck driver there⦠I knew that people who go there can also work as storekeepers. The youngest of four siblings, he has three older sisters.
My father knew that. My agent sent me to Dubai with a promise to send me ahead in a week but I had to stay for a month in Dubai. My visa expired and I had to stay another 11 days till my agent brought me back. My first attempt had failed. The agent, however, insisted that he would succeed in sending me to the USA.
I stayed there for 12 days waiting for a way to head towards the USA. On September 6, he was finally sent to Guyana with a group of 13 other men from India, he stated. They were told that they would have to walk and travel in boats to reach Panama. From Panama, they reached Costa Rica where they stayed for a day. From Honduras, an agent took them to Mexico. Kumar said that to enter San Diego, they had to walk 15 miles.
Instead, they were kept under detention for 21 days. They were given silver foil blankets to protect themselves from the cold.
