Ahmedabad: Going to a shopping mall or filling up at a fuel station is routine for most. But for Gujaratis living in the US with uncertain immigration status, each outing brings the fear of being picked up by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The dread of detention and deportation is so acute that some asylum seekers are keeping a low profile, changing jobs and phone numbers, and staying away from immigration courts, even if missing a hearing could bring them closer to deportation.
All in their mid-twenties, they had reportedly entered the US in Oct 2024 on a chartered flight arranged through the donkey route. The man said he paid nearly $50,000 (Rs 47 lakh approx.) to a New York immigration lawyer to handle his family’s asylum application. But he did not send his wife and daughter to a scheduled ICE appointment after the lawyer allegedly demanded another $8,000 (Rs 7.6 lakh approx.) to cover travel, accommodation, and related expenses.
In Aug, four youths from Karjisan village in Kalol taluka of Gandhinagar district were detained by ICE officers at a fuel station in Tennessee and deported that very day. For another Gujarati based in Chicago, the uncertainty has come at a steep financial cost. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad