Ferozepur, Feb. 17 -- Deported from the Philippines nine months ago, while trying to reach the US through the perilous 'donkey route', Navdeep Singh, 23, a resident of Ferozepur's Basti Amrik Singh village, didn't give up on his American dream.

Last December he made another attempt to reach the US illegally. As fate would have it, his bid was foiled again as the US authorities detained him.

His name was in the list of 119 Indians to be deported on February 15 but as he fell ill at the last moment, he remains stranded in the US.

His father, Kashmir Singh, a caterer, revealed that the travel agent initially took Rs.45 lakh to facilitate his journey. After Navdeep was deported from Manila, Philippines, the family confronted the agent. The...