Sangrur, Oct. 1 -- Hardeep Singh, 32, of Chatha Sekhwan village in Sangrur district says he took the donkey route to the US after his application for a legal work permit in Canada was rejected repeatedly since December 2022. "I paid Rs.37 lakh to an agent and embarked on the illegal route on September 18, 2024. I entered the US through the Mexico border after a tough trek through South America on January 24," he says, recalling the nightmare. He was detained in San Diego and shifted to the detention centre for 20 days before being put on the flight back to Amritsar in the second batch of deportees in February. His father, Pritpal Singh, a retired Mandi Board supervisor, admits the family got back Rs.12 lakh from the agent. "Hardeep won't go abroad now. The family owns around 8 acres and Hardeep, who has an MBA, finance, from Punjabi University, Patiala, will lend a hand in farming," Pritpal Singh says. Jagsir Singh, 30, a farmer with an acre of land at Bardwal village in Dhuri sub division of Sangrur district, is not as fortunate. He was on the third flight of deportees from the US that landed in Amritsar on February 16. While efforts to contact him proved futile, sarpanch Raju Kumar says the family has been hit badly by the deportation. According to villagers, the family paid about Rs.40 lakh to the agent. "The family is struggling to clear debts," the sarpanch said....