Why is it in the News?

The recently released Shah Rukh Khan’s movie ‘Dunki’ is said to be based on the ‘donkey route’ or ‘donkey flight’ that lakhs of Indians take to reach countries like the US, the UK or some other European countries.

What is a Donkey Journey?

• Dunki is the Punjabi idiom that means to "hop from place to place", according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).
• It is a colloquial term for "donkey flights" or the "donkey flights method", which is a dangerous illegal immigration technique involving crossing a country's borders through a backdoor route via multiple stops in other countries.

How does the donkey flight method or dunki work?

• The desire for a higher quality of life has given rise to an industry driven by "agents" who charge exorbitant fees to help smuggle people to the country of their choice.
• Some agents may even run legitimate businesses while offering this dangerous option.
• The agents can offer various services, from fake papers to help through otherwise legal migration processes to smuggling people through ship containers.

Which countries are most targeted using the Dunki method?

• While donkey flight can be used to enter any country, the US, Canada, and the UK are some of the most popular destinations undertaken by Indian immigrants.
  • According to a report, between February 2019 and March 2023, as many as 149,000 Indians were detained for attempting to enter the US illegally.
  • Of this, most of those detained were from Gujarat and Punjab.

Risks involved in the dunki method:

• Dunki comes with tremendous risks, including the risk of capture, imprisonment, and deportation.
• When facilitated by an agent, the system is highly exploitative.
• Many sell off their assets, including ancestral land, to pay these agents.
• Agents may also withhold people's passports or other important documents to extort more money and assets.
• Moreover, smuggled migrants are also more vulnerable to becoming victims of other crimes during the smuggling process.
• The terrains of the places through which immigrants may have to travel pose a range of risks, including harsh weather conditions, rugged terrains, and access to basic resources like food and water.
• It must be noted that migrant smuggling is not the same as human trafficking.
  • However, these crimes may sometimes interlink, adding another layer of risk for those engaging in illegal immigration.

About Passports:

• Rooted in history, passports trace back to mentions in the Hebrew Bible and structured systems in nations like France and the UK.
• The evolution into modern passports was catalyzed by the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act in 1914, introducing features such as photographs and distinctive characteristics.
• The League of Nations' 1920 conference sought to standardize passport regulations, contributing to the establishment of a common British system.
• During the 1920s, the United States linked immigration laws to passports, imposing limitations on inflows.
• Despite initial reservations, passports have persisted as an integral element of contemporary citizenship.
• Indian Passports: The initiation of issuing Indian passports dates back to the First World War (1914-1918) through the Defence of India Act, as mandated by the British government for travel.