A flight carrying 300 Indians, which was originally bound for Nicaragua, returned to India after being stranded in France for suspected ‘Human Trafficking”
IN NEWS
The flight, brought to light the issue of illegal immigration via ways that are coincidentally similar to the recent Bollywood release “Dunki”
“Dunki” means to “hop from place to place” in Punjabi, inspiring the terms “donkey Flights” or “donkey Routes”
These terms refer to an illegal method of crossing a country’s border, with multiple stops in other countries
Central America’s small nation of Nicaragua’s porous borders and weak visa policies make it a hot destination to be used as a donkey route
WHY NICARAGUA?
Process is confusing and ambiguous. Nicaragua doesn’t have an embassy in India
VISA REQUIREMENTS?
Indians having valid US/UK/Schengen visas can get Nicaragua's visa on arrival
Further...
Investigations revealed a “shadow industry” of charter flights moving “donkey travelers” around Americas
Emergence of a migratory springboard
Indians make up the third largest population of illegal immigrants in the US at around 7.2 lakh