Illegal migration from Haryana to North America has emerged as a pressing socio-economic and cultural issue. Once celebrated as a state of soldiers and sports icons, Haryana today faces a new reality—its youth increasingly seeking uncertain futures abroad through risky “donkey routes.” Rising unemployment, shrinking government job opportunities, erosion of trust in institutions, and the lure of success stories shared on social media have all contributed to this shift. Against this backdrop, The News Gateway spoke to Visiting Professor at the Institute of Human Development, New Delhi and former Professor & Head, Department of Economics at Punjabi University, Dr. Lakhwinder Singh, who offered deep insights into the structural, cultural and regional factors driving this trend. Dr. Singh emphasized that while Haryana has historically been recognized as a sporting and military powerhouse, recent developments such as the Agniveer scheme, the wrestlers’ protest and structural changes in agriculture and industry have reshaped youth aspirations. He cautioned that the growing reliance on risky “donkey routes” reflects both desperation and demonstration effects and if left unchecked, could alter the state’s identity and weaken its traditional strengths in sports and armed forces participation.
In Conversation with Dr. Lakhwinder Singh
From a sociological, cultural and economic perspective, what factors do you believe are driving the rising trend of illegal migration from Haryana to the USA among youth? The Haryanvi youth has always been drawn towards armed forces and sports. However, recent incidents like the introduction of the Agniveer scheme and the wrestlers’ protest may have contributed to the shift from government service and agriculture to settling abroad. Do you agree? Or are there other cultural factors (small land size holding, rising population) and regional factors (influence from Punjab) you have found through your study that are fuelling the trend? Do you think the trust in state institutions—like education, sports bodies, or recruitment agencies—has eroded among youth?
Partly I agree with your opinion for multiple factors contributing to the trend of Illegal migration to North America by the residents of Haryana. But we must understand that for an ordinary citizen of India the employment opportunities especially government jobs have shrunk after liberalization and more so in the recent decades. The major issue in employment is the quality of jobs that has been deteriorating over time like the Agniveer scheme. When the employment quality of public sector jobs deteriorate and the private sector follow suit which was normally expected to be regulated by the government. This has an absolute deterioration of the quality of jobs contrary to the expectations of the educated youth who are aspiring to an upward mobility in both social and economic status. This kind of uncertain situation creates circumstances to lose faith in the institutions and individuals show desperation to come out of that. The current trends of (illegal)migration to North America emerges from the structural issues faced by the Haryana state but also by the most of states of India. The recent figures of illegal migrants from India in USA released by the government of USA shows that highest illegal migrants are from Gujarat state.
How would this migration trend impact the identity of Haryana as a “sporting and military powerhouse”?
Illegal migration is a worrisome feature and government, and other agencies, should intervene to reduce the incidence of it. The culture of illegal migration creates an incentive to reduce participation in the less remunerative options, especially the sports activities that is done for securing pride and honor of the state and the country. The sports men have a better exposure and mobility, if this trend is not arrested, it will impact on the sporting and military participation soon.
Is unemployment pushing youth towards illegal migration? Is it the primary motivator, or are there deeper socio-cultural reasons at play? What policy gaps or systemic failures do you think are fueling this mass migration?
The unemployment statistics among the educated youth show an alarmingly high and rising. Primary causes are structural in nature and are routed in the change occurring in the structure of the economy. As the importance of agriculture goes down and industry and services sector shares are rising in the State Domestic Product (SDP) and the employment trends also follow suit. This change in opportunities creates a space for illegal migration when local employment opportunities either are not satisfying or scarcity of availability then youth take a plunge due to risk bearing capacity. However, this is supported by the demonstration factors and locally available supportive agencies that promote illegal migration.
How do you see donkey migration as a quintessential aspect of career-building for Haryana youth?
In my understanding, the donkey route of migration is quite dangerous and sometimes endangers the life of a migrant. This should not be an option. But there are rules in various western countries where any person enters through donkey route but approach through a lawyer the court that grants legal status to stay on in that country. This is well known that laws are laxed in the western countries that promote illegal migration. Both the host country and sending country have some agencies that are coordinating to make donkey route successful and in return they make profits out of that. Illegal often turns legal and therefore, there is a systematic informal institutional arrangement well known to governments of both the host and the sender countries. It has been thrived for over a long period and successful stories further allow potential migrants to take the risk.
Is this kind of illegal mass migration, historically unprecedented in Haryana? Or does it echo past mobility patterns in different forms?
The illegal migration from Haryana is not an entirely new trend but mass illegal migration is a recent one. It needs to be emphasized that development and migration are positively linked. As Haryana state has emerged as number one state in terms of per capita income among the Indian states, it has raised the expectations of the youth. When the expectations are not realized then the youth took such kinds of steps to move towards those places where they expect that their expectations will be realized. The concentration of income and wealth in few hands and deteriorating the working and living conditions of majority of the people compels the youth to search for alternatives.
According to you, how has the social fabric of Haryana, especially in rural areas, evolved over the past decade regarding youth aspirations and migration patterns?
As the information flows have tremendously increased in the past two decades, this has raised not only their aspirations but also connectivity across the globe. During this process, the agents on both sides (host and sender) have emerged and they demonstrate cases of success through the donkey route and allure the youth to take risks. Higher the risk, the higher the possibility of success. The growing distress in the countryside without any resolution due to adverse terms of trade between agriculture and industry, the youth is attempting to escape impoverishment.
With a literacy rate of approximately 75.55% as per the latest available data, which is slightly above the national average of 74.04%, why are Haryanvi youths choosing the donkey route, leaving behind the route of legal migration?
The literacy rates no doubt rising but the level of proficiency in English language is very low. Mostly the donkey route chosen by the aspirant migrants fails in the ILETS/Tofel. Moreover, legal migration happens in the skill set shortage migrant receiving countries and those who are willing to study in the foreign colleges/universities. That is a difficult and costly route for those who have already shown less interest in higher education due to low quality education in formative days.
Is social media responsible as well for popularizing the donkey route by portraying it as a glamorous and quick way to achieve a lavish life?
Social media is currently accessible to the youth and influences their choices and preferences for job/occupations and has raised aspirations. Moreover, if one success story through donkey route is spread on social media, it has a demonstration effect and hence choice of donkey route. But the facilitating agencies for the donkey route are also very active in social media which is a potent tool for exploiting the aspirants.
How do migrants—and their families—perceive the risk associated with the “Dunki” (Donkey) route? Do you feel there is a normalization of this risk?
In earlier times, the parents of potential migrants were not in favor of their wards going abroad. Migration was an individual decision and youth were facing a lot of opposition from the parents. But the current situation is dramatically opposite. Parents now-a-days are fully supporting rather than encouraging their wards to migrate in the greener pastures precisely because of the high degree of unemployment and low quality of available jobs. There is a convergence of aspirations of the parents and potential migrants and if legal route is not feasible then they resort to donkey route.
Why do you think, despite increasing deaths and detentions, illegal migration continues to grow? In villages where people celebrate those who successfully migrate, how strong is the pressure on others to follow, regardless of the risks?
Migration is based on expected lifetime income earning possibilities. Even in the intermigration, there are accidents and death rates are also high. So the migrant know the risks but their expectation to succeed outweighs their failures. Sometimes, the local living and working conditions are not good so it is worth taking the risk.
In what manner has emigration impacted (both positively and negatively) the families back home in terms of social mobility, economy and overall well-being?
India received annually more than US $ 130 billion remittances and are growing at the rate of 4 per cent. This helps Indian economy to earn foreign currency to use it to meet the chronic imbalances in the balance of trade. The families that receive remittances use it for both investment and building capital assets. This also empowers females to take decisions in the absence of the male family members. Both the country, region/state and left behind family members’ benefit.
Does this trend contribute to any noticeable changes in family dynamics or gender roles in rural Haryana? Do you see any evidence of gendered impacts—i.e., how does the outmigration of primarily young men affect women and older generations left behind?
The household level studies while comparing migrant and non-migrant, it is observed that females of the migrant families are empowered to use remittances and take decisions that reduces discrimination between male and female members of the household. The expenditure incurred on the schooling of both male and female is less discriminatory compared with the non-migrant households. The successful migrant and left behind members those who are receiving remittances are better off and those who are not receiving are indebted ones.
How do you see the future of illegal emigration from Haryana (decline or increase) and the larger impact on the social fabric (loss of youth, signs of ghost villages)?
Illegal emigration depends upon both facilitators at home and abroad. If the facilitators (who are well connected in political circles) are allowed by both the countries to surpass the laws of land, the illegal emigration route will continue. As we have been noticing that the major western countries have symbolically started curbing illegal emigrants and even turning hostile to the legal emigrants. If this trend continued, then there are chances that the donkey route as well as the legal route will discourage the emigration trends.
What steps can the state or local bodies take to restore confidence and provide meaningful alternatives to migration? How do you assess the role of the state government and local bodies in either enabling, ignoring, or combating this migration pattern?
Most important is that migration is a structural issue and the state should recognize it. There is a responsibility of the state to improve general conditions of employment. Regulation of the private sector and improving security of jobs with possibilities of upward mobility are basic and immediate policy steps may be taken by the government. Public jobs are a benchmark, and it should be compulsory for the private sector to follow. A substantial institutional change such as improving education and health facilities can be step in the right direction. Reversing adverse terms of trade between agriculture and industry and linking agriculture with agro-processing not through the corporates but through the cooperative sector may help to retain youth with remunerative options.
How do you understand this wave of migration in the context of global neoliberalism and the commodification of mobility?
Migration is an essential part of the modern development process. However, various countries are facing skill shortages and therefore are making emigration laws to selectively allow emigration in skill shortage areas. In general, human capital in the aging countries is short in supply so migration is the only source to fill the gaps. Therefore, migration is expected to continue but in the desired directions.
