Milpitas(California)Chandigarh/Jalandhar-North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) Executive Director Satnam Singh Chahal has once again urged young people in Punjab and their families to exercise extreme caution before deciding to travel abroad, particularly through illegal or unverified migration channels.
Chahal said NAPA has repeatedly warned the public about the dangers of human trafficking, fraudulent immigration agents, illegal migration routes and unrealistic promises of foreign jobs and permanent settlement. Despite these warnings, many young people continue to risk their lives and their families’ life savings in the hope of reaching the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia or other Western countries.
“We warned several times, but unfortunately many people did not take these warnings seriously. Today, we are seeing the painful results. Young boys are suffering on dangerous routes, getting stranded in transit countries, facing detention and deportation, and in some cases even disappearing during the journey,” Chahal said.
He pointed out that NAPA has been raising this issue for years. In 2022, Chahal had called for strict scrutiny of advertisements offering overseas employment and warned that young Punjabis were being trapped by agents charging families enormous amounts of money. More recently, NAPA again warned in 2025 that unregulated agents were exploiting young Punjabis through deceptive migration schemes and flashy advertisements promising high-paying jobs abroad.
Chahal stressed that NAPA is not against people going abroad. There are genuine opportunities through education, employment and other lawful immigration programmes. However, young people must understand the difference between legal migration and irregular migration. A legal visa does not mean that every promise made by an agent is genuine, while an illegal route can expose a person to trafficking, exploitation, detention, violence and deportation.
“The foreign dream is not wrong, but risking your life for that dream is wrong. No job, visa or promise of permanent settlement is worth putting your life in the hands of smugglers and traffickers,” Chahal said.
He appealed to parents to stop making decisions solely on the basis of what an agent tells them. Families should independently verify the credentials of agents, employment offers, educational institutions, visa conditions, fees and immigration requirements before paying large sums of money.
Chahal also urged the Punjab and Indian governments to strengthen monitoring of immigration and overseas employment agents. NAPA has previously called for scrutiny of foreign-job advertisements by the appropriate authorities, including the Protector of Emigrants and police, as well as stronger digital mechanisms to track suspicious migration networks.
He said the human cost of irregular migration is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Young people can spend months travelling through dangerous transit countries, only to be detained, deported or left stranded. Families who have borrowed heavily or sold property to finance the journey can be left facing huge debts when the promised foreign future collapses.
“We should not wait for another tragedy before taking action. Every missing youth, every deported boy and every family pushed into debt should be a warning to society. We need awareness at the village level, stronger action against fraudulent agents and, above all, responsible decision-making by our youth and their families,” Chahal said.
NAPA also appealed to young people already planning to travel abroad to choose only verified and lawful routes and to seek independent advice before handing over money or documents to any agent.
“Go abroad if you have a genuine opportunity, but go legally, safely and with complete information. Do not allow anyone to sell you a dream that can become a nightmare. Your life is more valuable than any foreign passport or overseas job,” Chahal said.
NAPA reiterated its commitment to continuing awareness campaigns among Punjabi youth and families and to raising the issue of human trafficking and unsafe migration with governments and international authorities. Chahal said the objective is simple: Punjab’s youth should travel abroad as students, professionals and workers—not as victims of trafficking networks.