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(CNN) – Sureshbabu Muthupandi, a green card holder who has lived in the United States for over 24 years, refuses to let his family in South India perform his mother’s final rites without him.
His body has been embalmed for 30 days. But Muthupandi is trapped in the United States, unable to fly home.
As the coronavirus pandemic reverberated around the world, the Indian government suspended all incoming international passenger flights after March 22. Three days later, the national carriers were grounded. The country remains closed until May 3.
That has left hundreds of Indians stranded in the United States.
On April 7, 600 Indians formed a Facebook group called “EVACUATION FLIGHTS FROM THE UNITED STATES TO INDIA.”
On April 15, the group delivered a request to the Indian embassy in the United States, asking it to evacuate them to India.
The group now has more than 2,100 members. It consists of seniors, pregnant women, travelers who have exceeded their tourist visas, students and workers who have been suspended and unemployed, including Indians who have lost their H1B work visas, for workers in special occupations.
But the Indian High Commission to the United States told the group that there will be no flights available until the closure of India is lifted.
“If this is not an emergency, what is it? I cannot allow it to be cremated without seeing it for the last time,” says Muthupandi, who was told by the Indian Consul General in New York by email that he will probably have to. . wait until commercial flights resume to return home.
“I am ready to charter a private jet. I beg the authorities, have someone take pity on me, please let me see my mother one last time.”
Waiting to be evacuated
There are an estimated 4 million American citizens born in India, as well as a million Indians working with visas in the United States and 200,000 Indians studying there.
As of April 27, at least 2,468 Indian citizens had been evacuated by the Indian government from countries badly affected by the virus, such as China, Iran, Italy and Japan, but most of those evacuations occurred before the shutdown. The Indian government has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 58,000 foreign citizens from its territory to 72 countries, according to sources with the Indian Foreign Ministry.
Since closing, bringing Indians home has become impossible. However, for some, evacuation could be a matter of life and death.
Bindu Manjunath, who lives in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state in southern India, was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer more than two years ago. “I have had two major surgeries and several treatments,” she says.
After her doctor’s approval earlier this year, the 51-year-old woman decided to visit her daughter and grandson in Union City, California, before the next round of treatment. Upon his return to India, he needs to receive six chemotherapy sessions and possibly a third surgery.
“I had finished all my tests before leaving for the US (And) there is still a small tumor inside (me),” says Manjunath.
“I really have to go back to continue my treatment; any treatment here would be a burden on my family,” he adds, referring to the costs of the US health system. USA
At this time, Manjunath does not know when he will be able to return.
Stranded in the United States
Bhargavi Panchangam’s mother Jayalaxmi left India for San Francisco in January to help care for her four-month-old granddaughter.
Jayalaxmi was scheduled to return to India in late March. “The Covid-19 situation worried us, so we extended my mother’s stay,” says her daughter.
Jayalaxmi stayed with the family in San Francisco, but on April 16 she learned that her husband had suffered a stroke in India. Six days later, he died of brain hemorrhage in Hyderabad.
The family contacted state and government representatives in India to ask for help to return to their funeral.
“Since my younger brother, a blood relative, was already in Hyderabad, our case was not considered critical,” says Panchangam. “They asked me to explore the option of hiring a private jet. The cost would be $ 70,000 per person. I stopped searching for the idea.”
They even called India’s national airline, Air India, to ask about the return flight in a cargo plane, but were told it was not possible.
“I started to accept the situation, I am trying to be strong. My mother’s condition, however, is terrible,” says bioinformatics professional Panchangam, 31, a green card holder.
Visa problems
For others, staying in the US USA Due to the blockage it could result in violating the law.
Divya, who did not want to use her real name since she is now illegally in the United States, studied at Texas A&M University in 2016. Later, she moved to Atlanta to work as a big data developer on an H1B visa.
On March 23, he received an email from the company’s human resources department. He said the company’s H1B visa extension had been rejected. He was advised to make arrangements to leave the country. But with India closing until May 3, Divya is stranded in the United States.
Your excessive stay makes your status illegal. Recently unemployed, she can barely support herself, but she is not allowed to work. “I don’t have a job or health insurance. I live with friends. A part of my student loan is still unpaid,” he says.
A spokesman for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services said people in Divya’s situation could extend their visas, depending on the circumstances.
“We can also provide special consideration or expedited processing for those who need it on a case-by-case basis,” the spokesperson said.
All hopes placed on May 3
The second phase of India’s closure ends on May 3, although it is unclear whether the government will resume international passenger flights on that date.
According to government sources, the Foreign Ministry is in consultation with Indian states about bringing citizens home once the restrictions are lifted.
The founder of the Facebook group, Michael Khanna, is optimistic. “We hope, at a minimum, that critical cases will be evacuated first. Authorities are listening … all we need is a small window to travel back,” he said.
For many, having the emotional support of the Facebook group in recent weeks has been a lifesaver.
“I think this group has helped its members significantly, emotionally,” says Khanna. “They were alone and scared … They have been able to find comfort … someone out there is in a similar situation to theirs … they need to be part of a larger effort instead of handling it individually.
This story was first published on CNN.com. “More than 2,100 Indians want to be evacuated from the United States. But until India’s closure is lifted, they are stranded.”
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