'Jattan To Tang Aya Trump': How Punjabi Music Glorifies 'Dunki' Routes to the US
Popular Punjabi artistes, through their songs, seem to sell the 'American Dream' better than Americans ever have.
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"Jattan de puttan nu rok sake na Trump, Billo; dukki tikki di ta gal shadde... [Even (US President Donald) Trump cannot stop sons of Jatts (from illegally entering the US), leave alone a commoner]."
Six months before the United States started sending deportees back to India, Punjabi Singer Cheema Y released a song called 'Trump' which, in essence, underlined that no one can stop Punjabis from entering the US. The song has more than 55 million views.
Punjab's vibrant popular culture has been laced with the themes of emigration and a general fascination of the West — be it films, fashion or music.
There was a time when Punjabis used to migrate to Myanmar (then Burma) and Chandi Ram had sung a song in which a young woman was seen pleading her husband not to leave Punjab for Burma. Back then, the woman's appeal to her husband was to not leave her alone; but in contemporary times, emigration is celebrated.
Popular Punjabi artistes, through their music videos, seem to sell the idea of the 'American Dream' better than Americans ever have.
This is not to say that they don't mention taking dangerous journeys through jungles and scaling mountain peaks to illegally cross the Mexico-US border — commonly described as 'dunki' among Punjab and Haryana immigrants — they often do.
But it is romanticised as a means to an end, where the end will not only solve all their money and job-related problems but also earn them the respect of their parents, friends and family back in Punjab.
Cut to February 2025, when the US sent three military aircraft carrying over 300 Indian deportees — at least one-third belonging to Punjab — to the Amritsar airport.
US Air Force aircraft, carrying Indian deportees, lands at Amritsar Airport on 5 February.
US Air Force aircraft, carrying Indian deportees, lands at Amritsar Airport on 5 February.
Immigrants deported from the United States being escorted by the police as they leave the airport.
At the time of the song's release, Cheema must not have thought that Donald Trump will win the US Presidential Election on 5-6 November and will enforce a sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
On 6 February, when the first US military C-17 aircraft carrying 104 Indian deportees landed at Amritsar airport, a video of the plane with the deportees with Cheema’s song playing in background went viral on social media. And thus opened a barrage of memes and online trolling.
While many mocked Cheema at the turn of events, some others blamed him for the deportation of Punjabis from the US. A few even put Artificial Intelligence (AI) to use — creating a video where President Trump can be seen sitting in a car and listening to Cheema’s song. The US President then delivers a speech on how he loves this Punjabi song but he is ready to take strict action (against illegal immigrants). This video too went viral.
Cheema’s song might sound arrogant but he is one of the many Punjabi singers who have used their music to depict Punjabis' fixation with America. Here are some viral Punjabi songs, which usually glorify migration to the US but rarely explain the perils of taking illegal 'dunki' routes:
'Jattan De Puttan Nu Rok Sake Na Trump' by Cheema Y
In his song, Cheema says that he was once asked about how he reached the US without securing a Band 7 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), an English language proficiency test conducted by the British Council and IDP which serves as a pre-requisite to emigrate to English-speaking nations.
Cheema responds by singing he did not go to the embassy asking for a visa. He then refers to passing through a Mexican jungle, asserting that he came to the US from a not-so-easy path. “I did not come with new clothes in bags. Lions come flying, by climbing 35-feet walls. When Trump can’t stop sons of Jatts, how can an ordinary man stop them,” Cheema says in his song.
In his new song 'Young GOAT', Cheema says (0:58s-1:04s), "They all kept earning praise from school teachers. Here we all are sitting in the US." By "we" he means undocumented immigrants.
In his 'Life for Hip Hop' song, he sings (1:00s to 1:06s), "Many are saying that I will be forced out of America. Only my dead body will leave America.”
'America Wala' by Ravraaz
"Hass ke naah kehdi 2 numberi, munda pind vich baje America wala nahi (Do not call me illegal; people back in village call me an American)."
Singer Ravraaz released the song 'America Wala' on 13 November 2019, which has got over 3.6 million views on YouTube. In the song, a young Punjabi man upon reaching the US calls a young woman — an Indian immigrant living in the US — and tells her that he is Ravraaz from her village back in Punjab.
The girl however, mocks him, saying that he may have reached the US but he is still a "2 numberi (illegal immigrant)."
In response to the young woman calling him "illegal" and "a refugee", Ravraaz sings, "Do not taunt me by calling me a refugee here; back in my village people call me an American. I spent a month on my way to America and then spent 2 months in the detention centre.”
He goes on to convince her that he found work and started making big money.
"I cleared a debt of Rs 18 lakh in one go. After coming out of detention centre, I got work...I will now drive two trucks from L.A. to Canada and fill my coffers with US Dollars," Ravraaz sings in this song.
'America' by Deep Sidhu
"Saada suda kol nhio chaunki laa k gya; Jatt tera jatt tera dunki laa k gya (Jatt went to the US through the 'dunki' method)
Another young Punjabi singer Deep Sidhu released a song 'America' in March 2023. In his song, which has gained 6.2 million views, Sidhu lauds the fact that he went to America by taking the 'dunki' route. In his song, Sidhu says that he didn't go to the US by praying at religious places or to sadhus (priests); a Jatt by caste, he went to the US via 'dunki'.
Even as many migrants and deportees have described the 'dunki' route through Mexico as being treacherous, Sidhu in his song says it helped him. He sings, " The Mexican route benefited me despite being dangerous. Thanks to God, who helped me reach the US.”
In the middle of the song, an announcer is heard saying, "America is the world’s sarpanch (head of the village). After God, if there is anyone who can force his will upon anyone, it is the US.”
Later Sidhu talks about he transformed his family's life back in Punjab using the money he earned in America. He sings, "I paid off a debt of Rs 40 lakh within a year-and-a-half. I built a huge house in our village just like Burj Khalifa."
He adds that all his dreams have been fulfilled and now his family proudly tells others that he lives in the US.
'America' by Sukh Bhullar
"Pindan de Jattan to tang aya Trump ni (Trump is fed up with the Jatts)"
On 30 October 2024, Punjabi singer Sukh Bhullar had released a rap song 'America' glorifying the 'dunki' method of going to US. The song garnered 1.1 lakh views.
In the song, Sukh talks about him being a bad student, who was unable to find a job. And so, people in his village asked him to leave India; which forced him to take the 'dunki' route to migrate to the US.
He sings:
Sukh then asserts that after he entered the US, back in his village people started respecting his family. He sings, "Since I started earning money, relatives have started talking about us."
In the song, Sukh says that he spent Rs 40 lakh to take the 'dunki' route to enter the US, a claim which has been corroborated by many deportees from Punjab.
But the exaggeration that this amount can easily be earned and paid back in a short period of time again finds mention in the song. In fact, Sukh plays it up, singing, " I buy everything using cash. I will make so much money that I will run out of spit to count dollar bills.".
Indian immigrants living on asylum in the US often claim that they can’t fly back to India. But Sukh seems to have a solution to this problem too.
In his song, he says the he will come to Punjab via Nepal. Mostly Punjabis, who are living in the US on asylum or refugee status can’t come to India directly. So they resort to taking the Nepal route to return to Punjab.
'America 2' by Deep Sidhu
"Jatt fire America jhoomda; pind hundiyan ne gallan goriye (Jatt is having fun in the US; in my village people talk about me)."
This is another song by singer Deep Sidhu about emigrating to the US via 'dunki' routes. It was released in October 2023 and has garnered a million views since then.
In this song’s opening line, Sidhu speaks of spending Rs 40 lakh on a 'dunki' route to America and how it wasn't easy to climb the Mexican wall to enter the US. Yet again, the end seems to nullify the struggles faced during the means to get there.
In this song too, Sidhu says that he has made so much money that his family is leading a comfortable life in the village and that his relatives envy him. "I came to the US illegally; whose visa is not easy to get," he adds.
He goes on to elaborate about his aspirations — of buying a mansion with his surname on the name plate and a shed for a big SUV car — as though they will magically get fulfilled.
'Tension' by Nijjar feat Karan Aujla
"Jatt huni ohi jo bordran to gaye aa; puchda Trump eh Jatt kaum kon aa (Jatts are those who took the border route. (Donald) Trump is asking who is this Jatt community)."
The song by Punjabi singer Nijjar was released in December 2018 and has garnered over 35.7 million views since then.
It's opening line goes, "Eis country vich nahi jatt pakka, fer bhi dekh judya aunda jakkan (Jatt is not a permanent resident in this country, yet he is working fine)."
Nijjar talks about the risks he took to enter the US by choosing the 'dunki' route to cross the border. He retorts, "And Trump asks who are these Jatts?"
'Ik Suneha' by Happy Raikoti: An Outlier
"Badi aukhi Mexico wali kandh tapni; Jatta dubdi jaan bacha laa (It is extremely difficult to climb the Mexican wall; Oh Jatta save your drowning life)."
Released in July 2016, singer Happy Raikoit’s song is an outlier. It does not celebrate the 'dunki' route to enter America. Instead, it warns Jatts not to opt for crossing borders illegally as it not only involves a perilous journey but it can also lead to loss of life.
The singer opens his song encouraging Punjabi youth from agriculture background to persevere in farming. He even warns them that no one will take care of his parents after he left.
To discourage the young from taking 'dunki' routes to enter the US, Happy sings, "If the Mexican mafia strangled him during the 'dunki' journey and if he died, then he won't even get a proper funeral at his native village."
Happy even alerts young aspirants about the perils of climbing the Mexican wall.
"The journey to Mexico involves taking a boat with the capacity to carry no more than ten people but human traffickers force 40 people to sit in it. If someone falls out of the boat, their cries are not even audible, they can't be rescued."
At the end of the song, though, Happy clarifies that he does not blame those who migrate but wants to emphasize that earning more money is not worth putting one's life in danger.
'Aaja Mexico Challiye' - A Film Starring Ammy Virk
Released in February 2022, Ammy Virk’s film Aaja Mexico Challiye (Come, Let's Go to Mexico) is a story of a hopeless young man promising his father that he will make it big once he reaches the US.
The film shows how Punjabis, lured by the American Dream, are eager on taking perilous 'dunki' routes through Ecuador, Panama and other South American countries to illegally enter the US. While the film is part comedy, it has a powerful story to tell.
The film also touches upon finer nuances of what goes on as young Punjabi youth set out to follow their American dream. For instance, how Punjabis borrow money from relatives and loan sharks and often wind up in debt traps. The film also goes on to show how a young man refuses to recognise one of his co-travellers from his own village as it could have put his US immigration into jeopardy.