[Music]
why am i dancing to bollywood songs in a
semi in the middle of nowhere because
I'm on the road with the Punjabi trucker
who's living the American dream
even music videos from Punjab India hype
how cool it is to come to America and
become a trucker and the Indian
immigrants who get into trucking here
have a crazy backstory you've probably
never heard of hint it involves crossing
the us-mexico border
[Music]
today I'm riding along with Satnam Singh
he's been trucking for 25 years he just
got dispatched I'm going to pick up load
in Salinas California sout numbs one of
thousands of Sikh immigrants from the
Indian state of Punjab who've taken up
trucking here in America in California
in particular Punjabis are so much part
of the industry that they run trucking
schools own truck stops even publish a
bilingual trucking magazine it's also an
industry that stretches all the way back
to India where Punjabis run trucking
companies - so it's a natural fit for
new immigrants this is my bear right
here my luggage my clothes I do the same
thing here that's my stove hockey my
trophies in here in a Batman lets me see
right here
yummy when sudden immed uhz n't have his
wife's home-cooked food to bring on the
road he stops at one of the many punjabi
dhaba or truck stops that have popped up
along highways around the country set
them and lots of other drivers cover
their hair as part of the Sikh faith the
turban stands for compassion and service
it's like a daily reminder to be a good
neighbor but it's often misunderstood I
know again that's a truck stop in the
early morning
I went to the restroom
one white guy was there he I told him
good morning Julie truck driver they're
nice to each other just say hi so you
can look at me so you somehow a lovely
start cursing me out I said no I'm not
warden excuse me I'm not from India I'm
sick do you ever worry for your safety
are you ever scared yes I do they should
know I'm not dumb so I thought let them
know hey that's not right
attacks against Sikhs have been making
national news especially after 9/11 a
Jew carried out the deadly shooting
rampage inside a Sikh temple that left
six people dead and three others
critically wounded aggressively walked
over to my dad's car and started
punching my dad in the face outrage and
fear mounting in one manteca
neighborhood after an elderly Sikh man
is attacked in broad daylight mostly the
white people they then they don't like
it Punjabi trucker they think we taking
job like we don't you know we just work
hard but there have been moments of
solidarity - in 2017 Punjabi checkers
joined truckers across the nation to
protest regulation changes in the
industry right now there's actually a
shortage of truckers in the US because
the demand is high but the job is tough
truckers often spend days even weeks
away from their families living on the
road immigrants like suck them are
increasingly filling the need and in
California
nearly half of truck drivers are
immigrants many of them Sikhs from India
they're about half a million Sikhs in
the US the gathered events like this one
to cook and serve the community free
food for Lunger it's an example of the
sava or selfless service that's a
hallmark of the Sikh faith Sikhs also
believe in one God and show respect to
their holy book for many who left Punjab
for the u.s. the journey wasn't easy I
know a guy who crossed from Mexico
border he stayed in a they call it a
camp he stayed in a camp for a year and
a half and he had to pay a bail bond for
like 20 I think it was twenty thousand
dollars just to get out and he's still
on a case of asylum this story isn't
unique
for decades Indians have been making
long journeys to reach the us-mexico
border in some detention facilities as
many as 40% of the people being held are
from India grid' Juarez like this one
our race six come to pray but it's been
reported that six in detention have
faced a religious discrimination like
not having access to vegetarian meals
there have been a number of lawsuits
about it too and lately more and more
have been crossing that border claiming
their community is under attack from
India's government and that activists
have been arrested and even tortured
they won't save the generation
so this sold the land get the money pay
money to the different agent so send
their sons a daughter differently you
know Sikhs are a minority in India where
the majority of the population is Hindu
back in the 80s
armed Sikh groups fighting for
independence from India started carrying
out assassinations drawing the attention
of the Indian government in 1984 Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi sent troops to
clear the separatists from the Golden
Temple the holiest shrine in Sikhism
where they had been meeting and storing
guns hundreds by some estimates even
thousands of people died in the attack
including many civilians months later
the prime minister was assassinated by
her Sikh bodyguards which set off a wave
of violence against Sikh communities
across India homes and temples were
burned women were gang-raped and more
than 3,000 civilians were killed I was
eight years old and 11 1979
and how many countries did you travel
through before you came to America
six or seven countries
oh wait turkey Jordan Syria Egypt
Belgium Holland Mexico demkappert and I
said when supplement got to Mexico he
had to cross the Rio Grande to get to
the United States that night never
forgot
very tough night for us when we crossed
it it was a lot of rain a lot of water
in the river
some people they know how to swim three
of us they the Mexican guy did the
crossed and River so one guy behind me
he was holding me the Sasuke was crying
I got released from him and another
Spanish people they jumped in river they
the current I cannot describe you know
[Music]
after Satnam crossed he was pulled over
by immigration authorities and taken to
a detention facility where he was held
for a few months but something was one
of the lucky ones he was released from
detention got his green card and after a
few years got into trucking he's now a
US citizen with his own family and a
good life in Yuba City California which
by the way is known as little Punjab
Punjabis have been there for over a
century the first Punjabi immigrants
came as labourers back in the early
1900s
building railroads and working on farms
along the west coast many left families
behind in India and married Mexican
women who also worked the farms creating
a whole new generation of Punjabi
Mexican families even sudden them once
worked on a farm but found trucking to
be a much better fit you once good money
you can buy a good house for the family
you provide good food good clothes and
nice vacation so uncle how much money
can truckers earn and how much their
works I'll say if you just normally I
couldn't believe truckers could earn so
much sudden them does have to pay a lot
in expenses like fuel repairs and taxes
but still after more than 12 hours on
the road I was exhausted so sudden I'm
treated me to his usual pick-me-up try
he boils the water with jaggery or sugar
cane adds the tea and milk and gets the
temperature just right ready yay
being on the road all day reminded me
just how important immigrants are to
this country without truckers like
Sutton them we wouldn't have fresh
produce our online deliveries or stocked
shelves at stores around the country but
thanks in part to a small community of
Sikh Americans we do oh it's great
hey guys thanks for taking this trucking
journey with me show your love for
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