Law enforcement agencies point out that these figures represent only recorded cases, and the actual number is likely to be significantly higher.

Washington: A record 96,917 Indians were arrested while crossing illegally into the US between October 2022 and September 2023, according to the latest US Customs and Border Protection (UCBP) data. The numbers have witnessed a five-fold increase despite the tragic loss of lives in recent years during such intrusions, particularly through hazardous routes.

In 2019-20, 19,883 Indians were apprehended. In 2020-21, 30,662 Indians were arrested while in 2021-22 this number was 63,927, according to the data. Of the 96,917 Indians arrested between October 2022 and September this year, 30,010 were caught on the Canadian border and 41,770 at the frontier with Mexico.

Those arrested are classified under four categories Accompanied Minors (AM), Individuals in a Family Unit (FMUA), Single Adults, and Unaccompanied Children (UC). Single adults make up the largest category. In fiscal year 2023, 84,000 Indian adults crossed into the US illegally. 730 unaccompanied minors were among the arrested people.

Law enforcement agencies point out that these figures represent only recorded cases, and the actual number is likely to be significantly higher. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. For every person caught at the border, there may be at least 10 others who successfully infiltrated the US,” said a police officer in Gujarat, according to a TOI report.

The state accounts for many of those taking the perilous route. “These are mainly people from Gujarat and Punjab who have aspirations to settle in America,” said an officer of Gujarat police probing illegal immigration rackets.

One of the most egregious cases was of Brijkumar Yadav, a resident of Gandhinagar who attempted to cross into the US by scaling the Trump wall in December 2022. Tragically, he fell onto the Mexican side of Tijuana while holding his child and lost his life. His wife, Pooja, fell 30 feet onto the US side in San Diego. As a result, their three-year-old child was placed under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

How does the Indians get to the US border

According to Senator James Lankford, these people take about four flights including through countries like France to be able to get to Mexico, the closest airport, and then literally take a bus rented by the cartels up to the border to be dropped off for their last delivery. “So they can say, I have fear in my country,” Lankford said.

“So far this year we’ve had 45,000 people from India that have crossed our southern border, paid the cartels, crossed into our country, and said they have fear in their country from India,” Lankford said.

Lankford reiterated what he’s said many times, that the criminal cartels in Mexico are coaching migrants from all over the world on what to say and where to go in order to “game” the asylum process and get into the country while they await an asylum hearing.

Lankford said asylum is the same as refugee status. It’s the same in international law. A refugee flees to a spot who is afraid and gets to a refugee centre and says to the UN, I have dramatic fear of persecution in my country,’ and if they do, then they actually share them all over the world including here in the United States.

“We take refugees here from all over the world. Asylum seekers are on the same standard. They’re supposed to go to the next safe place, get there, and request asylum. That is the international standard, but we don’t do that here,” he said.