A desire for a better life abroad still remains strong among Indians. This year, it has led to a record number of people trying to get into the United States illegally.
New data from US Customs and Border Protection (US-CBP) revealed that between October 2023 and September 2024, 90,415 Indians were caught attempting to enter their country illegally. That’s about 10 per hour!
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While the total number of illegal immigrants has also skyrocketed to 29 lakh, Indians still make a significant portion of it. Among these Gujaratis comprised a major section with nearly half of the Indians hailing from the north-western state.
Another interesting factor is that more people have started taking the Canadian route instead of the Mexican one. This is due to the US authorities being more vigilant on the south of the border.
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It means the infamous “donkey route” has become an unpopular choice among immigrants. Rather than taking the unsafe option they would rather get a visitor visa and enter the US via a taxi from Canada.
Though these numbers are high, officials say they represent only a fraction of the total trying their luck. It is sad to see Indians risking their life just to get out of poverty and debt traps in India, in the hope that their life will be better in the States.
