From Gujarat to America: Perils of illegal migration under Trump’s crackdown
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Ahmedabad: US President-elect Donald Trump has reignited the national debate on illegal immigration, pledging that, on his first day in office, he will oversee the largest deportation operation in American history. This announcement follows criticism of the Biden-Harris administration's handling of immigration policies, with over 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the US, 80 percent of whom have lived in the country for over a decade.
While the focus often centres on migrants from Latin America, a rising number of illegal immigrants are arriving from India, particularly from Gujarat. Despite increased border security, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 90,415 Indian nationals attempting to enter the country illegally during FY 2024, nearly half of them Gujaratis.
Between October 2023 and September 2024, US border officials apprehended a record 29 lakh illegal immigrants, including 43,764 Indians at the Canadian border. Since October 2020, nearly 1,70,000 Indian migrants have been detained at US land borders, marking them as the largest group from outside the Western Hemisphere.
One of the most tragic episodes tied to Gujarat’s illegal migration network is the Dingucha case, which underscores the perils of such journeys.
On January 19, 2022, the Patel family from Dingucha, a village in Gujarat, froze to death during a blizzard while attempting to cross the US-Canada border into Minnesota. Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their children Vihangi and Dharmik had travelled to Toronto, Canada, on visitor visas before embarking on their fatal trek.
The smuggling operation behind this tragedy involved two accused: Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, the alleged mastermind, and Steve Anthony Shand, who was hired to transport migrants across the border. Both face charges of human trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and culpable homicide in Minnesota.
In January 2024, Gujarat Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against 14 immigration agents accused of orchestrating fraudulent schemes to help individuals illegally migrate to the US with promises of jobs. The investigation, spearheaded by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Gandhinagar, followed the detention of 66 passengers aboard a Dubai-Nicaragua flight grounded in France.
The Airbus A340, carrying 303 Indians, was stopped on December 21, 2023, under suspicion of human trafficking. The incident exposed a vast immigration racket involving private companies and agents who facilitated illegal journeys to the US and Canada via a multi-stop route, dubbed the "donkey route." This method involved forging documents and creating misleading paper trails to evade immigration checks.
The lure of the US for Gujaratis is deeply rooted. Gujaratis comprise about 20 percent of the Indian diaspora in America, with significant communities in cities like Jersey City, New Jersey, and Edison, New York. These hubs, often called "Little Gujarat," serve as cultural and economic centres. Gujaratis also dominate the US hospitality industry, owning 22,000 of the 53,000 hotels nationwide.
Economic disparities and limited job opportunities in Gujarat push many to seek better prospects abroad. A well-established Gujarati community in the US provides a robust support system, making the American Dream seem within reach.
However, many migrants rely on illegal channels, paying exorbitant fees to traffickers or "agents" who promise safe passage via dangerous routes, often through Mexico or Canada. Tragically, some never survive the journey, as seen in recent deaths at the US-Mexico border.
While Gujaratis in the US are known for their entrepreneurial spirit and hard work, illegal migration tarnishes the broader diaspora’s image and fuels political debates. Trump’s proposed mass deportations could have severe implications for undocumented Gujaratis, many of whom have lived in the shadows for years.
With IANS inputs