Indian migrants seek illegal US entry via Canada to evade heavily guarded south

The surge in such migrants comes amid reports of several Indians who died while embarking on the risky journey at the US-Canada border

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A border marker between the US and Canada, just outside Emerson, Manitoba. Photo: AP

Published: 8:00am, 18 Sep 2024Updated: 2:50pm, 18 Sep 2024

As more undocumented migrants from India attempt to enter the United States, many are turning to the lightly patrolled northern border to evade the heightened security along the US-Mexico border.

Analysts note that this northern route, lined with vast forests and unmarked paths, poses life-threatening risks, yet it hasn’t deterred those pursuing better opportunities in the US.

Data from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals a swift increase in encounters with Indian migrants along the US-Canada border.

In 2023, nearly 97,000 encounters were reported by the CBP, with those along the northern border skyrocketing from around 2,200 in 2021 to more than 30,000 last year.

The number of Indians crossing via the northern border has surpassed those entering from the south, with 22,399 encounters reported on the northern border in the first six months of 2023 compared to 11,053 on the southern border.

Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, attributed the increase in crossings at the Canadian border to new enforcement policies implemented by US President Joe Biden in December, which tightened security at the southern border and limited eligibility for asylum.