Deadly American dreams: 233% rise in kids left at US borders in 4 years
AHMEDABAD: The desire to settle in the US and get green cards is leading Indians to leave their children at American land borders with Mexico and Canada. In the American financial year 2023 (Oct 1, 2022, to Sept 30, 2023), 730 unaccompanied Indian children were found on these borders by US agencies, the highest number since the 2020 financial year.
Data from the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) shows a record increase of 233% between 2020 and 2023.
In October itself, 78 children were found at the borders — 73 on the Mexico border, colloquially known as the Donkey route, and five on the Canada border.
A source privy to developments said most of these children are between 10 to 14 and there have been instances of children as young as four also being found abandoned.
“Sometimes, parents get to the US illegally and then arrange to get their children. For this, they coordinate with other illegal immigrants who bring the children till the US border. These illegal immigrants know that if children are left at the border, American agencies will take custody of them and keep them safe,” a source said.
Once these children are taken into their custody by a US agency, their parents or relatives in America get an attorney and ultimately secure custody of their children as guardians.
A Gujarat police officer confirmed this trend in human smuggling and said it is considered a win-win situation for parents and human smugglers.
“Children get green cards in the US more easily and in some cases, children are sent to the US first and their parents then go and seek asylum,” the police officer said.
A source said most human smugglers from North Gujarat — Mehsana and Gandhinagar districts — send children to America in this manner, which also helps their parents settle in the US.
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