Over 40,000 Indian migrants caught at US-Canada border: Why is there a rise in illegal border crossings?

Indians are risking it all to pursue the elusive American dream.

The recent data from the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) reveals a staggering rise in illegal immigration by Indian nationals into the United States. This year alone, Indians accounted for 22 per cent of all arrests for illegal entry at the Canadian border.

What is driving this rise? What are the factors behind it? Here’s a closer look.

Over 40,000 Indians caught at Canadian border

The USCBP’s fiscal year data, running from October to September, highlights a sharp increase in Indians attempting to cross into the United States through the Canadian border illegally.

In 2022, out of 1,09,535 individuals attempting illegal crossings, Indians made up nearly 16 per cent. The numbers surged in 2023, with 1,89,402 illegal crossings recorded, of which 30,010 were Indian nationals.

This year, the figures have risen again, with 43,764 Indians—about 22 per cent of the total 1,98,929 crossings—apprehended while trying to enter the US through its northern border.

Though these figures remain lower compared to migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean, Indians have become the largest group of migrants outside the Western Hemisphere encountered at the US border in the past four years, Gil Guerra and Sneha Puri, immigration analysts at the Niskanen Center, a Washington-based think tank, told the BBC.

The term “encounters” refers to instances where non-citizens are intercepted by US authorities while attempting to cross the country’s borders, whether with Mexico or Canada.

However, these statistics reflect only apprehensions, leaving the actual number of successful crossings unknown.

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But why the Canada border?

Immigration analysts point towards several factors that are responsible for the spike in Indians attempting illegal border crossings through the northern border.

Easy visa policy

The Niskanen Center, a Washington DC-based think tank, attributed the rise to Canada’s more accessible visa processes.

“Canada is increasingly a more accessible entry point for Indians.” That, it explained, was because the processing time for an average Canadian visitor visa was 76 days, while the wait time for an appointment for a similar US document is nearly a year.

Asha Kiran Sharma, Partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys, connected the issue to visa and green card delays. She told Business Standard, “Many Indian nationals face long delays and restrictions in securing US visas or green cards, prompting them to explore alternative routes. Canada’s relatively accessible immigration policies make it a convenient transit point."

Further, the US-Canada border, being longer and less guarded than the southern border, is also seen as a more manageable option.

“The US-Canada border is also longer and less guarded than the US-Mexico border. And while it is not necessarily safer, criminal groups do not have the same presence there as they do along the route from South and Central America,” Guerra and Puri told BBC.

However, unlike, Biden’s open border policy his successor President-elect Donald Trump has announced tougher border controls. He has even warned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of a 25 per cent tariff if he fails to resolve the issue.

Search for a better life

Many migrants seek a better quality of life in the US, driven by various personal circumstances.

Russell A Stamets, a Partner at Circle of Counsels, was quoted by Business Standard, stating, “Every immigrant will have their own reason to undertake the perilous and disorienting journey to begin life anew in an unfamiliar country."

He added, “Remember this: the lowest per capita income in the US is $48,110, in the state of Mississippi. The net national income for India is about 2.4 per cent of that (about $1,161) and Bihar has the lowest per capita income, about $708, or around 1.5 per cent of the poorest state in the US. There will always be people looking to better their life situation."

“While motivations vary, economic opportunity remains the primary driver, reinforced by social networks and a sense of pride in having family members ‘settled’ in the US,” Puri told BBC.

Punjab ranks on the top  

Much of the migration from India appears to originate from Punjab, as well as neighbouring Haryana, regions that have historically seen people migrate overseas. Gujarat is also another prominent source of migration.

Migration has been a longstanding trend among Punjabis, with rural youth eager to seek opportunities abroad, as the state battles high unemployment, farming distress, and a growing drug crisis.

However, securing a tourist or student visa to the US is out of reach for many, due to low education or limited English proficiency. As a result, they turn to agencies that charge as much as $100,000 (Rs 84 lakh) for alternative routes, sometimes involving long and perilous journeys designed to bypass border controls at the northern border, reports BBC.

To afford these hefty fees, many migrants sell their farms or take out loans.

In addition, tensions over the separatist Khalistan movement are a contributory factor.

Also read: Why the Khalistan issue, and Canada's role in it, bothers India so much

“Given that many recent irregular migrants from India are originating from Punjab, a predominantly Sikh state, and are increasingly crossing through Canada while being granted asylum at high rates in the US, this issue has the potential to become a point of trilateral contention in the future,” the report said.

However, it added that for now “there appears to be a tacit understanding among Indian policymakers that most of these migrants are driven by economic motives and are unlikely to become seriously involved in separatist politics once they settle in the US.”

Regardless of the reasons, the dreams of American life that drive thousands of Indians are unlikely to wane, even as the journey ahead becomes more dangerous.

With input from agencies