Why are so Many Illegal Indians Entering the US?

There are 7.25 lakh illegal Indians in the US as of 2022. The US has nabbed only 18,000 of them

The story so far: US President Donald Trump said he had a productive call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 27 January. The issue of illegal Indian immigrants in the US came up, Trump said that Modi said India will do what is right on taking back its illegal citizens. While the US has nabbed 18,000 illegal Indians, the actual number could be as high as 7.25 lakh people. You can read the whole post on Instagram here.

Part 1: Big Trouble at the Border

Lots of Indians are trying to sneak into the United States. It's been happening more and more lately. In fact, in the year ending in September 2024, over 1,000 Indians were sent back home from the US! These weren't just regular flights, some were special "removal flights" with over 100 people on board! These people were sent back because they didn't have the right papers to be in the US. This has been going on for a few years now, and it seems like more and more Indians are trying to cross the border. Since 2020, almost 170,000 Indians were caught trying to enter the US illegally.

A Financial Express article says, “In Trump’s first term, 1,616 Indians were deported, with the number rising to 2,312 in 2020, an increase of around 43%. Under the Biden administration, the number dropped to 292 in 2021 and 276 in 2022 and in 2023 increased to 370 in 2023.”

Canada: The New Back Door

One reason why more people are trying to enter the US illegally via Canada is that it's getting easier to get into Canada first. It takes much less time to get a Canadian visitor visa than a US one. Once in Canada, some people try to sneak across the border into the US. There's a part of the US-Canada border where lots of Indians are getting caught. It seems like this has become a popular route.

It's not necessarily safer, but there aren't as many bad guys trying to take advantage of people there. These journeys can be super dangerous. Sadly, a family from India froze to death trying to cross the border from Canada into the US.

Why are so many Indians trying to get in?

It's not just poor people trying to escape poverty. Many are people who can't get regular visas because maybe their English isn't great or they don't have enough education. So, they pay a lot of money, sometimes as much as $100,000, to agencies that help them sneak in. They often take long, dangerous routes to avoid getting caught. Many even sell their farms or take out big loans to pay for this. Most of these people are young men, between 18 and 34 years old.

Most of the people trying to enter the US illegally come from two places in India: Punjab and Gujarat. Punjab is having some tough times with unemployment and other problems. People there have a history of going abroad to find work. They want to make more money and have a better life, and they're proud when their family members "settle" in the US.

Something else that's changed is that more families are trying to cross the border together. Before, it was mostly single men, but now families are making the dangerous journey too.

The US needs workers for certain jobs that Americans don't always want to do, like working in restaurants, gas stations, and construction. There are also lots of new jobs opening up because cities are growing. These jobs often don't require a lot of skills or education. Many of these jobs don't pay very well. So, these immigrants fill a need in the US economy.

A majority of these undocumented immigrants live in Florida, Texas, California, New York, Georgia, Maryland and North Carolina working in gas stations, grocery stores, motels and restaurants, many of them owned by Indians.

Even though these jobs might not pay a lot by US standards, the money these immigrants send home to India can make a big difference for their families. It can help them pay off debts and have a better life. So, it's a complicated situation with people trying to find a better life, and the US needing workers to fill certain jobs.

The Financial Express article says, “Most of them live a “quasi-legal” existence while they wait for years for courts to decide on their asylum claims. For most of these unskilled migrants, the US represents an escape from poverty as they are able to send monthly remittances of around `2 lakh which help them clear debts and improve their families’ living standards back home.”

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So long!

Team Reading Room