As the 2024 presidential election draws near, illegal immigrants, particularly from India, are increasingly using the U.S.-Canada border to enter the United States, marking a significant uptick in crossings.
Byline: By yourNEWS Media Staff
The U.S.-Canada border is witnessing a significant rise in illegal migrant crossings, with individuals from India leading this surge as the 2024 presidential election looms. The lack of physical barriers at the northern border, compared to the more fortified southern border, has made it a more accessible entry point. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data reveal a dramatic increase in the apprehension of Indian migrants at the northern border, with figures rising from 42 in fiscal year 2021 to 1,872 in fiscal year 2023, a 4357% increase, according to CBP.
The issue of illegal immigration remains a contentious topic among U.S. voters, particularly as border encounters have escalated during the Biden administration. Former President Donald Trump has promised stringent measures against illegal immigration if he returns to office. “People are trying to get a lot of things in before November, but also obviously before January, if November ends up being in favor of Trump,” stated Chirag Patel, a Maryland-based immigration lawyer, to Voice of America.
Indian migrants, often hailing from affluent regions such as Gujarat and Punjab, are drawn to the U.S. for various reasons, including economic opportunities and fears of prosecution in their home country. These migrants, who are typically wealthier than the average Indian citizen and can afford the costly migration route exceeding $50,000, find the northern route to be faster and safer. This route’s appeal is partly due to the expansive nature of the U.S.-Canada border, which lacks the physical walls and fences found at the southern border.
Additionally, migrants have the option to enter Canada without a visa and then move southward to the U.S., often choosing to fly into Canada from Mexico before crossing into the United States. “Now more and more people are just entering Canada, so they can just go straight to the U.S. because the economy is better, job prospects are better there,” explained Shinder Purewal, a political scientist and professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, to VOA.
The rise in illegal immigration is not limited to the northern border; it’s a trend observed across both the northern and southern borders of the U.S. during the Biden administration. CBP data indicate that there were approximately 1.6 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2021, with numbers climbing to over 2 million in fiscal year 2023 and nearing a million in just the first five months of 2024, highlighting a continued increase in illegal border crossings.