The number of Indians going to America illegally increased, Trudeau’s country became the most preferred route, more than 42000 entered from Canada

Indians are risking everything for the ‘American Dream’ in large numbers. Recent data from the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) shows that there has been a huge increase in Indians entering the US illegally. This year alone, 22 per cent of those caught illegally entering the Canadian border were Indians. Let’s understand what is the reason behind such an increasing number of Indians?

The USCBP data runs from October to September for the fiscal year. Its data shows an increasing number of Indian Americans illegally entering the US through the Canadian border. In 2022, 109,535 people were caught trying to cross illegally. Indians accounted for 16 per cent of this. It increased in 2023 and out of 189,402 people, 30,010 Indians were caught. This year the figures have increased again. 42764 Indians were caught illegally entering the US from Canada.

Number of Indians increased

According to BBC report, immigration analysts Gil Guerra and Sneha Puri of Washington-based think tank Niskanen Center said that although these figures are less than those of Latin American and Caribbean immigrants, Indians have become the largest group of immigrants coming to the US border from outside the Western Hemisphere in the last four years. But the big question is that till now most people enter the US from the Mexican border, then why has Canada become the first choice?

Why Canada?

According to the Niskanen Center, the reason for the increase in illegal entries from Canada is Canada’s more accessible visa process. Canada is becoming a more accessible entry point for Indians. This is because it takes an average of 76 days to get a Canadian visa. Whereas it takes more than a year for an American visa. Apart from this, the US-Canada border is longer and less protected than the Mexico-US border. Strictness can also be seen on the US-Canada border during Trump’s upcoming tenure.