Around 97,000 Indians arrested while illegally entering US: Report
The number of Indians caught while unlawfully crossing the United States (US) border has reportedly seen a record increase in the past year. A total of 96,917 Indians were apprehended between October 2022 and September 2023 while illegally crossing into the US, the Times of India reported, citing data from US Customs and Border Protection (UCBP). In comparison, around 19,883 Indians were apprehended during 2019-20.
Breakdown of illegal entries into US
Out of the 96,917 Indians arrested, 41,770 were caught attempting to enter America illegally through the Mexican border. Meanwhile, another 30,010 were caught entering the country illegally via the Canadian border. The UCBP data also revealed that the rest of the people were caught after they had entered the US mainland.
730 unaccompanied children detained
Single adults made up the majority of those arrested for unlawfully entering America. While 84,000 single adults were apprehended this time at the US border, 730 unaccompanied children were also detained. Furthermore, it is also learned that most Indian migrants turn themselves to the Border Patrol seeking asylum after unlawfully crossing into the US.
Unlawful crossings along US-Mexico border reached yearly high in September
Last month, CBS News reported that US Border Patrol agents recorded approximately 210,000 arrests of migrants in September who entered the country without authorization along the Mexican border. September's arrest tally was the highest since December 2022, when Border Patrol caught 222,000 migrants. As per the statistics provided by the Department of Homeland Security, this was a substantial increase from August's total of 181,000.
Reson behind recent influx in unlawful entries into America
The influx of illegal immigrants into America may have increased after the end of pandemic-era border policy Title 42 in May, which allowed the US to quickly deport illegal immigrants. Speaking to Hindustan Times last month, Migration Policy Institute analyst Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh flagged, "It really is pointing to this huge trend of mass migration worldwide." "We're seeing that people from other countries are making their way to the US border when traditionally they haven't," the Washington-based think tank's analyst added.
