42000 Indians have entered US illegally through southern border in last one year

Many of the illegal migrants are influenced by some fellow Indians who had entered the US in similar fashion and got jobs there.

Illegal migration by Indians into the United States, has been on the rise, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. Citing data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the report says that nearly 42000 migrants from India have entered the US thought its southern border illegally, during the fiscal year starting last October through September.

US-Mexico border ((AP))

The report highlights that the numbers are almost double to that from the same period in previous fiscal year. Most of the Indian migrants turn themselves in to Border Patrol after crossing into the US and seek asylum. Many of the migrants are influenced by some fellow Indians who had entered the US in similar fashion and got jobs there.

Travel agents and smugglers are making the most of this situation as they charge the illegal migrants hefty amounts to facilitate their border crossing.

Overall, US is seeing illegal migration from worldwide. As per the report, two million people from around the world, were arrested for illegal border crossing at the end of the 2023 fiscal year.

“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 U.S. border, when traditionally they haven’t,” said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington think tank.

People from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador have been known to seek asylum in the US but there has been a big rise in migrants from other countries like India.

Impact on legal visa applicants

This rise in illegal migration is causing problems to visa applicants and green card applicants from India. Due to increased scrutiny, the wait time for visas and green card, has increased.