Donkey Routes to US: Last year, 10 Indians tried to infiltrate into America every hour, this state has the highest number

New Delhi/Ahmedabad: The craze among Indians and especially Gujaratis to settle in America is still intact, even though the roads are dangerous and a large number of people have lost their lives. In the US fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024), 29 lakh people were caught trying to enter the US illegally. According to US Customs and Border Protection (US-CBP) data, 90,415 Indians were among those caught trying to enter the US illegally through Mexico and Canada.

Surprising figures of infiltration

Sources in Indian agencies monitoring illegal infiltration say that almost half of this number were Gujaratis. Sources also said that about 10 Indians were being captured every hour. 43,764 Indians were arrested from the Canadian border, the highest figure ever. This year the number of people caught via Mexico has decreased compared to last year. 96,917 Indians were caught in fiscal year 2023 while the number dropped to 25,616 in 2024.

Use of donkey route is decreasing

A source at the Immigration Network said, ‘People are using the ‘donkey route’ through Mexico less for two reasons. First, they are detained for some time in Dubai and Türkiye. Second, American agencies have been keeping a close watch on illegal immigrants living in these countries for the last few years and have broken the human trafficking network.

More infiltrators are taking the route to Canada than Mexico

Another source said, ‘Gujarati people are now choosing Canada instead of Mexico because they can easily enter America by taking a taxi from there. However, American officials have increased surveillance on this border also. Most people go to Canada with a visa, but even if caught, they try again after some time. Sources also say that more people succeed in entering America secretly than those caught at the border.

With inputs from TOI reporter Ashish Chauhan reports.