While tougher enforcement has deterred many, it hasn’t quelled the enduring desire among sections of India’s population for a better life in the United States—no matter the cost
The number of Indians caught illegally entering the United States has plunged by nearly 70% in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reflecting the impact of former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the renewed enforcement of his hardline immigration stance.
Data released by the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) reveals that only 10,382 Indians were apprehended between January and May this year, a steep fall from the 34,535 reported during the same period in 2024 under the Biden administration. Despite the decline, the figure underscores a persistent desperation among many Indians—particularly from Gujarat—to reach the US, often at great personal risk.
Among those detained were at least 30 unaccompanied minors, many of them from Gujarat, highlighting how entire families continue to gamble with dangerous journeys in pursuit of the American dream.
-
Officials note that Gujarat remains a major hub for such illicit migration networks.
-
“Over the last decade, smuggling syndicates have built elaborate overland routes through Central America, often exploiting families’ aspirations and desperation,” one official said
The crackdown by the Trump administration appears to have severely disrupted the smuggling networks that have long facilitated such perilous routes. According to a source linked to a Gujarat-based human smuggling network, many operators began scaling back operations in late 2024 when it became evident that Trump might return to power. “The moment it became clear Trump would likely win again, routes started drying up. People still want to go, but smugglers have either paused their activities or raised their fees significantly. The fear of deportation is real,” the source noted.
USCBP data shows daily encounters of Indians along the US-Mexico border have now dropped from an average of 230 to just 69. The broader picture reflects a similar trend: illegal immigrant apprehensions across all nationalities have fallen from 81,492 in January to around 29,000 per month through May 2025.
Despite the drop, the journey remains dangerous. On May 9, a boat carrying undocumented migrants capsized near Del Mar, California, killing 14-year-old Prince and his 10-year-old sister Mahi. Their parents, Brijesh and Sangita Patel, survived with serious injuries. This tragic incident is among several fatalities this year—at least nine people from Gujarat have lost their lives attempting to cross the US border since January.
Many unaccompanied minors are believed to have been separated from adults intentionally, either by smugglers or family members, in the hope that US authorities might treat children more leniently under existing immigration protocols.
