Illegal Immigrants From India Entering US Through Canada Border

Media reports claim that an increasing number of illegal immigrants from Asia are entering the US through the US-Canada border using Uber smuggling rings.

The scam was revealed late last month when California resident Rajinder Pal Singh was arrested for smuggling illegal immigrants from India across the northern border and into the Seattle area using Ubers, the Washington Times reported.

According to federal investigators, 90 Uber trips from a single account showed patterns of smuggling related to Singh. They also traced a total of 17 accounts to his organization, according to court documents cited by the newspaper.

It said Singh's arrest highlights the growing number of illegal immigrants coming from Asia, mainly from India with the hope the path less traveled will grant them a chance to get past the Border Patrol and gain a foothold in the United States.

In April, CBP (Customs and Border Protection) agents and officers nabbed 1,197 Indians at the northern border.

It’s not just Indians. Authorities say that people from Asia are testing the northern border in large numbers and are willing to pay dearly, according to the reputed news network.

Homeland Security Investigations agent David A. Spitzer, who filed an affidavit backing Singh's arrest, said migrants crossing the northern border pay anywhere from $30,000 to $75,000 that covers travel arrangements and often includes bogus documents to help them pass legal obstacles.

Singh who also went by the name Jaspal Gill, charged $11,500 for his part of the smuggling journey.

Spitzer said Singh had at least 17 accounts with the Uber company dating back to 2018. He would arrange for drivers to pick up migrants at the border. then a run them to the area near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, he said, where the migrants would switch to other Ubers.

Of the 17 accounts, 4 were still active when authorities moved in on Singh last month.

Spitzer said at least 90 rides billed to that account showed signs of smuggling as rides were booked to times and locations that corresponded with other rides coming from the border.

Spitzer described a complex web of smuggling organizations operating in the Seattle area. “Brokers” arrange the travel and connect the migrants with smugglers.

The smugglers charge $2,000 to $5,000 to get from British Columbia across the border into the America. That covered expenses such as airplane tickets, rental cars to help the migrants disperse from Seattle to their final destinations throughout the US.

Singh’s smuggling escapades dipped in the early part of the COVID-19. Canada imposed restrictions on inbound flights, preventing would-be migrants from using the Canada as a jumping-off point to reach the US.

When agents moved in on Singh, they searched his California home and found counterfeit identity documents and $30,000 in cash.

Over 40% of illegal immigrants from Indian caught by CBP this fiscal year.

The ratio is higher for other Asian nations. approximately 99% of Filipinos and 80% of Chinese nationals came from the northern border; most were caught at the border crossings.