Pay Rs 17 Lakh And Cross US Border: How Cartels Are Helping Indians Illegally Enter United States
Every year, thousands of Indians migrate to the United States of America for business and employment purposes, but what you may not know is that many Indians also cross the US border with the help of gangs and cartels, for a hefty amount of money.
Chasing the concept of the ‘American Dream’, many Indians take help from illegal gangs and cartels to cross the US border in hopes to establish a successful life there. An Arizona Sherriff revealed that a steep fee is charged by cartels to Indian immigrants trying to cross the US border illegally.
Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County, Arizona, told members of the House Judiciary Committee this week that many illegal Indian immigrants cross the United States border after cartels charge them a fee of USD 21,000, which amounts to over Rs 17.3 lakhs per person.
The sheriff further revealed that the minimum being charged by a cartel for a foreign national to illegally come into the United States is USD 7000, which amounts to around Rs 5.7 lakhs. Informing the lawmakers that the border along Mexico is not secure, Dannels said criminal transnational organisations called cartels control the south of the US border.
“South of it’s all controlled. They control who comes across. There are prices based on who you are. You’re a terrorist coming from a different country,” he said.
“I think India was USD 21,000, for example. But the minimum is, like, around USD 7,000 right now. Most of these people don’t have it,” he said in response to a question from Congressman Barry Moore.
“So, when they come across the country, though, they might go through a processing, as the honorable judges talked about, but they’re servants to the cartels at the end, which is usually for the sex trade, gangs, drugs, labour, you name it, I have seen no win-win in this,” he said.
According to official data, as many as 6 lakh people migrated to the United States of America in the year 2021 for higher education and jobs.