US records 85 unaccompanied Indian minors since Oct last year
Although this number shows a marked 65% drop from the 240 in the 2024 financial year, it highlights that families from India, including from the state, continue to take risks to get into the US, often using children first as a "strategy" to get a foothold in the country.
Overall, in US FY 2025, 26,744 children from various countries were found unaccompanied at the US border against 83,020 in FY2024, a marked 68% decrease.
The trend corresponds with a fall in overall illegal immigration numbers after the change in federal policy following Donald Trump's return to office.
The monthly data for FY2025 shows fluctuations: 24 children were found in Oct 2024, 18 in Nov, 13 in Dec, 17 in Jan 2025, four in Feb, two in March, one in April, and six in May.
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Sources in Indian central agencies and individuals with knowledge of human smuggling operations stated that these patterns indicate a deliberate strategy.
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"Families are sending children first to get a foothold in the US," said one source. "Once the children are taken into custody and placed in shelters, the parents later attempt to enter the US under family or humanitarian grounds." Another source added, "In many cases, adults pretend to be guardians of the children.
This method is being used to gain entry while bypassing legal scrutiny."
In a case reported in May, two Gujarati children aged 14 and 10 died while attempting to cross the US border in a boat. Their parents, who were injured in the incident, were trying to enter the country along with about a dozen others. "They were with their parents and still died — imagine the situation of children who are entering alone," said a person connected to smuggling network.
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