Trial begins in human smuggling case after Indian family deaths at Canada-US border

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A trial is set to begin on Monday in Minnesota regarding a human smuggling case involving the tragic deaths of an Indian family at the Canada-US border two years ago. Federal prosecutors are set to argue that a criminal network, stretching from India to Canada, profited from smuggling families seeking better opportunities in the United States, which ultimately led to the deaths of a couple and their two young children.

Prosecutors have accused 29-year-old Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel of running the smuggling operation, and 50-year-old Steve Shand of Florida is accused of waiting in a truck for 11 migrants, including a family of four, who died while trying to walk across the US-Canada border in freezing conditions.

According to the prosecution, Patel had recruited Shand at a casino near their homes in Deltona, Florida, just north of Orlando. The victims, Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s, and their two children - 11-year-old Vihangi and 3-year-old Dharmik - died after trying to cross the border in subzero temperatures. The family, originally from the village of Dingucha in Gujarat, India, reportedly spent hours wandering in blizzard conditions as the wind chill reached -36°F (-38°C). Canadian authorities found the bodies of the family members on the morning of 19 January 2022. Jagdish Patel was holding his son Dharmik, who was wrapped in a blanket.

Prosecutors allege that Patel and Shand were part of a smuggling operation that scouted clients in India, arranged student visas for them to enter Canada, and then helped them cross into the US, mostly through Washington state or Minnesota. Federal authorities have arrested over 14,000 Indians attempting to cross the Canadian border in the year leading up to September 2023. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates that over 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the United States, second only to Mexicans and Salvadorans.

Harshkumar Patel's attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, stated that Patel came to the US to escape poverty and build a better life, adding that he is "unjustly accused of participating in this horrible crime" and believes the truth will come out during the trial. Patel had reportedly been refused a US visa at least five times before entering the country illegally.

Court documents reveal that Patel and Shand had regular communication during the smuggling runs, often discussing the harsh conditions. In December 2021, Shand messaged Patel saying it was "cold as hell" while waiting for one group, adding, "Are they going to be alive when they get here?" In January, Shand allegedly told Patel, "Make sure everyone is dressed for the blizzard conditions, please." Shand is said to have been paid about USD 25,000 for the five trips.

Satveer Chaudhary, a Minneapolis-based immigration attorney, commented on the tragic case, stating that smugglers often promise migrants the American dream, which does not always materialise. "The promises of the almighty dollar lead many people to take unwarranted risks with their own dignity, and as we're finding out here, their own lives," he said.

(With inputs from AP)