Ahmedabad: The US may be separated from India by approximately 12,070km, but that has done little to deter Indians from trying to cross into the country illegally. Despite a sharp drop following President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, Indian nationals still ranked third among those from 21 countries encountered by US border authorities in FY26, according to USCBP data. At 30,528, the tally was higher than that of every country except Mexico and Canada — two countries that share land borders with the US.A sizeable number of those attempting the journey are Gujaratis, alongside people from Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, according to sources familiar with illegal immigration networks. Their attempts continue despite tougher enforcement and a series of tragedies in recent years involving the illegal route, popularly known as the donkey route.
USBCP data on illegal immigration from Gujarat to US
From Gujarat alone, at least 11 people have died, and 11 others have been injured or gone missing between 2022 and 2025 while attempting to reach the US through this route.Mexico topped the list with 1,23,039 border encounters, followed by Canada with 37,700. India was ahead of China, which accounted for 29,818 encounters.Though India has remained in the top three over the past three years, its numbers have fallen sharply during this period.
Death of illegal immigrants on journey from Gujarat to US
According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, 90,415 encounters involving Indian nationals were recorded in FY24. The figure dropped to 34,146 in FY25 and further to 30,528 in FY2026 (Oct 2025 to Sept 2026) — a decline of nearly 66% since FY24. The fall coincides with Trump’s tougher immigration enforcement measures.The decline is part of a worldwide trend. CBP recorded a total of 3,82,490 border encounters in FY26, nearly 45% fewer than the 6,91,906 recorded in FY25. The numbers were considerably higher in the preceding years, with 29 lakh encounters in FY24 and 32 lakh in FY23.Among other countries, Guatemala recorded 18,319 encounters, the Philippines 17,985 and Honduras 13,005. Brazil accounted for 6,285, Russia 5,327 and Venezuela 4,945. Citizens of other nationalities, grouped together, accounted for 63,678 encounters.Donald Trump won the 2024 US presidential election on Nov 5-6, 2024, and officially returned to power when he was inaugurated as 47th President of the United States on Jan 20, 2025. His administration’s main thrust was on the crackdown against illegal immigrants in the US.A source in the illegal immigration network said, “Though people have been shunted out of the US through immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) crackdown, a large number of Gujaratis mainly from North and Central Gujarat are sneaking into America for better financial security. There are still attempts of intrusion from Mexico and Canadian borders by Gujaratis who pay an amount ranging from Rs 80 lakh for an individual to Rs 1.25 crore.”
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