SLUG: Deadly US DreamsAhmedabad: Chasing the elusive American dream is proving deadly and increasingly exploitative, with data from the United States Customs and Border Protection revealing that, on average, one Indian child is detected entering or living illegally in the US every three days. Between Oct 2025 and Feb 2026 — the first five months of the US fiscal year — 56 Indian children were identified, including 39 unaccompanied minors and 17 accompanied ones.The figures expose a worrying pattern in migration trends, where vulnerable children are becoming tools in the hands of human smuggling networks. Across all nationalities, 4,247 unaccompanied children were caught at the US border between Oct and March, of which 43 were Indians. Month-wise data shows a steady rise: seven Indian unaccompanied minors each in Oct and Nov, eight in Dec, and a spike to 13 in Jan 2026. The numbers were four each in Feb and March. The Jan spike renewed attention to the tragic death of the family from Gujarat’s Dingucha village that perished in extreme cold while attempting to enter the US illegally via Canada. While the number of Indian unaccompanied minors has declined from 730 in FY2023 to 517 in FY2024 and to just 91 in FY2025, the current data suggests a troubling reversal. Equally concerning is the rise in accompanied minors, according to the data. In FY2026 so far, of the 669 accompanied children of all nationalities detained between Oct and March, 26 were Indian. The monthly breakup shows four in Nov, six in Dec, two in Jan, five in Feb and nine in March. In comparison, 261 Indian accompanied minors were detected in 2021, 55 in 2024 and 23 in 2025. Sources point to an exploitative modus operandi: Children are paired with unrelated adults to form fake families for easier entry. “Once inside US territory, children are sent to border agencies, after which handlers posing as guardians claim them. This helps illegal immigrants secure shelter and eventually legal pathways,” said an official.
