In January 2022, 5,459 Indians were caught entering the US illegally. The numbers rose by 36% in January 2023, as 7,421 Indians were detained entering the US illegally.
The village of Dingucha, from where the Patel family hailed, has a long history of soliciting agents to smuggle family members into the US, trying to realise this elusive dream, no matter the cost.
A day after reports emerged that the family of four Indians that froze to death at the United States-Canada border was from a village in Gujarat, Dingucha village of Kalol Tehsil in Gandhinagar district became the centre of attention.