Exclusive: Illegal Indian immigrants taken to US via Haiti, reveals government report
A confidential government report reveals that illegal immigrants from India are now being taken to the US via Haiti, instead of the earlier Guatemala-Mexico route.
Indian agents involved in smuggling people into the US for the 'Big American Dream' have found a new route. A confidential government report reveals that illegal immigrants from India are now being taken to the US via Haiti, instead of the earlier Guatemala-Mexico route.
Till 2012, agents in India used to route illegal migrants to the US via Guatemala, from where they tried to cross the border to reach Mexico and then into US. But after that route was busted by the Delhi Police, these agents have increasingly been using the Haiti route.
"Since 2013, no such case involving Gautemala has been found. It may be because of the new route, which is much better than then previous one," an official added.
The report reveals that the route, which has been in operation for over six months now and initially used by Delhi-based agents, is now being used by smugglers in other cities as well. Seven FIRs have been filed from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport against "illegal travelers" trying to fly into Haiti with the aim of entering the US.
In fact, it was a lead from the Haiti Consulate in Mumbai that alerted the authorities. The Immigration Bureau in November last year found that flyers from IGI were travelling to Haiti with fake visas. An investigation into the matter revealed how Haiti was being used as a transit point to get into the US.
Senior officials posted at IGI have confirmed that agents are using this route for human trafficking. "The route is very simple. From India, agents arrange fake documents, through which passengers reach Haiti. After living there for almost a month, they leave from the coast of Haiti to Cuba or Bahamas.
Depending on the situation and patrolling by US Coast Guards, smugglers take them from Cuba to Miami and Florida," a senior official said. The route is not devoid of dangers. Recently, the US Coast Guard warned immigrants not to use the sea route. There are also unconfirmed reports of deaths of some Indians while crossing the border illegally, sources said. "Miami is just 1,100 kilometers from Haiti, but the sea route is very dangerous, passengers not only have to try to evade the US Coast Guards patrols but also the ocean currents," said the official.
"Reports given by the US have also suggested that smugglers take $3,000 to $6,000 per person for the illegal trip to US. They have seized many migrantpacked boats trying to reach Miami and Florida. In December 2013, 30 people died after drowning while trying to reach Miami illegally," another senior official said.
In the last few years, various intelligence agencies have found that traffickers in India have contacts across various Commonwealth countries who aid them. In 2011, when the Delhi Police unearthed the Guatemala route to US, it was noticed that agents in India contacted smugglers in the central American country. This time too, agencies have found some evidence that hint towards similar deals, sources said. According to a top source, Haiti is very poor in law enforcement. Almost every week, 15 to 20 boats travel from Haiti to the US. Various media reports have revealed that smugglers have asked the people to jump from the boats after being noticed by government patrols. Importantly, the government of Haiti has seen a steep rise in migrants, moving from Haiti to US. On an average, almost 400 people were caught by the agencies every year. But last year, this figure reached almost 3,000.