A big problem has emerged on the US borders with Mexico and Canada. At these places, small Indian children, often under the age of six, are found alone and scared, without any documents or guardians.
These children carry a small piece of paper with the name and contact details of their parents, highlighting the growing phenomenon of unaccompanied Indian minors entering the US illegally.
According to US Customs and Border Protection data, between October 2024 and February 2025, 77 unaccompanied Indian minors were apprehended at US borders. Most were found along the southern land border with Mexico, reports the Times of India.
While the number of unaccompanied minors leaving Canada was also very high. This is part of a larger pattern, in which 1,656 unaccompanied Indian minors were caught between 2022 and 2025.
Immigration policymakers have said these children are being used as part of a broader strategy to secure residency for families in the United States.
In some cases, parents send their children ahead, using their presence to apply for asylum later.
Others claim that children are sent with groups of adults, only to be abandoned near border checkpoints, where they are picked up by authorities and eventually reunited with their parents.