Indians Circumvent Canada for Illegal Immigration
Illegal Immigrants from Canada Surge to Over 20,000
President-elect Donald Trump of the United States has announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on both Mexico and Canada, drawing attention to the background of this decision. The justification Trump has cited is the issue of illegal immigrants entering through the borders of both countries. During Trump's first term, illegal immigrants primarily crossed through the border with Mexico, but cases of crossing the northern border via Canada have also emerged, making both countries targets of Trump’s policies.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 26th (local time), during the 2024 U.S. government fiscal year (October 2023 to September 2024), the number of illegal immigrants arrested at the U.S. northern border adjacent to Canada reached 23,000. The number of illegal immigrants apprehended at the northern border has rapidly increased each year, from about 2,000 in the 2022 fiscal year to 10,000 in the 2023 fiscal year.
Those entering the U.S. illegally through Canada are mainly known to be Indian nationals. They enter Canada on tourist or temporary visas as tourists and then cross the border into the U.S. This group includes seasonal workers and students recruited mainly by the Canadian government or schools, and their numbers have increased very rapidly since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compared to the border area with Mexico, where millions of illegal immigrants cross annually, the numbers at the northern border are still relatively small. However, due to the rapid increase, both President-elect Trump and the current transition team view this as a new border issue. The number of illegal immigrants at the southern border adjacent to Mexico has significantly decreased from 250,000 in December last year to 56,000 in October this year.
The NYT reported that this is also why President-elect Trump threatened to impose tariffs on both Mexico and Canada immediately after his inauguration. On the 25th (local time), Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, "As everyone knows, thousands of people are flooding into Mexico and Canada, and crime and drugs are increasing at unprecedented levels," adding, "I will impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada immediately after taking office."
Starting from January, when Trump’s second administration takes office, it is expected that enforcement and deportation of illegal immigrants will be strengthened not only at the southern border with Mexico but also at the northern border adjacent to Canada. Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the so-called 'border czar' appointed to oversee border policy in Trump’s second administration, emphasized, "Illegal crossings and smuggling are serious national security issues," adding, "We will prioritize deporting criminals and immigrants who already have deportation orders, but we will also use other means such as surprise workplace raids to find illegal residents."
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