Indian citizens have been accused of improper entry by aliens in violation of US law.
Indian citizens have been accused of improper entry by aliens in violation of US law.
Six Indian nationals, aged 19-21, were arrested by US border officials after being caught on a sinking boat during a failed attempt to smuggle them from Canada to the US.
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Massana Border Patrol, with the assistance of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, the Askane Mohawk Police Service and the Hogansburg-Aquasne Volunteer Fire Department (HAVFD), said in a statement on Thursday. The station arrested seven people in connection with the failed smuggling attempt early Thursday.
Six subjects, aged 19 to 21, are citizens of India and have been charged with improper entry by aliens in violation of US law. The seventh subject, a United States citizen, was charged with foreign smuggling, which is a felony and each violation carries a fine and up to 10 years in prison.
Last week, the suspicious activity was reported to the Aquesne Mohawk Police Service, which notified the St. Regis Mohawk Aboriginal Police Department about a boat carrying several individuals traveling from Canada to the United States near Ontario .
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department responded and observed the ship taking over the water and sinking in the St. Regis River in Aquesne. Responding to the call for assistance, Border Patrol agents and HAVFD rushed to the scene to find the reported vessel almost completely underwater.
One of the subjects managed to get out of the sinking boat and made his way to the shoreline. The HAVFD deployed one boat and was able to recover the other six “distressed subjects”. Officials said there were no life jackets or other protective equipment on the sinking boat.
With the water temperature just above freezing, all seven people aboard the boat were evaluated and treated for hypothermia by medical professionals. Upon his release, he was arrested by Border Patrol agents and taken to a Border Patrol station for processing.
Police Chief Matthew Rourke of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department has prevented cooperation between law enforcement and rescue services in what could have been a “terrible tragedy”.
“I emphasize that human trafficking is illegal and it poses a significant threat to the Askewane community. We do not know the intentions or vaccination status of trafficked individuals, but more importantly, rescue efforts Unnecessarily putting the lives of our first responders and our already stressful emergency response services at risk,” he said.
Cautioning that the situation could be “catastrophic”, Massena station’s Patrol Agent-in-Charge Wade Lafman said, “Human trafficking is not only a crime but extremely dangerous. Smugglers don’t care about safety or human life; they only make profits. care about.”
The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between the ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York.
in january this year family of four indians – Jagdish Baldevbhai Patel, 39, Vaishaliben Patel, 37, Vihangi Patel, 11 and Dharmik Patel, 3 – were found dead near Emerson, Manitoba, about 12 meters from the Canada/US border.
The family was trying to travel from Canada to America on foot. Seven other Indian nationals, who had entered the US illegally around the same time that the Patel family were found dead, were arrested near the US/Canada border.