Why Is Trump Identifying the U.S.-Canada Border as a Problem?
Arrests for illegal crossings from Canada spiked in the last fiscal year, but remain a fraction of the number of those from Mexico.
www.nytimes.com
The rise is largely driven by Indian nationals.
Canadian officials and experts believe that the jump in illegal crossings has been fueled primarily by immigrants arriving in Canada from India on tourism or other temporary visas and heading straight to the United States border, effectively using Canada as a steppingstone.
Indian nationals are the largest group of newer immigrants to Canada. A combination of a large existing community and outreach by Canadian employers and colleges trying to recruit workers and students from India has contributed to their numbers rising in recent years, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most of those immigrants stay in Canada, but some aim to reach the United States. And ads on social media have helped popularize entry from Canada.
For example, a TikTok ad seen by some Indian migrants in Canada shows a group of men with U.S. flag emojis hiding their faces and offers a “100% safe route.” The provider offers to take travelers from Brampton, a city outside Toronto with a large South Asian population, to New York by taxi.