One Indian Child Caught Every Three Days Crossing into the US Illegally: Report
New Delhi: On an average, one Indian child is caught every three days trying to enter or live in the United States illegally, according to new data from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Times of India reported.
The US federal agency data released on April 9, showed that across all nationalities, 4,247 unaccompanied children were caught at the US border between October 2025 and March 2026, of which 43 were Indians. In the case of accompanied minors, the data showed, 669 children of all nationalities were detained in the same period, of which 26 were Indian.
Between October 2025 and February 2026 – the first five months of the US fiscal year – 56 Indian children were identified, including 39 unaccompanied minors and 17 accompanied with adult members, as per the TOI report.
The data, part of the agency’s nationwide encounters release, sums up CBP apprehensions (those caught entering from illegal points) and inadmissibles (those denied at official entry points) across the Northern Land Border, Southwest Land Border, non-land border ports of entry like airports and seaports, and USBP sectors that do not share a land border with Canada or Mexico, such as the Miami sector.
The encounters have increased gradually, month-on-month with seven Indian unaccompanied minors caught in October and November, each, eight in December, 13 in January 2026. The number of unaccompanied minors reduced to four each in February and March.
According to the daily, the statistics on Indian unaccompanied minors at US borders had declined from 730 in FY2023 (out of 1,37,992 in total) to 517 in FY2024 (1,10,672 in total) and just 91 in FY2025 (29,584 in total).
On accompanied minors, too, the monthly breakup shows four detained in November, six in December, two in January, five in February and nine in March. In comparison, 261 Indian accompanied minors were detected in 2021, 55 in 2024 and 23 in 2025.
The latest data shows fresh concerns of vulnerable children becoming tools in the hands of human smuggling networks. According to TOI, it is feared that children are being paired with unrelated adults to form fake families to gain easier entry into the States.
"Once inside US territory, children are sent to border agencies, after which handlers posing as guardians claim them. This helps illegal immigrants secure shelter and eventually legal pathways," TOI quoted an official as saying.
In October, the agency’s encounter data had shown a substantial drop in the number of Indians caught while trying to illegally enter the US with 34,146 Indian nationals having been intercepted in a year. This included 474 unaccompanied children and 23 minors travelling with adults.
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