Following a month-long crackdown, US authorities arrested more than 300 people, including six Indian Americans, for criminal activities and violating the country's immigration laws.
The 30-day crackdown by the US Immigration and Customers Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations across the six states of Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin saw the arrest of 364 criminal aliens and immigration violators, reported news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
Those arrested came from 25 countries, including India, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. A total of 187 had criminal convictions such as assault, attempted murder, burglary, child neglect, child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, drug trafficking and illegal re-entry after deportation, reported PTI.
"This operation targeted criminal aliens, public safety threats, and individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ICE ERO Chicago.
According to a Fox News report, there has been an increase in the number of Indian nationals illegally crossing the US-Mexico border.
In 2015, agents caught six immigrants from India trying to cross into the US from Mexico. And in 2018, the number is more than 3,400, reported Fox News.
"It's a common misconception that we just arrest Mexicans - that couldn't be further from the truth," El Centro agent Justin Casterhone said. "We arrest people from all over the world."
Officials say they arrest somewhere between five and 10 Indian nationals a day. A good number of young men claim asylum as victims of political or religious persecution in India, and they pay as high as $25,000 to enter the US illegally.
"Some of these organizations are charging Indian nationals up to $25,000 to get smuggled into the US," El Centro Sector chief Gloria Chavez told Fox News. "These traffickers, they are winning on this. Law enforcement is not."
