PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. 鈥� A group of immigrants from India pile out of a taxi minivan beside the Clinton County, New York, government building in this small upstate city half an hour from the Canadian border.
They are quickly swarmed by a half a dozen fellow Indian immigrants who鈥檝e waited hours for this business opportunity.
This fleet of jitney taxis offering migrants rides south to New York City is one clear example of the informal economy that鈥檚 sprung up following a significant increase in unauthorized crossings across the usually sleepy northern border over the last year and a half.
鈥淚 rent a car, I come here,鈥� Says Shivam, a 20-year-old driver from India who goes by only a surname. 鈥淪o people coming, I鈥檓 just helping them.鈥�
But make no mistake, this is business, and business is booming.
So far this year, with migrants between ports of entry on the northern border.
That鈥檚 a 95% increase from last year.
It鈥檚 not entirely clear what鈥檚 driving this increase, but nearly 60% of those encounters were with Indian nationals.
Shivam and other drivers charge anywhere from $150 to up to $300 per person for the six-hour drive to the Big Apple. There migrants will search for work or head to other cities across America.
What鈥檚 driving the increase?
Shivam himself crossed into the U.S. illegally a few weeks ago, through the thick woods connecting Canada to upstate New York.
He says it was challenging.
鈥淚 had to walk through the forest and at night it鈥檚 dark and there鈥檚 lots of trees and bushes and the forest is full of mud because of the rain,鈥� Shivam says.
He鈥檚 now awaiting a hearing in front of an immigration judge after claiming asylum in the U.S. But he admits, he came here mostly for work, and because 鈥淚 get more opportunities in the U.S. compared to Canada.鈥�
Pablo Bose, director of the Global and Regional Studies Program at the University of Vermont, says the reasons for why most Indian immigrants come to the U.S. varies, and are different to those of Central and South Americans.
Migrants from those countries often . That鈥檚 the reason the U.S. southern border saw an increase in unauthorized crossings through 2023.
In December, CBP officials reported nearly 371,000 encounters with unauthorized migrants, a record high.
But those numbers have , in part due to Mexico鈥檚 increased enforcement, and the Biden administration鈥檚 measures limiting eligibility for asylum.
At the northern U.S. border, the number of unauthorized crossings pale in comparison.
Still, the increase .
Most of the migrants crossing through Canada are Indian nationals. In June, unauthorized crossings of Indians here hit an all-time high, with about 3,600 attempting to cross between ports of entry.
鈥淔or some of the Indian families (the motivation) has definitely been economic opportunity, reunification with family,鈥� Bose says.
He says part of the reason so many Indians come to the U.S. through Canada first is because of the northern neighbor鈥檚 favorable immigration policies. For instance, until recently, migrants in Canada who were on a visitor's visa .
Canada also has an for skilled migrants who want to live there.
So why are they crossing into the U.S.?
Bose says there are simply more jobs in more industries.
鈥淲e have a significant swathe of Indians who end up broadly speaking in the services and hospitality industries, especially in larger cities like New York and Chicago where there鈥檚 an ability to disappear into the immigrant workforce,鈥� Bose says.
He added migrants believe the U.S. has more to offer than Canada, like lower taxes and higher wages.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not lost on most migrants that the U.S. dollar is 25% stronger than the Canadian,鈥� Bose says.
People from all over the world use the northern border
Crossing the northern border is not free of dangers or easy.
Migrants can face freezing winter temperatures. They can also be denied asylum quicker, on the spot, as part of .
Still, many perceive this route safer than traveling to the U.S. through the dangerous parts of Central America, or the Mexican desert.
Deivy Morales, a 25-year-old Venezuelan, knows this too well. After his asylum case languished for two years in Canada, a frustrated Morales decided to cross into New York State.
鈥淚 came during the day and I saw mosquitoes that looked like helicopters,鈥� Morales jokes.
He walked for about three hours in the woods until he was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol.
This was a familiar scene for him. A few years ago Morales crossed illegally into the U.S. from Mexico. But he鈥檚 back on American soil after his family moved to Chicago from Venezuela.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 seen my family in almost three years,鈥� Morales says. 鈥淚 have to see them.鈥�
As he figures out how to get there, an Indian taxi driver offers him a ride south.
Morales says he only has $150 Canadian dollars. The Indian driver tells him that鈥檚 鈥渘o good.鈥�
鈥淭his is the U.S., not Canada,鈥� the driver tells him. Eventually he tells Morales he will drive him.
Morales is then rushed to get into an SUV with a group of Haitian immigrants.
The driver 鈥� a different Indian driver 鈥� tells him it鈥檚 about a six-hour car ride down on I-87 to New York City.
Other drivers stay put at the bus stop 鈥� they know a new wave of migrants is sure to show up soon.
Copyright 2024 NPR
