Trial to begin in human trafficking case after deaths of Indian family at Canada-US border are frozen

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. – A criminal network stretching from India to Canada made money from trafficking families seeking better lives in the United States; The man who died while holding his 3-year-old son in his arms Two years ago, during a time of heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, federal prosecutors plan to argue at a trial that begins Monday in Minnesota.

Prosecutors charged Indian citizen Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel29, execution of the plan and Steve ShandA 50-year-old Florida man died after trying to cross the US border while waiting in a truck for 11 immigrants, including a couple and two children.

Prosecutors say Patel recruited Shand from a casino near their home in Deltona, Florida, just north of Orlando.

39-year-old Jagdish Patel died along with his wife Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi and their 3-year-old son Dharmik. Patel is a common Indian surname and the victims are not related to Harshkumar Patel. He did not admit his guiltAs did Shand.

The family, from the village of Dingucha in the state of Gujarat, is believed to have spent hours roaming the fields in blizzard conditions as wind gusts reached minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius). canadian authorities Found the frozen bodies of the Patels On the morning of January 19, 2022, Jagdish Patel was holding Dharmik wrapped in a blanket.

Federal prosecutors say Patel and Shand were part of an operation that scouted customers in India, got them Canadian student visas, arranged transportation and smuggled them into the United States, often through Washington state or Minnesota.

The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended more than 14,000 Native Americans at the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30. The Pew Research Center estimates that as of 2022, there are more than 725,000 Native Americans living illegally in the United States, behind only Mexicans and Salvadorans.

Harshkumar Patel’s attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, told the Associated Press that his client came to America to escape poverty and make a better life for himself and is now “falsely accused of participating in this terrible crime.” country and believes that the truth will come out at the hearing.” Shand’s attorneys did not respond to messages.

Court documents filed by prosecutors show Patel was in the United States illegally after being denied a U.S. visa at least five times.

According to court documents, over a five-week period, Patel and Shand communicated frequently through bitter cold as they smuggled five groups of Indians across a quiet stretch of the border. One night in December 2021, Shand informed Patel that it was “very cold” while waiting to pick up a group, according to the documents.

“Will they be alive when they get here?” It is claimed that he wrote

According to prosecutors, Shand texted Patel during his last trip in January: “Please make sure everyone is dressed for blizzard conditions.”

Prosecutors said Shand told investigators Patel paid him about $25,000 for five trips.

Jagdish Patel grew up in Dingucha. He and his family lived with his parents. According to local news, the couple were school teachers.

Satveer Chaudhary is a Minneapolis-based immigration lawyer who helps immigrants exploited by motel owners, many of whom are Gujaratis. He said smugglers and shady business interests promised many immigrants an American dream that did not exist when they arrived.

“The promises of the almighty dollar lead many people to take unwarranted risks for their own dignity and, as we learn here, their own lives,” Chaudary said.