Young Indian children, some as young as six years old, are being found on the US borders alone, scared, and without any legal documents. These children are often carrying just a small piece of paper with their parents' names and contact details.

This growing trend shows that more and more unaccompanied Indian minors are trying to enter the United States without their families.

Between October 2024 and February 2025, 77 Indian children traveling alone were caught by US Customs and Border Protection. Most were stopped at the US-Mexico border, but several also came in through Canada, sometimes in freezing weather.

In the last three years, a total of 1,656 unaccompanied Indian minors have been caught at the US borders.

A risky shortcut to a new life?

Experts believe that in many cases, the children are being used as part of a plan by their parents to stay in the US. Some parents send their kids first, and later use their presence to ask for asylum.

Others send the children with groups of adults, only for them to be left behind near the border, where US officers eventually find and take them in.

A person familiar with these illegal methods told the Times of India, "In most cases, their parents first reach the US illegally, and then they send for their children with other illegal immigrants to the US. When their children are caught at the borders, they seek refuge for the minors and themselves, which they usually get on humanitarian grounds."

Officials and activists are now worried about how these children are being treated along the way. Some fear that they could be victims of human trafficking or exploitation.

Reports suggest that certain families in Gujarat, India, particularly in places like Kadi, have used this method. In one case, a couple admitted to sending their child this way to join them in the US.

 

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