Why Indians abandoning their children at US border is on Trump's radar

Why would any Indian parent abandon their children, taking them all the way to the US border? Indians are among the thousands of parents who leave their children on the Mexico-US or Canada-US borders in the hope of citizenship for the children, and themselves. Over 500 unaccompanied minors from India were apprehended in the US in fiscal year 2024. But now, the Trump administration is coming down heavily on "unaccompanied children" who are left at the US border by their parents.

Such a route to US citizenship isn't unusual going by data, but difficult to understand because of the risks attached to children. Many parents, including Indians, have left their children, who were in the age bracket of 12-17 but sometimes even six years old, at the border.

The children are at times left with a mere chit with the contact of their parents and their names.

In such cases, parents are already in the US illegally and then sent for the minor.

But how does this work?

WHY INDIANS ARE ABANDONING THEIR CHILDREN AT US BORDERS

Immigration analysts believe this reflects a calculated tactic by some Indian families to improve their chances of obtaining asylum, according to a report by The Times of India.

In many instances, children are sent alone or with unrelated groups, only to be left behind near US checkpoints.

Once in custody, the hope is that the children’s presence will help parents gain entry later, often by applying for asylum on the grounds of family reunification, the report added.

Someone familiar with the workings of illegal immigration also told TOI that children are often used as a way for undocumented parents to legitimise their stay in the US.

"Usually, the parents manage to enter the US illegally first," they explained.

"Later, they arrange for their children to travel with other undocumented migrants. When the children are caught at the border, the families apply for asylum — and are often granted permission to stay on humanitarian grounds."

A source based in the US told TOI that many of these children, though not formally labelled as "abandoned," often have a high chance of receiving green cards within six to eight months after juvenile court decisions.

"Once the legal process moves forward and the children obtain green cards, their relatives in the US typically begin the adoption process," the source explained.

2,500 UNACCOMPANIED INDIAN MINORS INTERCEPTED IN US FROM 2022 TO 2025

The US Department of Homeland Security is now also doing a "welfare check" on children who arrived in the US alone, according to a report by The Guardian. Critics have called it "backdoor family separation".

This came as numbers show unaccompanied minors, including Indians, entering the US border. The data from the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) highlights the same.

From October 2024 to February 25, 77 unaccompanied Indian minors were apprehended at the US borders. These children had been "strategically abandoned" at the US-Mexico border or through Canada.

The data shows how 53 of the 77 kids were caught at the southern land border with Mexico and 22 were found while crossing the border from Canada. They were intercepted within the country.

From 2022 to 2025, at least 1,656 unaccompanied Indian minors will be found trying to cross into the US.

In FY24, 517 unaccompanied Indian immigrant children were apprehended in the US. The maximum number of children, 730, attempted to do so in FY23.

The Coronavirus pandemic saw comparatively lower numbers, with 219 minors found in 2020 and 237 in 2021, due to travel restrictions.

According to an April 2024 report by the Department of Homeland Security, there are an estimated 2.2 lakh (220,000) undocumented Indians living in the US. Since January 2025, more than 332 Indians have been deported.

ICE CLAMPDOWN ON UNACCOMPANIED IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document, obtained by the Immigration Project advocacy group and subsequently shared with The Guardian, reveals that ICE is targeting unaccompanied immigrant children and their US-based sponsors for immigration enforcement and potential criminal prosecution.

Legal services for unaccompanied minors have been significantly reduced, with funding delays persisting despite court orders. Meanwhile, the federal agency responsible for overseeing unaccompanied immigrant children has started sharing sensitive information with ICE.

The Ice document highlights how "it’s not just about checking in on kids, making sure that they can account for them and that they’re not being exploited", said Michelle Mendez, the director of legal resources and training for the Immigration Project.

"It shows they have other goals, and the goals are the criminalisation of the child or criminalisation of the sponsor. It’s backdoor family separation."

In addition to verifying that the children are neither trafficked nor exploited, the Ice document shows officials are also gathering intelligence to see whether the children are a "flight risk" or a "threat to public safety".

Immigration experts and attorneys say such "fact-finding" operations by Ice to track unaccompanied minors are still in their early stages.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE WELFARE-CHECKS?

In early April, ICE officials conducted a so-called "welfare check" on a 16-year-old girl in Washington state.

During the visit, first reported by the Spokesman-Review, the frightened teen contacted Samuel Smith, director of immigrant legal aid at Manzanita House, who is representing her in her immigration case.

"The messages she sent and her voice on the phone were filled with fear," Smith said. "She didn’t understand what was happening and was terrified her life was about to be turned upside down."

The Washington Post also reported that other federal agencies have been carrying out similar welfare checks and sharing information with ICE.

"I understand the publicly stated intent," Smith added, "but I don’t necessarily trust it".

The officials have been asked to "remember they are to enforce final orders of removal, where possible" and "pursue criminal options for UAC (unaccompanied alien children) who have committed crimes", stated the Ice document accessed by The Guardian.