Six Indian nationals who tried to enter the United States illegally and did not know how to swim were rescued by a sinking boat in northern New York, according to federal court documents.
The seventh man, a US citizen who went ashore from the sinking boat, has been charged with human trafficking and has been detained pending trial.
The rescue took place on April 28 in Hogansberg, New York, near the Canadian border, after a police officer who was out of work from Cornwall, Ont., Spotted a boat with many people crossing from Canada to the United States, the documents said. of the federal court.
Read more: Why migrants risk everything to cross borders in dangerous conditions
Officers from the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department responded and saw the ship sink into the St. Regis River about 30 yards (27 meters) from shore and about 800 feet (244 meters) from the international border with Canada.
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Although the numbers are low compared to the US-Mexico border, organized human smuggling between Canada and the United States is relatively common.
Last winter, four Indian migrants died in Canada near the North Dakota border while trying to enter the United States illegally. A Florida man is due to be tried this summer in a federal court in Minnesota on charges of human smuggling in connection with the case.
Last month, border patrol agents arrested two separate human trafficking events in northern Troy, Vermont. Also last month, the Border Patrol stopped a car in Caswell, Maine, carrying five Romanian citizens.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, many illegal borders from Canada have returned to the country under Title 42, a public health measure.
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In the case in the northern part of the state of New York, the police of St. Regis called for assistance from the border patrol and the voluntary fire service Hogansburg-Akvesane, officials said.
The boat was almost completely submerged when firefighters arrived, officials said. The fire department deployed a boat to rescue the six remaining on board.
One of the Indian migrants detained in New York told border patrol agents that he flew to Canada on April 21 before trying to enter the United States by crossing the river.
The smuggler allegedly asked the migrants if they could swim. All six said “do not swim”, according to court documents.
Read more: Smuggling of people across the Canadian-US border is a widespread and worrying issue: experts
One of the migrants told agents in what is described as an “excited statement”: “I arrived in Canada, an agent dropped me on a boat, on a boat that sank, we were going to die, the police saved us.
As the water temperature was slightly above zero, all seven people were treated for hypothermia, officials said. They said there were no life jackets or other safety equipment on the boat.
The six migrants are Indian nationals aged 19 to 21, CPB reported. They were arrested and charged with illegal entry.
© 2022 The Canadian Press
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