English PageIssue 299 (2) Asian Tribune January 28, 2022Family of four who froze to deathhas sent shock waves World over(Continued ..Page1)thinking about the painthey might haveexperienced in freezingcold temperatures givesus goosebumps.”While the Patel familyincludes a 12-year-olddaughter, the RCMPoriginally said the olderchild was a male in theirmid-teens. The originalinformation, however, wasbased on an initial examin austere conditions andcould change after thepost-mortem exam.The remains of the fourwould have been exposedto severe cold for about16 hours before discovery,hampering examinationand identification. TheRCMP said investigatorsneed to have “100 percent certainty” onidentification, and notifiedtheir next of kin, beforereleasing identityinformation.The family was ademographic anomalywithin the group ofmigrants.The others are all in theirlate teens and early 20s,said Chief Patrol AgentAnthony S. Good, of theU.S. Border Patrol’sGrand Forks Sector,whose officers rescuedthem in blizzardconditions on Jan. 19.“It’s terrible to experiencethose conditions for thatlength of time. There is anunreasonable expectationfor survival at that point,”Good said. The group waswandering aimlesslywhen agents spottedthem in a search, after adriver, allegedly in thearea to pick them up, wasarrested.“They were walking, but itwas hard to see anything.They were a little bitdisoriented and didn’treally know which way togo. They didn’t think thetrek would be thatarduous.”Two of the migrants whomade it needed medicalassistance. One wastaken by helicopter tohospital but has survived.They were all turned overto immigration officials.The rest of the group toldU.S. officials of “a similartravel agenda” to the Patelfamily, as described byIndian media, Good said.Relatives and neighboursof the Patels said thefamily left for Canada ona visitor’s visa about aweek before the migrantswere found. The family issaid to have paid theequivalent of about $1,000to an immigration agent toget them to the UnitedStates.Documents filed in courtin the case against thealleged driver, SteveShand, 47, of Deltona,Fla., disclose that U.S.authorities areinvestigating a humansmuggling ring in thearea.It seems a twice-monthlycross-border operation forIndian nationals, withsomeone dropping themigrants off on theCanadian side with winterclothing and sending themsouth, where someone isexpected to pick them up.The Border Patrol saidofficers are aware of threeearlier smugglingincidents in the samearea.Footprints in the snowmade by the same makeof boots worn by therescued migrants werediscovered by borderofficers on Dec. 12, Dec.22, 2021, and on Jan. 12.After the Dec. 12 incident,U.S. officers spoke withRCMP officers and weretold that Canadianauthorities found abackpack at whatappeared to be a drop-offpoint inside Canada. A taginside showed a price inrupees, the currency ofIndia.The van driven by Shandalso contained a rentalagreement for a “full sizepassenger van” from Jan.10 to Jan. 13. On Jan. 12,a border patrol officer foundmore boot prints in thesnow stretching into theU.S. from Canada, alsoby the same brand ofboots.Cpl. Julie Courchaine, aspokeswoman withManitoba RCMP, declinedto confirm the RCMP ispart of a widerinvestigation into humansmuggling.“We are looking ateverything involved inthis,” she said. “Theinvestigation is ongoing,”including closecooperation with U.S.authorities.The deaths are sparkingdebate in India, with hardquestions on why somany are willing to risk somuch to leave.Newspaper accounts saythe village of Dingucha andothers like it are filled withadvertisements andenticements forimmigration to Canada,the U.S., Britain andAustralia. Many makeunrealistic promises ofadmission to Canadianuniversities, even withouta language certificate.The ads target the young,who dream of living abroadas a marker of success.Judging by the age of thetravellers who survived thetrek last week, the ads arehitting their mark.www.asiantribune.ca.
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