NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
New York, NY, February 19, 2025: Smugglers are brazenly using TikTok to advertise their human-trafficking services across the Canada-U.S. border The New York Post has learned.
Canadian “coyotes” have been targeting Indian nationals, promising a hassle-free trip to the U.S. for as much as $5,000. Each time authorities remove smuggling-related accounts, new ones quickly emerge on the platform, the Post has found.
The posts often feature a U.S. flag waving over a wooded northern border, set to Indian music, urging potential border crossers to contact them via direct message for more details. Smugglers use phrases like “Payment after reach” and “100% safe” to attract migrants. Some even post photos of migrants who have successfully crossed into the U.S.
“The Department of Justice should investigate how these apps are being utilized for nefarious activity and get cooperation from the companies that operate them,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). https://t.co/pR9cQRXew1
— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepNicole) February 15, 2025
Like a legitimate business, the smugglers’ accounts often feature testimonials in Punjabi from so-called “satisfied customers,” who describe the journey as “easy” and even “comfortable.” One migrant praised the service, saying, “The service was outstanding, we have come through very easily.”
More Indian migrants are taking this route as stricter immigration policies at the U.S.-Mexico border make entry more difficult. Many of them seek better economic opportunities and rely on these illegal networks to reach the U.S.
The dangers of illegal crossings were tragically highlighted more than two years ago when a Gujarati family of four—Jagdishkumar Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37, daughter Vihangi Patel, 11, and son Dharmik Patel, 3—froze to death near the Canadian town of Emerson while trying to cross into the U.S. on January 19, 2022. They had reportedly been walking for over 11 hours in extreme cold with temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius.
In a recent development, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 28, was arrested in Chicago on human smuggling charges related to this case. Patel, also known as ‘Dirty Harry,’ ‘Param Singh,’ and ‘Haresh Rameshlal Patel,’ is accused of recruiting driver Steve Shand of Deltona, Florida, who was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in North Dakota in January 2022. Shand allegedly disclosed that Patel paid him $25,000 to transport migrants from the Canadian border to the Chicago area during December 2021 and January 2022.
Shand has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges and is awaiting trial scheduled for March 25.
Full New York Post report: Exclusive | Smugglers advertising illegal Canada-US border crossings on TikTok
