How Gujarat villages take the dangerous flight of illegal migration
Some villagers HT spoke to shared that those taking the illegal route are often unskilled, with limited education and financial resources.
In September this year, Yash Prajapati, a 22-year-old from Gujarat, died of cardiac arrest in a car while on his way to New Jersey, about an hour away from his destination. He had earlier been stopped at the US-Canada border for document checks. A girl from his village, who was travelling with him, chose to continue her journey into the United States, chasing her American dream, according to his relative Bhikhabhai Prajapati, a former village sarpanch.
He was unlucky as close to 100 people from Prajapati’s village Nardipur had left for the United States in the past month. “Our village has a population of 8,000, and 2,000 are in the US. They go by whatever means possible—legal or illegal,” he said.
Despite immigration crackdowns in countries like the US, Australia and Europe, residents of areas in and around Dingucha continue to pursue the dream of living in a western country. Dingucha, a small village 8 kilometres from Nardipur and 25 kilometres from Gandhinagar, became synonymous with the relentless pursuit of the American dream, when in January 2022 four members of a family — Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, and their young children, Vihanga and Dharmik, — froze to death while trying to cross from Canada into the US. Despite the deaths, villagers claim that about 500-700 people have gone overseas from their village in the last year.
Dingucha village is divided into two parts: the old settlement, where the families who haven’t left live, and the newer section, largely home to relatives of those who have emigrated—many through perilous, unauthorised routes. Dingucha’s stark emptiness is visible as many houses lie locked, their occupants having sneaked overseas, leaving behind only traces of their past lives.
Those who remain — mostly women and the elderly — gather under the banyan tree at the village chowk, quietly watching as the younger generation continues to leave in pursuit of a better future far from home.
Bharat Patel, a 63-year-old retired executive from Sintex Industries, often spends his time at the village chowk. While Patel estimates the village's total population at around 8,000 based on housing, he notes that only about 3,000 people actually reside in Dingucha year-round, with at least 4,000 villagers in the United States and another 500 in Canada.
To illustrate the extent of this exodus, Patel points to the recent general elections. "During the Lok Sabha elections, our village recorded barely 1,200 votes. That fact alone speaks volumes about our current situation," he said.
Dingucha's streets echo with silence. So much so that 86-year-old Ranchod Patel and his son Bharat, 58, had to donate a tractor-turned-hearse to carry the dead. "We can't find four young men to shoulder a bier anymore,” Bharat said.
There are villagers like 56-year-old Ramesh Patel and 84-year-old Ambalal Patel whose family members live overseas, but they are content living in their native village. They show a villager’s photo on a mobile phone who recently passed away in the US without getting a chance to return home to Gujarat. “My entire family is settled in the US. I have a visa but haven’t gone in many years and don’t wish to go. I have been in this village since birth. I am happy here,” says 84-year-old Patel.
Villagers mention that those who have settled overseas maintain strong ties with their hometown, regularly contributing financially to support the village's welfare. Funds from overseas villagers helped to build a grand temple, a private school, and a library. A towering clock tower, built from donations by late resident Amritbhai Patel, who left for foreign shores over 50 years ago, stands at the village's centre. (Villagers say even the smallest development proposal quickly receives donations, thanks to their generous emigrants). “A few years ago, the school had some infrastructure issues, likely a leaking roof in some of the classrooms. The issue was brought up in a village meeting, and within two months, ₹2.5 crore in donations came in. The entire building was renovated,” said Pradip Patel, who works in the dairy industry.
In the less prosperous Ora village, unlike Dingucha, men face difficulties finding local brides as women increasingly seek overseas marriages. This, according to Kanubhai Desai, a cab driver, has led men like his friend Naresh Patel to seek wives from tribal communities in Dahod and Panchmahal regions, delaying the typical marriage age of 24-25 years.
A relentless pursuit of a better life
A man in his thirties from a village in Gandhinagar, running a small grocery store, recently returned to India after living over 12 years in the U.S. He refused to disclose his name or the amount paid to agents for the illegal border crossing but shared that 20 people from Gujarat and 10 from Punjab accompanied him. His route spanned Delhi, Dubai, Lima, and Managao Island by flight, followed by a truck ride to Guatemala, a bus to Mexico City, and a final crossing into Texas, before reaching New Jersey. “We were lucky not to get caught. The 10-kilometre jungle walk wasn’t frightening,” he recalled.
Once settled, in the US, he found work as a store manager for a Gujarati-owned shop. “Many Gujaratis own franchises like Subway and liquor stores,” he said. He enjoyed the earnings but was cautious not to break laws, knowing that even selling alcohol or cigarettes to someone under 21 could lead to serious trouble. Despite financial success, he missed home and regretted leaving his wife, whom he married just before emigrating.
“I couldn't bring her to the U.S. or return for vacations due to my undocumented status,” he explained. Now, back in India, he aims to live peacefully, emphasising that if Indians were removed from the US and Canada, their economies would face serious challenges.
Some villagers HT spoke to shared that those taking the illegal route are often unskilled, with limited education and financial resources. To support these emigrants, some villagers, and occasionally even village-level temple trusts, provide loans, they said. These loans are given with high interest rates, and the emigrants are expected to repay them in instalments once they settle at their destination.
Tragic Crossings and Scams
Financial support may help fund their journey, but the path to entering the US is fraught with great risks. Some take extreme measures, like scaling the notorious Trump Wall or crossing treacherous terrain. In October 2023, a 36-year-old man from Gujarat’s Chhatral town in Kalol taluka tragically died after falling over a 30-foot metal barrier on the US-Mexico border while holding his three-year-old son, who survived the ordeal. The child’s mother also sustained severe injuries during their attempt to cross the fence.
Many migrants also fall prey to immigration scams. In September 2022, 45 individuals were booked in Mehsana for facilitating fraudulent IELTS scores, helping unqualified students gain admission to Canadian colleges with the intention of later crossing into the U.S. Such schemes highlight the risks faced by those seeking better lives abroad, often with minimal resources.
On February 21, Chicago police arrested Harshkumar Patel, alias “Dirty Harry,” for trafficking linked to the deaths of four Dingucha villagers in January 2022. Patel conspired with Florida’s Steve Shand, paying him $8,000 per transport. One migrant admitted paying ₹72 lakh for a fake visa and illegal entry. Patel, tied to a broader smuggling network, brought Indians to Chicago to work under harsh conditions to repay debts, as per U.S. Homeland Security.
Over the past year and a half, desperate attempts to reach the U.S. and Canada have led to numerous tragedies, from risky river crossings to a hostage crisis in Iran. Another incident occurred in March 2023 when a family of four from Gujarat’s Mehsana district drowned while trying to cross the St. Lawrence River from Canada to the US Praveenbhai Chaudhary, his wife Dakshaben, and their children, Meet and Vidhi, lost their lives as their boat succumbed to the river’s powerful currents.
Such incidents are far from rare. According to police, many people from villages stretching from Kadi, Kalol to Mehsana have taken illegal routes to the US and Europe. the agents use their connections to first establish these emigrants as tourists abroad, and then assist them in crossing into the U.S. from Mexico or Canada.
In December 2023, French authorities uncovered a large-scale human trafficking operation involving 303 Indian nationals on a Dubai-Nicaragua Legend Airways flight grounded in Vatry, France. Of these, 276 passengers were deported to India, including 66 from Gujarat.
“The entire deal was worth ₹300-325 crore with ₹50-60 crore being the cost of chartering an airplane. Of the total, 66 passengers were from Gujarat. There was no advance given and they were charged between ₹70-80 lakhs to more than ₹1 crore per passenger, depending on the type of deal. For instance, if a passenger were also promised a job after crossing illegally, the amount would be more than ₹1 crore,” said an official of Anti-Economic Offences Cell, CID (Crime), Gandhinagar, aware of the matter.
“The amount was to be paid to the agents by the passengers after reaching their destination in the US. Upon crossing the border illegally and reaching the US they were asked to seek asylum under various pretexts. The agents had hired lawyers who would help these Indians seek asylum in the US so they could later seek citizenship there. It seemed a perfect getaway until they were intercepted by the French authorities,” he added. The passengers on board had travelled from India to Dubai on a visitor’s visa. After reaching Nicaragua the passengers were to travel 2,000 kilometres by road in a bus to reach the Mexico border from where they would illegally enter the US.
An FIR was lodged against the agents and the statements of 66 passengers from Gujarat were taken as witnesses. The Gujarat police have so far arrested 12 agents, including five from Gujarat. The others are from Delhi and Punjab.
“The kingpin in this case is a Canadian citizen called Guru Amrut Pal Singh alias Pali who originally hails from Jalandhar. He had people in Delhi and North Gujarat who operated on his behalf. We have written to the Canadian government about it but there is slow progress. We have also given lookout notice for 10 others involved in the human trafficking who are likely to be hiding in Middle Eastern countries,” the official said.
People like Ramesh Patel, 65, from Dingucha, who returned to India after 16 years in the U.S., are becoming a source of inspiration for many in his village. Once a small-time contractor earning just ₹15,000 a month, Patel’s fortunes changed dramatically in the U.S., where he earned ₹2-3 lakh per month. The transformation was life-changing—he traded his modest home in Dingucha for a bungalow in a posh neighbourhood of Kalol in the Gandhinagar district. “In 2008, my wife paid an agent ₹30 lakh per person to take us to the U.S.,” Patel recalled. “Today, that same journey costs ₹70-80 lakh.”
Among those inspired by Patel’s success was his nephew from Mudarda village in Mehsana district. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, the nephew embarked on a similar journey, only to find himself aboard the plane grounded in France during the immigration bust.
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