Border Snoop Plan

An Indian national who survived a treacherous trek across the US-Canada border in blizzard conditions has testified that he got separated from a family of four shortly before they froze to death. Yash Patel took the stand on Wednesday on the third day of the trial of Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and Steve Shand, 50, of Florida. Prosecutors say they put financial profit over human life when they attempted to smuggle Indian migrants across the border into Minnesota over a five-week period in December 2021 and January 2022. They say Patel ran part of the smuggling scheme and recruited Shand as a driver. Both men have pleaded not guilty to four counts related to human smuggling. Federal prosecutors say a family of four 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik froze to death on January 19, 2022. Patel is a common Indian surname and the victims were not related to Harshk

To boost the on-ground presence of the agency on the eastern borders