 "deported, deportation")
Two days after over a hundred Indians returned from the United States in handcuffs and chains, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it is investigating a network of agents and facilitators in India, Canada and the US involved in illegal migration schemes.
How do agents facilitate illegal migration?
Officials told news agency PTI on Friday that these operations often use fake college admissions in Canada as a front to smuggle people into the US.
More than 8,500 financial transactions are under scrutiny as part of a money laundering case linked to a Gujarat Police Crime Branch investigation from 2023. ED officials said that they are also examining international financial firms that process remittances for suspected involvement. Over the past year, the agency has conducted 35 searches and seized assets worth Rs 92 lakh.
The issue gained attention in Parliament after a US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar on Wednesday. A day later, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 15,668 illegal Indian immigrants since 2009.
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On December 24 last year, the ED said in a press release that it was investigating whether some Canadian colleges and Indian entities were involved in money laundering linked to human trafficking. The investigation is connected to the deaths of four members of an Indian family from Dingucha village in Gujarat, who froze to death on January 19, 2022, while trying to cross the Canada-US border illegally.
How the racket operates
ED offficials said the probe has uncovered a "complex network" of agents and facilitators who arrange transport, visas and legal support for migrants using fake college admissions in Canada. One such agent, Fenil Kantilal Patel, is based in Canada, officials said.
The ED found that tuition fees for Canadian colleges were paid through financial services firms, with around 8,500 such transactions traced to Gujarat-based students between September 7, 2021, and August 9, 2024. Of these, 4,300 transactions were duplicates or linked to a single individual. Officials suspect that about 370 people used this method to enter the US illegally.
The ED has recorded statements from some parents and guardians of students enrolled in these Canadian colleges. Officials said agents helped individuals secure student visas for Canada, but once they arrived, they illegally crossed into the US instead of attending college. In some cases, the tuition fees were refunded to the migrants' accounts.
Indians seeking to migrate were charged Rs 55-60 lakh each, according to the ED.
On December 24, 2024, the ED released a press note detailing its investigation and stated that the inquiry is still ongoing.
Two companies, one based in Mumbai and the other in Nagpur, were found to have agreements with foreign universities to facilitate student admissions. One company refers about 25,000 students annually, while the other sends over 10,000. ED officials said there are around 1,700 agents in Gujarat and 3,500 elsewhere in India, with 800 actively operating.
The agency found that 112 Canadian colleges have agreements with one company and over 150 with the other. Of the 262 such colleges in Canada, some near the US border are suspected of being involved in human smuggling.
How Indians fall victim to agents
Deepika Kumari, Partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys, said, "Over the years, many individuals have fallen victim to unscrupulous agents that mislead them with false promises of legal settlement abroad."
She added, "Under Indian laws, only agents registered with the Ministry of External Affairs under the Emigration Act, 1983, are authorised to provide overseas placement services. Engaging in fraudulent immigration schemes can lead to criminal charges under Section 316 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, while human trafficking-related offences may attract strict provisions under Sections 359 and 360 of the BNS, 2023."
Immigration attorney Prashant Ajmera noted that in the past three to five years, media reports have frequently covered deportations and fraud cases involving unlicensed agents. "This is happening regularly in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh," he said.
Ajmera added, "in many cases, people are fully aware of the circumstances. They know what they are doing is wrong, understand the consequences, yet are still willing to take the risk. You’ll often hear people telling agents, “I don’t have the qualifications to study or work in the US, but I have money. So, see what you can do for me.”
Addressing illegal migration
Deepika Kumari said tackling illegal migration requires multiple approaches. "The government is strengthening labour policies, expanding employment programmes like Skill India, and fostering entrepreneurship to create more domestic opportunities. Bilateral agreements, such as the India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership, are also working to provide safer, legal migration routes."
She added that awareness campaigns in states with high emigration rates could educate individuals on legal migration options and the risks of fraudulent schemes. "Stricter enforcement against human smuggling networks, combined with economic incentives, can help deter illegal migration and encourage legal pathways," she said.
