US sees surge in Indian immigrants at border with Canada

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Attempted border crossings by illegal immigrants from Indian nationals have surged at the U.S. border with Canada in recent years.

Nearly 44,000 Indian nationals attempted to cross the U.S.-Canadian border illegally in fiscal 2024, up from about 30,000 in fiscal 2023 and 17,331 in fiscal 2022, according to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection data portal.

Indian nationals were the most commonly encountered nationality at the northern border among those tracked last fiscal year, representing roughly 22% of the 198,929 total land border encounters at the U.S.-Canada border in fiscal 2024.

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President-elect Trump and Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau (Getty Images)

The latest numbers come as President-elect Trump prepares to take office for a second time, with renewed promises of border security being one of the former president’s favorite selling points on the campaign trail.

Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Friday, with Trump saying the two leaders had a "very productive" conversation, including talks about border security.

"We discussed many important topics that will require both countries to work together to address, like the fentanyl and drug crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of illegal immigration, fair trade deals that do not jeopardize American workers and the massive trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada," Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday.

"I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our citizens become victims to the scourge of this drug epidemic, caused mainly by the drug cartels, and fentanyl pouring in from China. Too much death and hardship!"

People cross the U.S.-Canadian border in Blaine, Wash., Aug. 9, 2021. (Reuters/David Ryder)

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The Canadian government has already moved to stiffen its border policies amid strained relations with the U.S., according to a September Financial Times report, starting with a rollback of its permissive worker visa program.

"U.S. lawmakers are calling to harden the northern border with Canada because of the fears of illegal migration from Canada," Glenn Cowan, the founder and chief executive of the security company One9, told the Financial Times. "Stemming the flow of these visas will bolster U.S. relations."

That work could become more important as the Canadian government prepares to once again work with Trump, who in the past has threatened to impose tariffs on both Canada and Mexico.

A Canadian Customs and Fisheries officer watches over the U.S.-Canada border between Blaine, Wash., and White Rock, British Columbia. (Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images/File)

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Trump did not say on Saturday whether such tariffs were still on the table after his talks with Trudeau, though he made clear the two leaders also discussed energy, trade and relations in the Arctic.

"All are vital issues that I will be addressing on my first days back in office, and before," Trump said.