Family’s Tragic End Brings Scrutiny to Visa Agents and Migrant Journeys
The tragic deaths of a family of four from Gujarat, India, who perished at the US-Canada border, have cast a spotlight on the dangerous and often illicit journeys many migrants take to North America. The Patel family, consisting of Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and 3-year-old son Dharmik, were found frozen to death in the snow near the US-Canada border in early January 2022.
The family had arrived in Toronto on January 12 with visitor visas, planning to start a new life in Canada. After a few days, they made their way to Emerson, a small town on the Canada-US border, where they set off on foot in the freezing winter temperatures. Tragically, they were found 12 meters from the US border, frozen in the harsh cold.
Their deaths have reignited concerns about the dangerous paths taken by many, particularly those traveling through agents in rural villages like Dingucha, where the promise of easier visas to Canada and the US lures many families. In Dingucha, nearly every household has a member in North America, many of whom take these perilous journeys with the help of unscrupulous agents. These agents, once viewed as facilitators of new opportunities, are now being scrutinized by anti-human trafficking officers as the death toll rises.
Local authorities have vowed to continue investigating these dangerous immigration schemes, as the Patel family’s death highlights the extreme desperation faced by some migrants willing to take deadly risks for a better future.
