Nearly 97,000 Indians held trying to enter illegally between October 2022 and September 2023: U.S. border protection agency

Of the 96,917 Indians arrested between October 2022 and September this year, 30,010 were caught on the Canadian border and 41,770 at the frontier with Mexico

A record 96,917 Indians were arrested while crossing illegally into the US between October 2022 and September 2023, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (UCBP) data.

Indians apprehended while crossing the U.S. border unlawfully have reportedly witnessed a five-fold increase in the past years.

In 2019-20, 19,883 Indians were apprehended. In 2020-21, 30,662 Indians were arrested while in 2021-22 this number was 63,927, according to the data.

Of the 96,917 Indians arrested between October 2022 and September this year, 30,010 were caught on the Canadian border and 41,770 at the frontier with Mexico.

Those arrested are classified under four categories — Accompanied Minors (AM), Individuals in a Family Unit (FMUA), Single Adults, and Unaccompanied Children (UC).

Single adults make up the largest category. In fiscal year 2023, 84,000 Indian adults crossed into the U.S. illegally. 730 unaccompanied minors were among the arrested people.

The U.S. federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.