Skip to main content

Why so many people from 'model' Gujarat risk money, life, seek to illegally enter US

By Sandeep Pandey* 

Narendra Modi’s United States visit has made big news. In his seventh trip to that country as the Prime Minister he has been able to get himself invited as a state guest for the first time, riding on the back of a proposal from an Indian private company Air India to buy 220 aircrafts from another U.S. private company Boeing.
However, just as Narendra Modi was preparing to travel to U.S. there was news about the Gujarati couple Pankaj and Nisha Patel, who in exchange for Rs. 1.5 crores were promised by middlemen Abhay Raval and Pintu Goswami an illegal entry into the U.S. through a circuitous route of Hyderabad-Iran-Mexico, kidnapped in Iran and released only when a ransom of Rs. 10 lakhs was paid by Pankaj’s brother Sanket to the abductors through the middlemen using the Hawala channel.
In December 2022 Brijkumar Yadav, resident of Kalol taluka in Gandhinagar district died from a fall trying to scale the ‘Trump Wall’ on the U.S.-Mexico border in his attempt to illegally enter the U.S. with his family. His wife fell on the U.S. side of wall and son on the Mexico side.
In April 2023 a farmer from Manekpura in Mehsana district, Pravin Chaudhary with wife Dakha, son Mit and daughter Vidhi was drowned when the boat carrying them capsized in St. Lawrence river trying to illegally enter New York state from Quebec in Canada. In May 2022 in a similar incident 6 men from Gujarat were rescued from capsized boat in St. Regis river also on the New York border.
The most heart rending incident happened in January 2022 when Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishali, 11 years old daughter Vihangi and 3 years old son Dharmik, hailing from Dingucha village in Kalol, Gandhinagar, froze to death on the road in Manitoba province of Canada close to Minnesota in U.S., again in an attempt to cross over illegally into the U.S., unable to withstand a temperature of minus 35 degrees centigrade. The agent had charged Rs. 75 lakhs per adult and Rs. 25 lakhs per child for facilitating illegal entry into U.S.
Gujaratis are an enterprising people, a number of them with desire to migrate to the U.S., but it is tedious to acquire a passport and visa. Narendra Modi’s wife Jashodaben has failed in getting a passport made for herself. In such a situation a normal aspirant Gujarati falls victim to the network of middlemen who openly advertise their offer to send people abroad in exchange for huge sums of money. The rates have gone up about 1.5 times across the Covid period.
It is surprising that in spite of claims of a successful Gujarat model of development, so many people from Gujarat are willing to risk their money and life to seek illegal entry into the U.S. and other such countries. It exposes the hollowness of claims of growth and an economy doing well. It also points to the abject situation of unemployment. According to an estimate 28.6 crores of youth are looking for employment in this country. It is the desperation which drives people to take risks such as attempting illegal migration.
Not only illegal migration but people taking up foreign citizenships is also on rise. The nationalist government is not able to convince people to stay back. They are fleeing in large numbers. 1,83,741 people renounced their Indian citizenship in 2022 choosing an option to permanently settle abroad. 
In PM’s home state an illegal network of human trafficking, with connections beyond Gujarat and India, exists and thrives
This includes many High Net Worth individuals who do not find atmosphere in India conducive enough for their business, whose number, according to Henley and Partners, a UK based global citizenship and residence adviser, could be as high as 8000.
Secondly, it is shocking how in the Prime Minister’s state an illegal network of human trafficking, with connections beyond Gujarat and India, exists and thrives. Needless to say it has the patronage of authorities. And it has gone on for long, even during the period when Modi was Chief Minister here. 
Equally bewildering is the operation of drug racket in Gujarat. In recent times 56 kg cocaine worth Rs. 500 cr. and 75 kg of heroin worth Rs. 375 cr. have been seized from Mundra port owned by Adani in May and July, 2022, respectively. 
Earlier, 3,000 kg of heroin worth Rs. 21,000 cr. was seized from Mundra port in September 2021. In State Assembly the government has admitted that over the last two years Rs. 4,058 cr. worth of charas, ganja, heroin and other drungs and Rs. 211 cr. worth of liquor has been seized from 25 districts of Gujarat. It almost appears that the entire state is in the grip of human trafficking and drug mafia.
Recent arrests of conmen Kiran Patel and Sanjay Sherpuria, both claiming to have associations with the PM office, paints a picture of lawlessness around the persona of Narendra Modi. While Kiran Patel was impersonating as an ‘additional secretary’ in the PMO and making ‘official’ visits to Jammu and Kashmir, Sanjay Sherpuria has defrauded State Bank of India to the tune of Rs. 349.12 cr.
All these stories stand in stark contrast to the picture of PM presented as a strong leader intolerant of corruption. In reality they create an impression of a highly compromised administration which is dispensing favours to its chosen few with many a murky operations and deals behind the scenes.
---
*Magsaysay award winning social activist-academic, General Secretary of Socialist Party (India)

Comments

TRENDING

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*  A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra  Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas*  Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan  Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Overriding India's constitutional sovereignty? Citizens urge PM to reject WHO IHR amendments

By A Representative   A group of concerned Indian citizens, including medical professionals and activists, has sent an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reject proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) before the ratification deadline of July 19, 2025. 

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative   At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative   A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman*   The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.