一 | Washington, Oct 10 (UNI) More and more Indians are entering the United States from the Mexican border.
Since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year that started last October, a record 16,290 Indian citizens have been taken into US custody at the Mexican border. The previous high of 8,997 was recorded in 2018, BBC reported.
Experts point to a number of reasons for the increase, including a climate of discrimination in India, an end to pandemic-era restrictions, a perception that the current US administration is welcoming to asylum seekers and the ramping-up of previously established smuggling networks.
While some migrants are coming to the US for economic reasons, many are fleeing persecution back home, said Deepak Ahluwalia, an immigration lawyer who has represented Indian nationals in Texas and California.
The latter group range from Muslims, Christians and "low-caste" Hindus to members of India's LGBT community who fear violence at the hands of extreme Hindu nationalists or supporters of the secessionist movement and farmers from the Punjab region, the BBC reported.
Conditions for many of these groups have deteriorated in recent years, international observers say.
Immigrants often see the US as "the ultimate gateway" to a better life, said Ahluwalia, the lawyer.
The enormous distances involved, however, make the trip to the US extremely challenging.
Traditionally, Indian migrants who arrive at the US-Mexican border use "door-to-door" smuggling services, with journeys arranged from India to South America.
They are often guided the entire way and travel in small groups with their fellow countrymen who speak the same language, rather than individually or with only family members.
These networks often begin with India-based "travel agents" which outsource parts of the journey to partner criminal groups in Latin America.
Jessica Bolter, an analyst at the Washington DC-based Migration Policy Institute, said that the number of Indian migrants is also rising as a result of a "ripple effect" that takes place when those who have used these services successfully recommend them to friends or family back in India.
"It naturally expands and draws more migrants," she said. "Of course, that doesn't happen without migrants wanting to leave originally."
Manpreet, a 20-year-old from Punjab who asked that only his first name be used, a vocal critic of India's ruling BJP, fled the country after being persecuted for his political beliefs, the BBC reported.
"From Ecuador I took a bus to Colombia, and from Colombia I took a bus to Panama," Manpreet recalled in an interview with the BBC from California. "From there, via a boat, I (went to) Nicaragua and Guatemala, and then Mexico and entered the US."
Even guided by seasoned smugglers, the trip to the border is often one that is fraught with dangers, including robberies and extortion at the hands of local gangs or corrupt authorities or extreme weather, injuries and illness.
These dangers were highlighted in 2019 when a six-year-old Indian girl from Punjab was found dead in the scorching desert near the border town of Lukeville, Arizona.
It was later reported that she died in temperatures of over 42 C (108 F) after her mother left her with a group of other Indians to go search for water.
UNI MR。 AI摘要
2026年海峡两岸书院文化交流活动在厦启动，130余名两岸代表参加。现场发布三条研学线路及文创产品，展演南音、高甲戏。
二 | 活动聚焦闽南文脉，将赴多地交流，共话书院传承发展。 8月23日，“寻根闽南·书香两岸”2026年海峡两岸（福建）书院文化交流活动在厦启动。两岸书院专家学者、青年代表130多人参加活动。 启动仪式上，首位获评国家级非物质文化遗产（南音）代表性传承人的台湾艺术家卓圣翔，携两岸艺术家带来精彩的《山居秋暝》南音表演。国家级非遗高甲戏代表性传承人、一级演员陈炳聪，演绎高甲戏《公子游》。 现场还正式发布“清新福建”书院研学旅行三条核心线路——“闽都文脉·茶海妈祖研学之旅”“海丝古邑·闽南风华研学之旅”“闽山寻理·朱子文脉溯源之旅”，串联八闽主要文脉地标，为两岸青年打造高品质研学精品线路。同时，“福建礼物”书院融合非遗工艺与书院文化，推出文化意蕴、实用功能兼具的镇纸、茶器、善罐等系列文创产品。 启动仪式后，两岸书院专家学者、书院代表围绕“两岸书院文化建设发展”“新时代闽台书院文化交流的路径与创新”“闽台书院传承活化与两岸文旅交流实践”等主题展开探讨，共话书院文化传承之道，共商闽南书院发展之策。 本次活动聚焦闽南文化主题，立足闽南书院文脉传承，六天时间里，两岸专家学者将深入厦门、漳州、泉州等地，感悟非遗在当代的活态传承，追溯两岸共享的精神家园。 海峡两岸（福建）书院文化交流活动已连续举办九届，是省文化和旅游厅重点打造的闽台文旅交流特色品牌。（厦门日报记者 邬秀君）。
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