A trial has opened in Minnesota for an Indian national accused of orchestrating a deadly human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of a migrant family at the Canada-US border in January 2022. Federal prosecutors claim that 29-year-old Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel ran a network that recruited individuals in India, arranged Canadian student visas, and smuggled them into the United States. Steve Shand, a 50-year-old from Florida, is accused of helping transport the migrants across the border. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The tragic incident occurred when Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and their 3-year-old son Dharmik died from exposure to subzero temperatures near the border. Their bodies were found by Canadian authorities on January 19, 2022, with Jagdish holding his son, wrapped in a blanket.

According to prosecutors, Patel managed a network that recruited clients in India, arranged for Canadian student visas, and facilitated their illegal entry into the US, either through Minnesota or Washington. Shand allegedly received $25,000 for each of five trips, according to court records. In one exchange, Shand reportedly messaged Patel, expressing concern about the migrants' survival in the freezing conditions, asking, “They going to be alive when they get here?”

Patel's attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, defended his client’s innocence, stating, “He trusts in the justice system of his adopted country and believes the truth will come out during the trial.”

This case underscores the dangers migrants face, especially as the number of Indians apprehended at the Canadian border surged in 2022, with US Border Patrol detaining over 14,000 individuals from India. Minneapolis immigration lawyer Satveer Chaudhary noted, “The lure of financial gain drives many to take life-threatening risks with their dignity—and as we’ve seen, even their lives.”

The trial is expected to expose the dark operations of international human smuggling networks.