Jury selection begins in human smuggling case after deaths of Indian family at Canada-US border

fergus falls, minnesota — 

Nearly 3 years aft a mates from India and their 2 young children froze to decease portion trying to transverse the borderline from Canada into the U.S., 2 men went connected proceedings Monday connected quality smuggling charges, accused of being portion of a transgression web that stretched astir the world.

Prosecutors accidental Indian nationalist Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, ran portion of the strategy and recruited Steve Shand, 50, of Florida, to shuttle migrants crossed the border. Both men person pleaded not blameworthy successful national tribunal successful Minnesota. They're lasting proceedings earlier U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, with proceedings expected to past astir 5 days. They each look 4 counts related to quality smuggling.

On January 19, 2022, Shand was allegedly waiting successful a motortruck for 11 migrants, including the household of 4 from the colony of Dingucha successful Gujarat state. Prosecutors accidental 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was successful her mid-30s; the couple's 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, died aft spending hours wandering fields successful blizzard conditions arsenic the upwind chill reached minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius).

Prosecutors accidental erstwhile Jagdish Patel's assemblage was found, helium was holding Dharmik, who was wrapped successful a blanket.

Before assemblage enactment began Monday morning, defence attorneys objected to prosecutors’ program to amusement 7 photos of the frozen bodies of Jagdish Patel and his family, including close-up images of the children.

Shand's attorney, Aaron Morrison, said the heart-wrenching images could origin “extreme prejudice to the jury” and asked for the photos to beryllium removed arsenic evidence.

Prosecutors argued the photos were indispensable to amusement the household was not adequately prepared by Shand and Harshkumar Patel for the frigid conditions.

Tunheim allowed the images to stay evidence.

Patel is simply a communal Indian surname and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. Federal prosecutors accidental Harshkumar Patel and Shand were portion of an cognition that scouted clients successful India, got them Canadian pupil visas, arranged proscription and smuggled them into the U.S., mostly done Washington authorities oregon Minnesota.

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested much than 14,000 Indians connected the Canadian borderline successful the twelvemonth ending this Sept. 30. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates much than 725,000 Indians were surviving illegally successful the U.S., down lone Mexicans and El Salvadorans.

Harshkumar Patel’s attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, told The Associated Press that his lawsuit came to America to flight poorness and physique a amended beingness for himself and present "stands unjustly accused of participating successful this horrible crime. He has religion successful the justness strategy of his adopted state and believes that the information volition travel retired astatine the trial.” Attorneys for Shand did not instrumentality messages.

Court documents filed by prosecutors amusement Patel was successful the U.S. illegally aft being refused a U.S. visa astatine slightest 5 times, and that helium recruited Shand astatine a casino adjacent their homes successful Deltona, Florida, conscionable northbound of Orlando.

Over a five-week period, tribunal documents say, Patel and Shand often communicated astir the bitter acold arsenic they smuggled 5 groups of Indians implicit a quiescent agelong of border. One nighttime successful December 2021, Shand messaged Patel that it was “cold arsenic hell” portion waiting to prime up 1 group, the documents say.

“They going to beryllium live erstwhile they get here?” helium allegedly wrote.
During the past travel successful January, Shand had messaged Patel, saying: “Make definite everyone is dressed for the blizzard conditions, please,” according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors accidental Shand told investigators that Patel paid him astir $25,000 for the 5 trips.

Jagdish Patel grew up successful Dingucha. He and his household lived with his parents. The mates were schoolteachers, according to section quality reports.

Satveer Chaudhary is simply a Minneapolis-based migration lawyer who has helped migrants exploited by motel owners, galore of them Gujaratis. He said smugglers and shady concern interests promised galore migrants an American imagination that doesn’t beryllium erstwhile they arrive.

“The promises of the almighty dollar pb galore radical to instrumentality unwarranted risks with their ain dignity, and arsenic we’re uncovering retired here, their ain lives,” Chaudhary said.