Florida man charged with human smuggling due for preliminary and detention hearing on Jan 24
Indian missions in Canada and the US have rushed consular officials to Manitoba and Minnesota amid a probe into what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a “mind blowing tragedy” — an Indian family’s death by freezing on the US-Canada border.
“This is a grave tragedy,” Indian High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria tweeted Friday. An Indian consular team is traveling today from @IndiainToronto to Manitoba to coordinate and help. We will work with Canadian authorities to investigate these disturbing events.”
Canadian police found the bodies of a family of four Indians from Gujarat— including a baby and a teenager — on the US-Canada border near Emerson, Manitoba Wednesday.
Apparently victims of a human smuggling operation, the family froze to death in minus 40 F blizzard after walking for 11 hours through waist-high snow to illegally cross border into US from Canada.
Read: Indian family of four found frozen to death near US-Canada border (January 22, 2022)
Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu also despatched a consular team from the Indian consulate in Chicago to Minnesota where authorities have filed a case of human smuggling against a Florida man, Steve Shand, 47.
The authorities have also arrested seven other undocumented Indian nationals who were apparently smuggled across the US-Canada border by Shand.
“An unfortunate and tragic incident,” Sandhu tweeted. “We are in touch with US authorities on their ongoing investigation. A consular team from@IndiainChicago is traveling today to Minnesota to coordinate and provide any assistance required.”
Shand has been ordered to remain in custody pending a preliminary and detention hearing scheduled for Jan 24 at 3:00 p.m. before US District Court Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer.
At his first appearance on Jan 20 before Bowbeer, Shand was charged with one count of knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, having transported, and moved or having attempted to transport and move such aliens.
According to court documents, Shand was arrested on Jan 19 after the US Border Patrol (USBP) stopped a white-colored, 15 passenger van less than one mile south of the US-Canadian border.
Officers asked for identification of the two passengers in the van and determined them to be undocumented Indian nationals.
According to court documents, officers discovered cases of plastic cups, bottled water, bottled juice, and snacks located in the extreme rear of the passenger van.
They also discovered receipts dated Jan 18 for the drinks and snacks, and rental agreement receipts in Shand’s name for the van, with the return date listed for Jan 20. USBP arrested Shand for smuggling undocumented foreign nationals.
While Shand and the two Indian passengers were being transported to the Pembina Border Patrol Station in North Dakota, officers encountered five more Indian nationals about a quarter mile south of the Canadian border walking in the direction of where Shand was arrested.
They appeared to be headed to an unstaffed gas plant located in St. Vincent, Minnesota. The five Indian nationals explained that they had walked across the border expecting to be picked up by someone.
The group estimated they had been walking around for over 11 hours. One of the group members was in possession of a backpack that did not belong to him.
He stated he was carrying the backpack for a family of four Indian nationals that had earlier walked with his group, but had become separated during the night. The backpack contained children’s clothes, a diaper, toys, and some children’s medication.
According to court documents, later during the day on Jan 19, USBP received a report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that four bodies were found frozen just inside the Canadian side of the international border.
The bodies were tentatively identified as the family of four that was separated. Two of the surviving Indian nationals sustained serious injuries and were transported to a hospital.
Meanwhile, in Ottawa, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Friday called it a ‘mind blowing’ tragedy and said Canada is doing all it can to stop people-smuggling across the US border.
“It was an absolutely mind-blowing story. It’s so tragic to see a family die like that, victims of human traffickers … and of people who took advantage of their desire to build a better life,” Trudeau told a news conference, according to Winnipeg Sun.
Read: Man charged after four people found dead near Canada-U.S. border in Manitoba (January 20, 2022)
“This is why we are doing all we can to discourage people from crossing the border in an irregular or illicit manner. We know there are great risks in doing so,” he said.
Canada, Trudeau said, was working very closely with the United States to stop smuggling and help people “taking unacceptable risks.”