Five Indians apprehended for trying to enter US illegally

Five Indian nationals have been taken into custody by the US patrol agents in New York for trying to enter America illegally, authorities said.

The US Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ogdensburg Border Patrol Station in New York apprehended the five persons from India and a suspected smuggler on November 15 after the smuggler attempted to evade a temporary immigration checkpoint.

The agency said a vehicle driven by a US citizen evaded an immigration checkpoint near Morristown, New York.

Agents were able to locate the vehicle as it turned into a parking lot of a local business in Ogdensburg. It added that the occupants exited the vehicle and ran inside the business.

Border patrol agents pursued and were able to apprehend the driver and five persons from India who do not have immigration documentation allowing them to remain in the US legally. All persons were taken into custody and transported to the Ogdensburg Border Patrol Station for further processing.

The criminal case was referred to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York.

In fiscal year 2018, the United States Border Patrol apprehended people from 113 countries along the southwest border and more than 9,000 people from India were detained at US borders nationwide -- a big increase from the prior year, when that number was about 3,100