Nearly three years after an Indian family tragically froze to death at the US-Canada border, two men are now facing trial for their alleged roles in the smuggling attempt that led to the deaths of Vaishaliben Patel, her husband Jagdish, and their two children, 11-year-old Vihangi and 3-year-old Dharmik. The trial, which begins this week in Minnesota, will center on the charges of human trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and culpable homicide not amounting to murder, with both accused men, Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Anthony Shand, pleading not guilty.
The harrowing story began on a bitterly cold winter day in January 2022 when a blizzard struck the region. Border patrol agents, suspicious of a backpack containing children's clothing and toys found near the border, arrested a man driving a van near the US-Canada line. The backpack suggested that a family with young children had been traveling with other migrants but had become separated in the storm. A subsequent search by Canadian authorities led to the discovery of the Patel family's bodies just 12 meters from the US border, where they had succumbed to the frigid temperatures that plummeted below -35°C.
The Patels, who had traveled from their home village in Gujarat, India, to Canada on visitor visas, were reportedly trying to cross into the US when they were caught in the deadly weather. According to court documents, the family had been connected to a larger human trafficking operation that used fraudulent student visas to help foreign nationals enter Canada, only to have them illegally cross the border into the US.
Authorities allege that Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, who ran a casino in Florida and has previously been denied entry into the US, was a key figure in organizing the smuggling. He is accused of working closely with Shand, the driver of the van, who was arrested on the same day the family’s bodies were discovered. The two men allegedly communicated about the severe weather conditions that day, with Shand warning Patel to ensure that everyone was dressed for the blizzard.
Shand is accused of transporting several illegal migrants, including the Patels, across the US-Canada border. One of the other migrants involved, identified only as VD, revealed to authorities that he had paid $87,000 to an organization in India to help him enter Canada fraudulently and eventually be smuggled into the US. After crossing the border, some of these individuals were allegedly taken to a Chicago-area restaurant chain where they were forced to work for substandard wages to repay their smuggling debts.
The death of the Patel family shines a light on the dangerous and increasingly common practice of smuggling migrants across the US-Canada border. Immigration experts fear that such operations may increase, particularly with the incoming US administration's plans for mass deportations, which may drive more undocumented migrants to seek illegal routes into the country.
Following the tragic deaths, residents of Dingucha, the Patel family’s village in India, revealed that the family had been hoping for a better life abroad. Like many others in their village, they had dreamed of moving to a foreign country for better opportunities. Their dream, however, ended in tragedy, far from home.
The trial of Patel and Shand is set to shed more light on the human trafficking operation that led to the Patels' death, and it may serve as a warning about the dangers of illegal migration networks. As authorities continue to investigate the complex web of smuggling operations, questions remain about the extent of these networks and the measures needed to prevent further loss of life along the US-Canada border.