India’s trafficking claims against Canadian colleges reveal ‘exploited’ immigration system, experts say [Video]

An investigation by Indian officials that alleges dozens of Canadian colleges and universities might be linked to a scheme of illegally ferrying students across the Canada-U.S. border reveals the “staggering” extent to which holes in the immigration system can be exploited, some experts say.

“If the allegations are true, it reveals shocking gaps in our integrity protocols.… This is deeply, deeply concerning and problematic,” Raj Sharma, a Calgary-based immigration lawyer, told CBC News Network, adding that the allegations suggest “wide-scale human smuggling.”

India’s Enforcement Directorate said in a news release on Tuesday it had uncovered evidence of human trafficking involving two “entities” in Mumbai after probing the Indian connection to the Patel family, who froze to death in January 2022 while trying to cross the border from Manitoba into Minnesota during frigid weather conditions. 

The Enforcement Directorate said its investigation found that about 25,000 students were referred by one entity, with over 10,000 students referred by another entity to …