Two men convicted after migrants froze to death on Canada-U.S. border face sentencing

[rangerrebew]

Two men convicted after migrants froze to death on Canada-U.S. border face sentencing
Story by Steve Lambert • 5h

FERGUS FALLS — Two men are to be sentenced today for their role in a human smuggling operation that saw a family of four freeze to death on the Canada-U.S. border south of Winnipeg.

Harshkumar Patel and Steve Shand were convicted last fall on four charges related to bringing people illegally into the United States and transporting them.

Court was told during one operation in January of 2022, a couple from India and their two children were left to walk across the border in an overnight blizzard on the bald prairie, as temperatures dropped below -20 C.

Prosecutors say Patel organized the logistics while Shand would pick up migrants on the U.S. side in rented vehicles and drive them to cities such as Chicago.

Prosecutors in Minnesota are seeking prison sentences of a little more than 19 years for Patel and 10 years for Shand.

 https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/two-men-convicted-after-migrants-froze-to-death-on-canada-us-border-face-sentencing/ar-AA1FCwWm?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[Smokin Joe]

Winter is our best border security in the open country. No one wants to walk far in that.

[Lando Lincoln]

Winter is our best border security in the open country. No one wants to walk far in that.

Some years ago, I was deer hunting near Bullion Butte, ND. It was well below zero with terrible winds and snow about a foot deep. I hiked across a flat with another hunter that seemed endless. Brutal. I remember him stopping and saying, “Now I know why people just lie down and go to sleep”.

[Smokin Joe]

Some years ago, I was deer hunting near Bullion Butte, ND. It was well below zero with terrible winds and snow about a foot deep. I hiked across a flat with another hunter that seemed endless. Brutal. I remember him stopping and saying, “Now I know why people just lie down and go to sleep”.

Yep. It is also country where distances are deceptive (that farm security light might be five miles away, not just one), and terrain that initially appears flat is suddenly cut by a deep ravine. Sometimes, the flats aren't. Even a couple hundred yards can be exhausting, especially if you are bucking the wind in those temperatures.