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Indian man in California sentenced for human smuggling
Sushil Kumar, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and now faces six months in prison.
Stock image. / Pexels
An Indian-origin man, Sushil Kumar, living in Santa Rosa, California, was sentenced to six months in prison on Mar.5 for his role in a human smuggling scheme along the US-Canada border.
Kumar, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring in and “transport certain aliens for profit” following an investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US Border Patrol, according to a statement.
"Human smuggling poses a serious threat to our nation's border security and undermines the integrity of our immigration system," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Murphy. "This case highlights the importance of continued vigilance and coordination with our law enforcement partners to safeguard our borders and prevent the exploitation of vulnerable individuals."
Kumar and three others were indicted for smuggling Indian nationals across the northern border in November and December 2023. At the sentencing hearing, US District Judge Tana Lin emphasized the exploitation involved in the crime.
“That they wanted to be in the country doesn’t mean they were not exploited,” Judge Lin said. “Each was charged $5,000 to $10,000, which is months or years of their salary in the country from which they were coming… Human smuggling undermines our country’s ability to regulate the border at a real cost.”
Smuggling operations and arrests
Court records reveal that Kumar and co-conspirator Rajat Rajat, 26, directed eight Indian citizens on how to illegally cross the border.
On Nov. 27, 2023, a motion-activated camera captured multiple individuals jumping a fence near the Boundary Village Apartments in Blaine, Washington, a quarter-mile east of Peace Arch Park. Border Patrol agents spotted five people running to a white minivan, which was later stopped. The driver, 68-year-old Bobby Joe Green, a California resident, was arrested along with five ‘illegal aliens’, according to a statement by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Three of the individuals identified Kumar in a six-pack photo lineup and said they had communicated with him via WhatsApp before crossing. One stated that Kumar sent him a screenshot of his live location near the fence and gave instructions on where to jump.
A second smuggling incident took place in December 2023. Rajat allegedly met three Indian nationals at Peace Arch Park and directed them on how to cross into the US, where they were picked up by a car driven by a 20-year-old student visa holder named Sneha. Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle and detained the three passengers. Rajat was later apprehended near the border.
Sentences and pending trials
Three of the four defendants have pleaded guilty. Kumar received a six-month prison sentence. Rajat is scheduled to be sentenced on Apr.23, 2025, while Green was sentenced on Mar.13, 2025.
Sneha, who is only identified by her last name, is facing trial on May.12, 2025. She was arrested in Renton and released on bond. The charges against her are allegations, and she remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys Jin Kim and Mike Dion, along with Special Assistant US Attorney Katherine Collins. ICE HSI and the US Border Patrol led the investigation.
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