Migrants in human smuggling case facing deportation hearings

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Seven Indian nationals accused of illegally entering the United States in an alleged human smuggling case that left four dead have been released pending deportation hearings in front of an immigration judge. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials said Thursday (Jan. 27, 2022) that six of the migrants were placed under supervision and one was released for humanitarian purposes. All of them have been ordered to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at a later date. The seven migrants were part of a group of 11 people attempting to cross into the U.S. near the Minnesota-North Dakota border last week during a blizzard. The frozen bodies of four family members who became separated from the group were found just inside the Canadian border.