Dingucha & the American Dream: A Gujarat Village Shook By the US Border Tragedy

Cameraperson: Bakul Bhai Parmar

Producer: Saptarshi Basak

Senior Editor: Saundarya Talwar

A few kilometres away from Kalol District, Gandhinagar, in the state of Gujarat, lies a small village called Dingucha.

While the village may be small, its people harbour massive dreams, especially the 'American Dream', which is a vivid reality for most of the residents of Dingucha.

It has a meagre population of around 3,600 people, many of whom have migrated to the United States and Canada to pursue better economic opportunities.

Dingucha hit the headlines after an Indian family of four froze to death while attempting to illegally enter the US via the Canada border.

The four have been identified as Jagdish Patel (39), his wife Vaishali Patel (37), and children Vihangi Patel (11) and Dharmik Patel (3), the High Commission of India, Ottawa, said in a statement.

The family was part of a group of 11 people from Gujarat who wanted to cross into the US, but failed to do so due to a deadly blizzard.

Why Do Many of Dingucha's Residents Move Abroad?

Villagers of Dingucha, like Amrut Patel who was born and brought up in the village, say that unemployment is so rampant that even educated people are unable to find jobs.

"When there are few chances to get paid well here, then moving abroad becomes a necessity", Patel, who is a relative of the missing family, tells The Quint.

Another resident, Bharat Patel, reiterates to The Quint the issue of unemployment, citing the example of his friend's daughter, who scored 94 percent in her exams, but couldn't get into a government college and fulfil her aspirations.

"If they don't go to America, what life do our children have here? They score 90 percent in their exams and still can't get admitted to medical college."

Additionally, village Sarpanch Mathurji Thakor, speaking to The Quint, said that the jobs that migrants from Dingucha secure abroad pay much more than any job they might get by remaining in India: "Jobs in America, they pay much more."

'Jobs at Food Joints, Motels & Gas Stations'

Amrut Patel also emphasises that the United States is a popular destination because of the already well-established network of Patidars in the country: "When people from the Patidar community migrate to the US, well-settled Patidars support them."

When asked about what types of jobs migrants from the village take up when they reach the US, both Amrut Patel and Bharat Patel mention popular food joints, along with coffee shops, gas stations, and bagel shops.

Jobs in motels, hotels, and restaurants, are also widely pursued by those who leave Dingucha.

Migration from Dingucha to the US, and sometimes even Canada and Australia, has been occurring for decades.

The first wave of migration started in the mid-1960s and has persisted ever since.

"They often go abroad and settle down permanently, and come back to Dingucha only for short visits", Amrut Patel says.

Not only has his own family been settled in the US for many years, but he himself is a non-resident Indian, who at the time of his interview, had come to visit his home country.

"This is my country. I am attached to my country, to my village," he says.

Despite the risks that accompanies the journey to illegally immigrate, data shows that the number of Indians who are moving to the US are increasing every year.

The crisis surrounding illegal immigration also serves as a business opportunity for human smugglers, such as the agent who is responsible for the journey of the family that became the victims of the monstrously cold weather.

The very same agent had reportedly sent nine to ten other families, all belonging to Dingucha, to the US via the same route, illegally, while extracting lakhs and lakhs of money from them.

Three of these families are untraceable at the moment.

Gujarat’s Criminal Investigation Department and security agencies in the US and Canada are now probing the smuggling operations that led to these tragic deaths.