SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Abdoulaye Camara's journey to the United States from his home in Mauritania was a dangerous and arduous one, and it underscores that the stream of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border now includes many who come from the other side of the world.
Almost 3,000 citizens of India were apprehended entering the U.S. from Mexico last year. In 2007, only 76 were. The number of Nepalese arrested went from just four in 2007 to 647 last year.
Camara was one of 124 migrants who ended up in a federal prison in Oregon after being detained in the U.S. near the border with Mexico in May, the result of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy. Almost half were from India. Three, including Camara, were from Africa.