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Human smuggling trial could hear from survivor of frigid cross-border walk

Click to play video: 'Blizzard conditions met migrants at Manitoba-Minnesota border crossing, trial hears'
Blizzard conditions met migrants at Manitoba-Minnesota border crossing, trial hears
Witnesses have testified about brutal cold along the border between Manitoba and Minnesota, where a family from India froze to death in early 2022 while trying to walk into the United States.

The trial of two men accused of human smuggling is expected to soon hear from a migrant who survived a long walk across the Canada-U. S. border in a blizzard.

Steve Shand and Harshkumar Patel are charged with organizing several illegal crossings, from Manitoba to Minnesota, of people from India.

They have pleaded not guilty and their trial is set to run until Friday.

One of the crossings they are accused of organizing saw a family of four freeze to death as they struggled to walk in blowing snow and wind chills below -30 in January 2022.

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Border officials caught seven others that day, one of whom is scheduled to take the witness stand as early as today.

Border officials have testified that they saw boot prints in the same area in the weeks preceding that day — a sign that previous migrant crossings had been successful.

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Click to play video: 'Illegal border crossings remain an issue'
Illegal border crossings remain an issue

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