Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Death of Indian family at Canada-US border: Florida man to be conditionally released

Death of Indian family at Canada-US border: Florida man to be conditionally released

A Florida man accused of smuggling Indian migrants who crossed through a freezing snow storm into the US from Canada last week was granted conditional release in a hearing on Monday (24).

Steve Shand, who appeared via video feed from a Minneapolis jail, was arrested by US border patrol the same day Royal Canadian Mounted Police found the bodies of four people, including a baby, frozen to death in the Manitoba snow meters from the US border of Minnesota.


Shand, who waived his right to a probable cause hearing, will remain in custody until plans are made for his return home to Deltona, Florida. The US district court for the district of Minnesota said conditions of Shand's release include restrictions on travel and the surrender of any travel documents, as well as his promise to appear in court as required. The court did not specify when he would be released.

US authorities charged Shand with smuggling two people - Gujarati-speaking Indian nationals that US border patrol agents found with him in a 15-person white rental van driving through blowing snow Wednesday morning. Authorities suspect he is involved in a larger smuggling operation, the charge documents say.

Authorities believe the four deceased people were separated from another group of five Indians who were travelling on foot in the snow as they tried to cross the border. That group of five was also apprehended Wednesday (19).

The group of five had new-looking winter gear that matched Shand's, the documents say, and their boots matched boot-prints from people who walked across the border last month, according to US department of homeland security special agent John Stanley.

One woman walking had to be hospitalized for frostbite and may have part of her hand amputated, authorities said.

"The investigation into the death of the four individuals in Canada is ongoing along with an investigation into a larger human smuggling operation of which Shand is suspected of being a part," the charge document reads.

One of the men picked up by border patrol reportedly said he had obtained a fraudulent Canadian student visa and intended to meet his uncle in Chicago.

Shauna Labman, a human rights professor who studies migration at the University of Winnipeg, said going south from Canada into the US is less common than the opposite direction.

The US is usually easier to get to, by land or air, and Canada is generally seen as having fairer refugee policies, she said.

"The news is upsetting but it's also not surprising: It is a risk that we know occurs. ... Our border policies force people into dangerous crossings."

(Reuters)

More For You

Liz Kendall

Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall will outline welfare reforms in a green paper next week, followed by chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement on 26 March.

Ministers may drop plan to freeze disability benefits: Report

MINISTERS are considering dropping plans to freeze Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for a year, according to a report.

Initial proposals suggested PIP would not rise in line with inflation, but strong opposition from Labour MPs has prompted a review.

Keep ReadingShow less
BBC settles age and sex discrimination case
BBC headquarters in Central London.
Getty Images

BBC settles age and sex discrimination case

THE BBC on Friday (14) said it had settled a case with four female journalists who claimed they lost their jobs because of their sex and age.

Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera, who have all presented on the BBC's television channels, claimed they lost their jobs following a "rigged" recruitment exercise.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian student in US self-deports after visa revocation

In this screenshot from a video posted by @Sec_Noem via X on March 14, 2025, Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at United State’s Columbia University, leaves the country after her visa was revoked by the Department of State. (@Sec_Noem via PTI Photo)

Indian student in US self-deports after visa revocation

AN INDIAN student at Columbia University, whose visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas, has self-deported, says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen, came to the US on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, and her visa was revoked on March 5.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Companies with diverse leadership are better positioned for growth'

From LtoR- Lord Karan Bilimoria, Sir Trevor Phillips, Seema Malhotra MP, David Tyler and Nathan Coe

'Companies with diverse leadership are better positioned for growth'

COMPANIES with diverse leadership are better positioned for sustainable growth, improved decision-making, and will connect better with multicultural markets, equalities minister Seema Malhotra has said.

She added that the government will soon launch a public consultation on their approach to mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with  Wang Yi (right)

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Wang Yi (right)

S Jaishankar: ‘Delhi’s global interests shape its regional ties'

INDIA today sees itself as a global power or, at least, a country with global interests, which is why Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has spoken of its equation with Russia, China and notably the Middle East.

India’s external affairs minister was in conversation last Wednesday (5) in London with Bronwen Maddox, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House.

Keep ReadingShow less