Behind the Scenes of Migrant Smuggling: Qualitative Insights from Indian Smugglers

The implementation of stricter immigration policies by many countries has increased the number of people searching for alternative routes, such as seeking assistance from travel agents or migrant smugglers. This shift has created a new opportunity leading to an increase in travel agents and migrant smugglers, particularly in countries like India. This paper is based on ethnographic research with travel agents, who are running the migrant smuggling business in India. We have found that they initially operated as conventional travel agents providing services such as ticket booking and visa assistance. However, due the profitable economically rewarding opportunities in illicit migrant smuggling they entered this lucrative business. Further, this paper explores their interpretation of migrant smuggling as a service provided to their clients and the ethics they follow in their enterprises.