A Sikh grandmother who lived in the U.S. for over 30 years was deported to India after enduring harsh conditions in an ICE detention center, raising concerns about the treatment of vulnerable immigrants.
A Sikh grandmother, Harjit Kaur, who had resided in the United States for more than three decades, was deported to New Delhi, India, on September 23. Her deportation followed a week spent in what her attorney described as “barbaric” conditions at a private Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Georgia.
“There was no rationale to detain Bibi Harjit Kaur,” said Deepak Ahluwalia, Kaur’s attorney, in an interview with American Community Media on September 24. “It’s all part of their effort to fill beds.”
Ahluwalia expressed deep concern over Kaur’s treatment, emphasizing her age and health issues. “Her detention was nothing short of barbaric,” he stated. “That type of treatment would affect most people. They chose to do this to a 73-year-old woman with disabilities and health issues.”
Kaur was initially detained at an ICE facility in Bakersfield, California, before being transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, without any notification to her family or attorney.
During her time in detention, Kaur faced numerous challenges. According to Ahluwalia, she was denied water to take her medications and was instead given a plate of ice, which she could not consume due to her dentures. In Lumpkin, she was forced to sleep on the floor in a crowded facility, which was particularly difficult for her given her recent knee surgeries. Additionally, as a strict vegetarian, Kaur was provided meat-based meals for the first six days of her detention. She also experienced multiple instances of being handcuffed during transfers.
The Stewart Detention Center is a private facility operated by CoreCivic, a company that has faced scrutiny for its treatment of detainees.
Kaur, a seamstress who worked at the Berkeley Sari Palace for over 20 years, initially sought asylum in the U.S. in 1991 after the death of her husband. Her asylum claim was based on a credible fear of persecution in India, particularly in the wake of the anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. This tragic event led to the deaths of thousands of Sikhs and has been described by many international civil rights organizations as a genocide.
In 2023, California State Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains introduced AJR2 to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as genocide. The resolution passed both the state Assembly and Senate without requiring the governor’s signature. A similar measure was introduced in Congress last October by Rep. David Valadao, R-California.
Kaur’s asylum case was denied twice, with the last denial occurring in 2013 by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. After her asylum claim was rejected, she needed travel documents to return to India but had not received the necessary paperwork when she was arrested by ICE on September 8 during a routine check-in at the ICE office in San Francisco. Kaur had consistently complied with immigration authorities, making the required check-ins every six months for the past 12 years.
Her family was unable to sponsor her for permanent residency due to her undocumented status. Ahluwalia explained that an undocumented resident’s family cannot apply for sponsorship while the individual is still in the U.S. Kaur would have needed to return to India to obtain a family-based visa, which was complicated by her lack of travel documents.
In a statement released last week, Kaur’s family expressed their dismay, stating, “Harjit’s case represents a failure of our immigration system. She has been a contributing member of her community for decades, paying taxes, working legally, and building relationships with neighbors and friends. Her detention is not only cruel but unnecessary.”
They further noted, “She has never refused to return to India but cannot without documents.”
Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, the Consul General of India in San Francisco, commented on the situation, stating that it is ICE’s responsibility to request travel documents for individuals being deported. He noted that no such request had been made in the 12 years since Kaur’s asylum claim was rejected.
“Once ICE requests travel documents, it usually takes just a couple of days for us to issue them,” Reddy explained. “But Mrs. Kaur had migrated more than 30 years ago, so we had no information about her. We had to connect with Indian authorities, which took some time.”
When asked whether Kaur might face persecution upon her return to India, Reddy stated, “She was denied by the highest appeals court. That clearly shows that her fears of persecution were unfounded.”
In a statement to NBC News, ICE defended its actions, asserting that Kaur had exhausted all legal remedies several years ago. “ICE is enforcing U.S. law and the orders by the judge; she will not waste any more U.S. tax dollars,” the statement read.
According to the Pew Research Center, India was the fifth largest source of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. as of 2022-2023, following Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Reddy noted a slight increase in requests for travel documents over the past seven months.
Estimates suggest that approximately 1.5 million undocumented individuals over the age of 55 reside in the United States. However, ICE does not provide age-specific data on deportations.
Source: Original article