US authorities abruptly deported a 73-year-old woman this week after 33 years in the country. Harjit Kaur was detained by immigration officials in California after she went for a routine check — triggering widespread protests for her release. The ‘undocumented’ Sikh woman had paid her taxes in the US and held a work permit and other necessary documents.
“Their behaviour was very bad. I was arrested on 8 September… I was arrested and taken to Bakersfield, where I stayed for 8-10 days. I was then taken to Arizona, from where I was sent to Delhi… My children over there will do something. I cannot do anything,” Kaur told ANI.
According to reports Kaur had arrived in the US as a single mother with two sons in 1991 but faced legal issues. Her asylum case was denied in 2012 due to the lack of a passport. She had reported to ICE every six month for more than 13 years and reportedly worked at an Indian garment store for more than two decades. Nonprofit news portal Berkeleyside claimed that “ICE assured her that she could remain in the United States under supervision with a work permit until her travel documents were received”.
‘Taken out at 2 am in handcuffs’
Her advocate also shared details via Instagram — revealing that the senior citizen was detained after the ICE officials asked her to come to its San Francisco office for additional paperwork. She was then taken to a detention centre in Bakersfield and then to Los Angeles before being put on a flight. Deepak Ahluwalia claimed that Kaur and her family were also denied any chance to say a final goodbye before she was deported. She was briefly kept at a detention center in Georgia before being sent home.
“We were able to get her travel documents. We were trying to negotiate with the ICE attorney and the government for her to depart on a commercial flight. We booked a ticket for Monday. We also asked the authorities to release her for 24-48 hours, even under ankle monitoring, to give her a chance to say final goodbye…But around 2 am on Saturday, they took her from Bakersfield, drove her to Los Angeles in handcuffs, and put her on a flight to Georgia without even notifying the attorney, or giving any prior notice,” Ahluwalia claimed.
“She was not even given a bed for nearly 60-70 hours, and made to sleep on the floor with a blanket. She was unable to get up as she had a double knee replacement surgery. She was also denied a shower the entire time. Prior to the flight on Monday, she and some other detainees were given wet wipes and told to just clean up before boarding the plane from Georgia” he said.
Over 2,400 Indians deported from US since January
The Donald Trump government has led a stringent crackdown against immigration since taking oath in January. Data from the Ministry of External Affairs reveals that 2,417 Indians have been deported from America between January 20 and September 25. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that New Delhi stood against illegal migration and wanted to promote pathways for legal mobility of people.