A 73-year-old Punjabi woman living in California’s East Bay for more than three decades has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her arrest has triggered protests and appeals from community members and elected officials of the area.
Harjit Kaur, a Hercules resident for over 30 years, was detained on September 8 during what was supposed to be a routine check-in at ICE’s San Francisco office. According to her family, she was transferred the next day to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield.
Who is Harjit Kaur?
Kaur immigrated to the US in 1992 as a single mother of two. Her asylum claim was denied in 2012 and since then she has lived under ICE supervision. According to relatives, she could not be deported as the Indian Consulate repeatedly denied giving back her travel documents. However, ICE allowed her to remain under reporting requirements, the family claimed.
About 200 people gathered in El Sobrante on Friday demanding her release. The rally, organised by her family and supported by Indivisible West Contra Costa and the Sikh Center, drew community members carrying signs such as “Bring Grandma Home”.
Local officials also weighed in with staff from Congressman John Garamendi’s office and Hercules City Council member Dilli Bhattarai attending the rally. Garamendi later criticised the detention as “misplaced priorities”, urging ICE to focus on dangerous offenders rather than elderly residents with no criminal record. His office has submitted an inquiry to the agency. California Assembly member Alex Lee also expressed support, saying Kaur “is doing it the right way”.
Family launches campaign website
According to her family, Kaur worked for more than two decades as a seamstress at Sari Palace in Berkeley and she suffers from thyroid disease, knee pain, migraines and anxiety. Family members said she has not received full access to her medications at Mesa Verde. “She was crying and begging us for help,” her daughter-in-law told ABC7 News.
Her family has launched a campaign website, bringharjithome.com, urging supporters to contact elected officials, including Garamendi, Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler and the White House.