Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Indian woman who had lived in the US for over three decades, was deported to India on September 22, sparking widespread outrage, particularly among the Sikh community.
Ms. Kaur, who fled political unrest in Punjab in 1991 with her two young sons, had sought asylum several times during her years in the US. Despite these attempts, her asylum applications were repeatedly rejected.
On September 8, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested her after her appeals were denied. She was detained in a facility in Georgia before being deported, all while being unable to visit her home or bid farewell to her family and friends.
According to her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, Ms. Kaur was subjected to poor conditions during her detention. She reportedly spent 60-70 hours in a cell without a bed, forced to sleep on the floor despite having undergone double knee replacements. She was also given only ice to take her medications and was denied food she could consume.
In a statement, ICE defended its actions, saying that Ms. Kaur had “exhausted decades of due process” and that an immigration judge had ordered her removal in 2005.
The agency added that all of her appeals had been rejected, and it was now enforcing US law.
Ms. Kaur had lived in Hercules, San Francisco Bay Area, for over two decades, working as a seamstress in a sari store while paying taxes. Asylum applicants in the US are legally allowed to work while their cases are pending.
Upon arriving in Delhi, Ms. Kaur expressed her despair: “After living for so long in the US, you are suddenly detained and deported this way; it is better to die than to face this.”
Her deportation has sparked protests and outrage, especially in the Sikh community in California. This event is part of a broader crackdown on immigration by the US, which has seen increased enforcement actions, particularly under the Trump administration, affecting both undocumented immigrants and individuals whose asylum claims were rejected.
