California Community Outraged After ICE Detains 73-Year-Old Sikh Woman
Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Sikh woman, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California. Despite residing in the US for over 30 years with no criminal record, Kaur was apprehended during a routine check-in at the San Francisco ICE office.
She had been diligently complying with six-monthly check-ins for more than a decade. Following her detention, Kaur was transferred to a detention centre in Bakersfield. Kaur's family and community are protesting her detention, describing her as a respected and selfless member of the El Sobrante community.
While her asylum application was denied in 2012, she continued to meet her reporting requirements to ICE for over 13 years without incident. The family is shocked and outraged by her detention, questioning the justification for detaining someone with such a long history of compliance and positive community contributions. Protests have taken place, with demonstrators holding signs demanding her release.