The arrest of 73-year-old Harjit Kaur by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sparked widespread anger and sympathy within California’s Sikh community, with calls for her immediate release intensifying.
Kaur, who has lived in California for more than three decades, was taken into custody during a routine check-in with ICE on September 8, despite having no criminal record. She had applied for asylum in the U.S. after arriving in 1991 with her two young sons following the death of her husband, seeking refuge from political unrest in Punjab. Her asylum applications and appeals were repeatedly denied, with a final rejection in 2012, but she had been allowed to remain in the U.S. under supervision, renewing her work permit annually and faithfully reporting to immigration authorities every six months.
Family members say Kaur is now being held at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Centre in Bakersfield under harsh conditions, with allegations that she has been denied her regular medication, vegetarian meals, and forced to sit on the floor for hours despite having had double knee replacement surgery. “She said, ‘I would rather die than be in this facility,’” her daughter-in-law Manjit Kaur told reporters. “Provide us the travel documents and she is ready to go. She had even packed her suitcases back in 2012.”
Community leaders and elected officials have joined the chorus demanding her release. California State Senator Jesse Arreguin condemned the detention as “shameful,” while U.S. Congressman John Garamendi has formally requested ICE to reconsider her case. Sikh organizations in the Bay Area have staged protests, with hundreds gathering outside local gurdwaras to express solidarity.
ICE maintains that Kaur has “exhausted decades of due process” and is now subject to a lawful removal order dating back to 2005. However, her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, argues that ICE failed for over 13 years to obtain the necessary travel documents from India and is now seeking assistance from the Indian consulate.
Supporters insist Kaur poses no flight risk and have urged authorities to release her under supervision, allowing her to self-deport once travel papers are secured. Meanwhile, protests are expected to spread to other U.S. cities as the community rallies around “Bibi Harjit,” a woman many describe as a pillar of the local Sikh diaspora.