30 years in US, detained as ‘illegal alien’: Family shares ordeal of Indian-origin man held in 1999-phone case

The detention of Paramjit Singh, an Indian-origin green card holder and long-time Indiana businessman, by US immigration authorities at Chicago O’Hare Airport over a decades-old minor infraction, has sparked outrage and concern among his family and legal representatives. Firstpost spoke to Singh’s niece Kiran Virk, who shared the plight of her uncle.

Singh, who has lived lawfully in America for more than 30 years and built his life in Fort Wayne, was taken into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on July 30 while returning from a routine trip to India — a journey he regularly makes for his medical treatment.

He was detained in a 1999 incident involving an unpaid use of a public pay phone worth just 30 cents — an issue fully resolved more than two decades ago. Despite a clean legal record since and a judge downgrading the charge to a minor misdemeanour, Singh remains behind bars, exacerbating his suffering as a brain tumour patient with additional health complications.

The case comes amid US President Donald Trump’s renewed hardline crackdown on immigrants, raising questions about the treatment of long-term legal residents. Family members allege that the ICE ignored Singh’s medical needs and due process, keeping him inside the airport for five days and later in detention, with bond payments delayed and unclear communication from authorities.

The ordeal, marked by missed medical care and legal hurdles, weighs heavily on Singh’s family as the incident highlights the deep human impact of the latest US immigration enforcement drive.

Decades-old minor case triggers detention

Kiran Virk told Firstpost’s Bhanu Pratap that Singh was detained in the 1999-case involving a minor phone charge at his gas station despite having been cleared in 2002.

Kiran explained that Paramjit was returning from a family vacation in India with his son when they were detained at Chicago airport. She and her father were waiting to receive him at the airport.

‘Police arrested him over just 30 cents’: The 1999 phone incident

Paramjit’s detention traces back to a small incident in 1999, when he had purchased a gas station with a public phone. Mistaking it for a free line, he used it to call family and friends in India.

“He didn’t realise it wasn’t free. Everyone at the store was using it, and he, too, started calling his family back in India. That’s the case they are holding against him even today,” Kiran told Firstpost.

She added, “The phone just connected without asking for money, so he thought it was free like everyone else did. Then one day someone complained, and the police arrested him over calls worth just 30 cents.”

“He would have paid if he knew, but it was his store, and he never realised money was required. The case was cleared in 2002, and since then, he’s travelled abroad dozens of times without any issue,” Kiran said.

‘They called him an illegal alien’: Detention amid Trump’s tough immigration stance

Paramjit’s detention came at a time when US President Donald Trump toughened his stance on immigration. When asked about the Trump administration’s recent moves, Kiran said, “We feel this is meant for illegal immigrants, but he has been legal here for more than 30 years. We were the only brown family there at that time.”

She told Firstpost, “At his first court date, they even called him an ‘illegal alien,’ which is simply not true. He entered the US in 1994 through my grandparents, who were citizens, and was given a green card right away. He never came here illegally—not then, not ever.”

The judge downgraded charge to a minor misdemeanour

She explained that Paramjit applied for US citizenship several times but was always rejected because of the old Liberty case on his record. In 2023, a judge reviewed it and downgraded the charge, ruling it was never a felony but only a minor misdemeanour.

“He kept getting rejected for citizenship because of that Liberty case. But in 2023, a judge finally said it was never a felony to begin with and downgraded it to a misdemeanour. He was even told to carry that court order while travelling, and he did—but at the airport, they didn’t care,” Kiran said.

‘ICE is ignoring his brain tumour like it’s nothing’

She described the toll Paramjit’s detention has taken on the family. “His kids are very worried. His wife and mother have been going in and out of the hospital, and it’s just been so hard on the family. We’re most worried about his health, but they’re ignoring his brain tumour like it’s nothing. They just say, ‘He’ll be fine,’” Kiran said.

Kiran said that Paramjit, a brain tumour patient, has been in jail since July 30. “At first, they kept him unlawfully for five days at Chicago airport, even though the law doesn’t allow more than 48 hours.

She alleged that in those days, he was locked in a freezing room without his luggage, medicine, food, or even a blanket, and he fell sick. They still ignored all our calls and emails about his condition,” she said.

“They told us they were waiting for case files from Liberty, Indiana, but when we got them ourselves in just two hours, they still refused to release him. We weren’t even told why he was being detained, no paperwork, nothing. Even his 16-year-old son, a US citizen, was held with him for eight hours. We were left in the dark the whole time.”

‘We have FBI and state reports; they ignored everything’

Kiran explained to Firstpost that Paramjit’s first court appearance was on August 25, where the judge granted a $10,000 bond so he could be released and fight his case from outside. However, ICE immediately appealed the bond, falsely claiming he had a 2008 fraudulent conviction in Illinois—something that does not exist on his record.

She told Firstpost that despite providing FBI and state criminal background checks proving his innocence, ICE ignored all requests and communications.

“He had his first court date on August 25, and the judge granted a $10,000 bond. We tried to pay it the same day, but ICE appealed, falsely claiming he had a 2008 conviction. We have FBI and state reports proving he has no such record, yet they ignored everything. The next court date is now October 14. I pray he comes home soon,” Kiran said.

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