A 73-year-old undocumented Sikh woman who lived in the United States for more than three decades has been deported to India, sparking outrage among family members and the local community in California.
Harjit Kaur, a longtime resident of East Bay in Northern California, was detained earlier this month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials during what her family described as a “routine check.” She was later flown out of the country without being allowed to see her relatives one last time, her attorney Deepak Ahluwalia said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“Bibi ji (Harjit Kaur) is on her way back to Punjab. She has already landed in India,” Ahluwalia wrote.
Detained During Routine Check
According to nonprofit news portal Berkeleyside, Kaur was called to the ICE office in San Francisco for additional paperwork. Instead, she was taken into custody and transferred to a detention centre in Bakersfield.
Her detention triggered protests by family members and community groups who demanded her immediate release, carrying placards that read: “Hands off our grandma” and “Bring grandma home.”
‘Denied a Final Goodbye’
Ahluwalia said Kaur’s family had pleaded with authorities to allow her 24–48 hours of release under ankle monitoring so she could say farewell to her relatives. A commercial ticket was even booked for her departure on Monday.
“But around 2 am on Saturday, they took her from Bakersfield, drove her to Los Angeles in handcuffs, and put her on a flight to Georgia without even notifying the attorney, or giving any prior notice,” he claimed.
In Georgia, Kaur was held at a temporary facility where she reportedly had no bed for nearly three days and was forced to sleep on the floor despite having undergone double knee replacement surgery. She was also denied a shower, given only wet wipes before boarding the plane, her lawyer said.
From Georgia, she was placed on an ICE-chartered flight to Armenia and later flown to Delhi. “Thankfully, they did not cuff her during the flight, considering her age,” Ahluwalia noted.
Decades in the US
Kaur first arrived in the U.S. in 1992 as a single mother with two sons. Her asylum claim was denied in 2012, but she continued reporting to ICE in San Francisco every six months for more than 13 years, her daughter-in-law Manji Kaur said.
The family added that ICE had previously assured her she could remain in the U.S. under supervision with a work permit until her travel documents were finalised.
Kaur worked at an Indian garment store in California for over two decades and was described by her granddaughter Sukhdeep Kaur as an “independent, selfless, and hardworking woman” who was a “mother figure” to many in the community.
Concerns Over Health
Relatives voiced concern about the impact of detention on her health, citing existing conditions including thyroid issues, migraines, knee pain, and anxiety.
Kaur leaves behind two sons, two grandsons, and three granddaughters in the U.S., where she had built her life for more than 30 years.
