The detention of 73-year-old grandmother in California has sparked protests and outrage, with supporters demanding her immediate release from an immigration centre.
Harjit Kaur who has lived in the United States for more than three decades awaiting asylum, was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on 8 September during a routine check-in in San Francisco.
Kaur, a widow who arrived in the US in 1991 with her two young sons, had her final asylum appeal rejected in 2012 but continued to live in the US.
An ICE spokesperson told NBC News in a statement (that misspelled Kaur’s last name), “She is an illegal alien who has litigated her case since 1991, over 34 years now. She was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2005 — over 20 years ago — and she didn’t leave. Kauer has filed multiple appeals all the way up to the 9th Circuit Court of appeals and LOST each time.”
“Now that she has exhausted all legal remedies, ICE is enforcing U.S. law and the orders by the judge; she will not waste any more U.S. tax dollars.”
It is reported that Kaur was arrested and transferred in handcuffs to the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Centre in Bakersfield.
California State Senator Jesse Arreguin called it “a shameful act that is harming our communities,” while Congressman John Garamendi has submitted a request to ICE demanding her release.
Kaur’s attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, alleged that she was mistreated in custody, denied regular medication, refused water, and forced to sit on the floor despite having undergone double knee replacement surgery. ICE has rejected all claims of inadequate care, saying detainees receive full medical support.
It is reported that Kaur, who has two sons, five grandchildren and no surviving family in India, has long acknowledged her deportation was inevitable. Her family says she is willing to return voluntarily if provided with the proper travel documents by the Indian consulate.
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