Punjabi grandmother who lived in US for over 30 years detained by ICE, sparks outcry

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A 73-year-old Punjabi grandmother from Hercules is at the heart of a growing community campaign after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unexpectedly detained her during what was supposed to be a routine check-in, according to a report in The Indian Express. Harjit Kaur, who came to the US from India in 1992 as a single mother of two, was taken into custody on September 8 in San Francisco and transferred the next day to the Mesa Verde detention center in Bakersfield.

According to the report, Kaur has lived in California’s East Bay for more than 30 years, has no criminal record, and was known locally as a longtime seamstress at Sari Palace in Berkeley. Many former customers called her “grandma.” Her granddaughter, Sukhdeep Kaur, told Richmondside at a rally: “She’s not a criminal. And she’s not only my grandma. She is everyone’s grandma.”

On Friday, around 200 supporters gathered beneath the El Sobrante Sikh Gurdwara, waving signs that read “Hands Off Our Grandma” and “Bring Grandma Home.” Cars honked as protesters, organized by Indivisible West Contra Costa and the Sikh Center, demanded her release. “She is not doing any harm to the community. She is an abiding constituent just like us,” said Hercules City Council member Dilli Bhattarai.

It is reported her daughter-in-law, Manjit Kaur, broke down while addressing the crowd: “Our fears, I hope they don’t come true. I’m praying that she’s okay there. She’s everything to me.” The family said she has repeatedly complied with ICE’s supervision requirements since her asylum claim was denied in 2012 and never resisted deportation. According to relatives, she even sought travel documents from the Indian Consulate, but was refused. “ICE has been trying for the past 13 years to get her a travel document. If ICE can’t get it in 13 years, how are we supposed to get it?” Manjit Kaur asked.

Loved ones now worry about her health. Kaur suffers from thyroid disease, knee pain, migraines, and anxiety, and her family says she is not receiving full access to her medications in detention. When they last spoke by phone, she was “crying and begging us for help,” relatives have been quoted as saying to ABC7 News.

Congressman John Garamendi called her detention “misplaced priorities” and has pressed ICE for her release, the report said. State Assembly member Alex Lee echoed the concern, saying Harjit Kaur “is doing it the right way” and should not be mistreated.

Her family has launched bringharjithome.com, urging supporters to reach out to elected officials including Garamendi, Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, and the White House.