Crackdown on illegal immigrants: US agents’ visit to gurdwaras sparks concern among Sikh bodies, NRIs
Sikh organisations have also flagged their concerns terming such actions as a threat to the sanctity of their faith.
The recent crackdown on illegal immigrants by US law enforcement agencies has drawn sharp criticism from Sikh organisations and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
This reaction follows visits by officials from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey, where they investigated the presence of ‘undocumented’ individuals.
The stringent measures have caused anxiety among parents in Punjab. Many fear their children, who entered the US through ‘donkey routes’ or other unlawful means having spent lakhs of rupees, could now face deportation.
The DHS action came within hours of Donald Trump’s recent inauguration as President with the acting DHS secretary Benjamine Huffman, in a directive, rescinding the guidelines for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that thwart law enforcement in or near so-called ‘sensitive’ areas.
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These “sensitive” areas included places of worship like gurdwaras and churches. “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists —who have illegally come into our country,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Baljit Singh, a California-based NRI, said there is unrest among the whole Indian community.
“There must be some concrete system to regularise illegal immigrants who entered the country with the agents working in connivance with US border security agencies in the past. The authorities must take action against the border security forces for the lapses,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Kaur (name changed), a single mother from a village in Khanna, said she had spent ₹60 lakh to send her only son to America ‘illegally’ in December last year.
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“My son first went to Canada before crossing over to the US illegally. My son said that there is an unrest among the illegal immigrants like him. Had my son got a decent job in Punjab, I would have never sent him,” she added.
Sikh organisations have also flagged their concerns terming such actions as a threat to the sanctity of their faith.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) stated that the gurdwaras are not just places of worship but are vital community centres that provide support, nourishment, and spiritual solace to Sikhs and the broader community.
“We are deeply alarmed by the DHS’ decision to eliminate protections for sensitive areas and then target places of worship like gurdwaras,” said Kiran Kaur Gill, SALDEF’s executive director.
“Targeting these spaces threatens the sanctity of our faith and sends a chilling message to immigrant communities nationwide,” a SALDEF statement further added.
SALDEF urged DHS to immediately reconsider this directive and called on the broader community to report any additional incidents of enforcement actions at gurdwaras or other places of worship.
Ravinder S Bhalla, mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, said the warrantless raids by ICE are frightening times and assured the immigrants that the Hoboken Police Department will not cooperate with ICE if they come to our city without warrants signed by a federal judge.
“They will not assist in unlawfully detaining our community members,” Bhalla said.
“As the son of immigrants, I deeply emphasise the challenges many are now facing. Hoboken stands united in support of our neighbours, regardless of where you were born or who your parents are, and will continue to be a fair, welcoming and inclusive city for all who call it home,” Bhalla shared in an X post.
Punjab NRI Sabha president Parvinder Kaur Banga said the future of hundreds of youth, who have entered illegally in the US, is at stake.
“The problem is not that the illegal immigrants from Punjab would be deported. It is more worrisome as to what would they do after returning. They had spent lakhs to enter into US territory. Earlier, Canada had adopted such measures by bringing major changes in its immigration policies,” Banga said.
Wisconsin businessman Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, who hails from Patiala, also urged the US authorities to not conduct searches in an illegal manner that hurts religious sentiments. “We encourage all those coming to the US legally, to live peacefully and work hard to earn their livelihood,” he added.
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Satnam Singh Chahal, chief executive director of North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), a non-profit body working closely with immigrants from India and particularly Punjab, on Monday, asserted that gurdwaras do not encourage any illegality and don’t give shelter to the people who have sneaked illegally into the country.
Terming the developments as ‘unfortunate’, Chahal, who is based in California, added: “We urge to Trump administration to avoid these kinds of raids on gurdwaras. Sikh community is a part and parcel of the American community and is doing its part for the overall development of the US.”
United Sikhs, a United Nations-affiliated organisation based in the US called on the community members to document and report any incident of violation of human rights to United Sikhs.
Gurvinder Singh, a representative of the body said: “We encourage community members to report any incident to United Sikhs to ensure accountability and transparency.”
