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Woman, 73, deported by ICE to India after three decades in U.S.

A 73-year-old grandmother who spent more than three decades living in the U.S. has been deported to India.

Harjit Kaur, who had unsuccessfully applied for asylum in the U.S, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on 8 September, sparking shock among the Sikh community.

She moved to California in 1991 with her two young sons to escape political turmoil in Punjab and lived and worked there while making several unsuccessful asylum attempts in the U.S.

Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, has alleged that Ms Kaur - who has no criminal record - was treated in an "unacceptable" manner by ICE officials during her detention.

Ms Kaur was moved to a holding facility in Georgia on 19 September and deported to India on 22 September, never getting to visit her U.S. home or bid a proper farewell to family and friends, Mr Ahluwalia said.

Mr Ahluwalia described Ms Kaur's treatment in an Instagram video as "unacceptable", saying she spent 60-70 hours in detention without a bed, forced to sleep on the floor despite double knee replacements.

He alleged she was given ice to take medication and denied food she could eat, with guards blaming her for her inability to eat the provided sandwich.

Ms Kaur, who lived in Hercules in the San Francisco Bay Area, worked for two decades as a sari-store seamstress and paid her taxes. Asylum applicants are allowed to live and work legally while their claims are in process.

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sikh-granny-deported-unacceptable-treatment-060628139.html

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That she overstayed her permission to remain in the U.S. after her appeals were denied is irrelevant to the alleged inhumane treatment while in detention.

One way to solve this is to allow asylum applicants to apply for legal immigration at the same time, so that the legal immigration process runs concurrent to the asylum petition request. It is hard to believe that a legal immigration request filed in 1991 wouldn't have been approved for her by now.

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These are human rights abuses. The fascist Trump administration and his black shirt goons at ICE are giving a black eye for the United States.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/harjit-kaur-exclusive-elderly-woman-deported-from-us-speaks-to-ndtv-9354476

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/handcuffed-feet-tied-71-year-old-punjab-grandmother-deported-from-us-recounts-ordeal-watch-video-2794358-2025-09-27

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgq63lgn7zo
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sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
Gee, after 30 years one could guyess she did not want to be an American
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@sunsporter1649

No, it has something to do with not being able to apply to be a legal immigrant if you have applied for political asylum and have pending appeals.
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@beckyromero

Thirty years of pending appeals...? 🤔
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@Thinkerbell

It's nuts. Her last appeal was apparently denied in 2005, forteen years after allowed in on an asylum case. And she was given permission to continue to work in the U.S. after that (allegedly paying taxes all through that time, i.e. income and Social Security taxes).

But now, shortly after her health prevents her from working, she's arrested, detained and kicked out of the country.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@beckyromero Who gave her permission?
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@Thinkerbell

What happened to her two sons? Unless I overlooked something, I can't find info on them.

Another thing, India claimed they don't have records for her.

OUR laws should be that if we are intending to deport someone to a nation who claims they have no records of, then that should de facto allow for asylum immigration into the United States after a normal Interpool and FBI background check.
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@sunsporter1649
Who gave her permission?

Bush 41 was in office in 1991.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@beckyromero Bush personnally gave her permission?
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@sunsporter1649

Yeah, it was Bush's fault, just like Obama always said... 🤭
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@beckyromero We get it, anybody without records must be granted citizenship, right?
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@sunsporter1649

Asylum seekers often don't have much or any documentation with them because they are fleeing from oppression.

And granting asylum is not about granting citizenship.

Why are you confusing the two? Geez! You better be careful when you take your meds; don't get them confused, too!
beckyromero · 36-40, F
@Thinkerbell
Yeah, it was Bush's fault, just like Obama always said..

I think @sunsporter1649 got his years mixed up - he's not exactly a spring chicken - and was hoping he could blame Bill Clinton for letting her in. In reality, every administration since Bush 41 has not attempted to remove her from the country - including Trump 45.
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trollslayer · 46-50, M
@sunsporter1649 did biden personally give permission? You rubes claim he did.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
@Vin53 [media=https://youtu.be/ugUfjeTwDQ8]
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@trollslayer

Biden didn't give his permission for anything.

It was his auto-pen.
sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M
Vin53 · M
@Thinkerbell At least he wouldn't have sicced ICE on a 73yr old woman would he have.
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@Vin53

Of course he wouldn't.

He can't count past 3.
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@sunsporter1649 she liked all the free stuff the libs were giving her
@saragoodtimes Actually, she worked and paid taxes, as stated in the posted original article. YOU benefited from her tax payments. But why let facts get in the way of a good falsehood?
Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@Vin53

Biden would only know that if his teleprompter told him. 🤭

@Thinkerbell Switching to personal attacks because you can't defend tRump's deportation policy; is that the best you've got??
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Thinkerbell · 41-45, F
@ElwoodBlues

Go back and read Vinnie's comment if you want to see who started the personal attacks.

And who often calls Sunsporter "Sunstroke"...? 🤔

"And the codger never faltered, never once the Dem line altered,
Always fudged and always paltered..."