California, September 15: A 73-year-old Sikh grandmother who has lived in Northern California for more than three decades was taken into custody by federal immigration officials this week, sparking protests and appeals from her family and community members for her release.
Harjit Kaur, a longtime East Bay resident, was detained Monday when she reported to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in San Francisco for what her family described as a routine check-in. Instead of returning home, she was transferred to a detention facility in Bakersfield, according to nonprofit news outlet Berkeleyside.
“She has been faithfully reporting to ICE every six months for more than 13 years,” her daughter-in-law, Manji Kaur, told reporters. “We never imagined this would happen now.”
Kaur arrived in the United States in 1992 from India as a single mother raising two sons. Her asylum application was denied in 2012, but her family noted that ICE officials had previously allowed her to stay in the country under supervision, issuing her work permits until travel documents could be processed.
Community members and family held a demonstration Friday outside the ICE office, demanding her release. The rally was organized with support from Indivisible West Contra Costa County and the Sikh Centre, drawing hundreds of participants.
“We are standing together because Harjit Kaur is not just a grandmother, she is a mother figure to so many,” her granddaughter, Sukhdeep Kaur, said during the protest. She described her grandmother as “independent, selfless, and hard-working.”
Local leaders and representatives also attended the rally, including staff from U.S. Rep. John Garamendi’s office and other elected officials. They noted the need for a resolution and voiced concern over the detention.
ICE has not issued a public statement about Kaur’s case.
