Washington DC: Sikh advocacy group in the US working to ensure due legal process for asylum seekers from India. The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), a Sikh American civil rights organization has expressed concerns over reports of raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deportations of Indian and Sikh youths.
Even as SALDEF has thoroughly investigated earlier reports regarding alleged presence of ICE staff at gurdwaras in the New York and New Jersey areas and found on review that no raids or enforcement actions were conducted at these locations; the leadership of the organisation has cautioned members of the community to remain vigilant and practice caution in ‘these uncertain times’.
“It is distressing to see visuals of members of the Sikh community being deported to India in handcuffs and shackles. There are many members of the community who are asylum seekers having arrived in the US because they faced religious persecution. We will continue to remain vigilant and ensure that due process and fair legal review is followed before deportations of Sikh asylum seekers. We are working, along with other advocacy groups, to ensure fair and humane processes for Sikh asylum seekers,” Jaslin Kaur, senior manager of community outreach and engagement of SALDEF, told the Times of India.
Kaur, who has been actively leading on-the-ground efforts of SALDEF, also said that through its advocacy efforts, the organisation was helping immigrants understand their rights, especially considering the immigration crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump. “No matter what the immigration status; people have the right to remain silent and if ICE officials are at their door, they don’t always have to let them enter their homes. The enforcement agency only has the right to go inside homes if there is a judicial arrest warrant, signed by a judge,” Kaur said.
