Picture courtesy of Human Rights Watch

 

A 73-year-old grandmother, Harjit Kaur, has been deported to India after living in the United States for over three decades. Kaur moved to California in 1991 to escape political unrest in Punjab, but her repeated attempts to secure asylum failed. After her appeals were denied, Ms Kaur remained in the US, unable to return to India due to missing documentation. She was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on 8 September.

 

Kaur resided in Hercules, California, where she worked as a seamstress while her legal appeals were in progress. Despite having no criminal record, Kaur was moved to Georgia on 19 September and deported to India on 22 September without a chance to say goodbye to her family. Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, reported unacceptable detention conditions, including sleeping on the floor for 60-70 hours despite her double knee replacements and being denied suitable food.

 

ICE stated that Kaur had exhausted all legal avenues, with her final appeal rejected by the Ninth Circuit Court in 2005. The enforcement of her deportation, according to ICE, is a compliance with the law and previous judicial orders. Kaur’s treatment has drawn protests from the Sikh community in California, opposing the broader immigration crackdown during the Trump administration.

 

The controversy reflects ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policies in the US, as thousands of asylum seekers arrive each year. Critics argue that Trump's policies unfairly target immigrants who follow the legal process, even if they do not have criminal backgrounds. Upon her arrival back in India, Kaur expressed distress at her deportation, highlighting the emotional toll of her abrupt removal.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old, deported after 30 years in the US, sparking outrage.
• ICE claims Kaur had exhausted legal options; lawyer criticises detention treatment.
• Deportation follows wider immigration enforcement under Trump's policies.

Related Stories:

 

Trump's Deportation Drama: Polls Reveal Public Backlash

Supreme Court Greenlights Trump’s Third-Country Deportations Amid Fierce Backlash

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-09-29

 

 

Omg that criminal mastermind we are saved from this criminal granny did they send the swat team all kitted out with assault gear vests and masks??did they get in a high speed chase her with her hurry cane and them with ford interceptors???just pathetic sad 😞 I hope she still has family there.

4 minutes ago, Tug said:

Omg that criminal mastermind we are saved from this criminal granny did they send the swat team all kitted out with assault gear vests and masks??did they get in a high speed chase her with her hurry cane and them with ford interceptors???just pathetic sad 😞 I hope she still has family there.

 

Good guys in....bad grannies out. 

"Kaur moved to California in 1991 to escape political unrest in Punjab, but her repeated attempts to secure asylum failed. After her appeals were denied, Ms Kaur remained in the US, unable to return to India due to missing documentation"

 

It is the faulty system in western countries that need to be fixed to prevent undesired immigrants taking advantage. She should never have been let in or should have been deported when the asylum request was denied first time. Throwing away or destroying your documents and then staying illegally for 30 years is inexcusable. Of course, she should have been treated humanely.

Sad for the old lady, but breaking the law does not become OK just because a few years have passed. 

 

It's actually a good deterrent to let people know that they can run but eventually their crimes catch up to them. Her last appeal was 20 years ago, that was probably long enough to get a flight booked. 

Unfortunate and sad for her but law is always right. 

3 hours ago, blaze master said:

 

Good guys in....bad grannies out. 

Exactly. No sympathy for criminals

Should have been deported 20 years ago when her final appeal was denied. Better late than never I guess.

So was she in the US on a thirty year overstay or did she criminal trespass into the US?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Deepak Ahluwalia, reported unacceptable detention conditions, including sleeping on the floor for 60-70 hours despite her double knee replacements and being denied suitable food.

She should be grateful that she didn’t get busted in th for this.

I wish the native americans would take some legal action concerning who really belong and has a legal right to stay in America….

12 minutes ago, Mangkhut said:

I wish the native americans would take some legal action concerning who really belong and has a legal right to stay in America….

Are there really 'native' Americans, or just 'earlier' immigrants ?

 

Sadly, it's spoils of war, and who won and now holds all rights & laws of the current govt.   Same worldwide.  Norway ... seriously

 

But thanks for the Yank bash & a chuckle.

 

IGNORANCE (and hypocrisy) is BLISS with you folks.

 

On topic as always ... 30+ yrs of wasting tax payers money and tying up the courts comes to an end.   That it took 30+ years should be the issue, and a bit of streamlining the system is needed.

I don't know the procedure but, did she have money to buy food on her return? Did she have somewhere to live? Family or whatever. 

I am puzzled about how people who left their homeland 30 years ago can survive upon return.

8 minutes ago, Purdey said:

I don't know the procedure but, did she have money to buy food on her return? Did she have somewhere to live? Family or whatever. 

I am puzzled about how people who left their homeland 30 years ago can survive upon return.

One would think her concerned family members still in USA, would take care of that.  30 yrs of assets to sell and transfer over for her to set up for her remaining years.  If she bought a house, with inflation, probably has quite the nest egg if not wasting it on legal fees, if even having any legal fees.

 

In her next life, maybe she'll enter legally 

try living illegally in TH, hopefully she enjoys the Indian filth again.

 

 

Remember the British guy a few years ago that was caught in Chiang Mai with a 25 year overstay? Same story and no one complained then.

ICE is cold.

What would happen to her in Thailand if she overstayed 30 years and was working without work permit?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

with her final appeal rejected by the Ninth Circuit Court in 2005.

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

deported to India on 22 September without a chance to say goodbye to her family

 

Huh?  She had twenty years to say goodbye.

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite having no criminal record

 

She hindunuffin.

Posts with derogatory nicknames, intentional misspellings, or personal remarks will be removed. Spell names correctly for all sides of the debate.

1 hour ago, angryguy said:

Exactly. No sympathy for criminals

You literally elected one as President. 😀 

10 minutes ago, Zimar said:

What would happen to her in Thailand if she overstayed 30 years and was working without work permit?

 

Ask this guy. I bet he just moved to Cambodia and carried on. Likewise she can probably just request asylum in Canada and get some of the juicy free healthcare everyone has been talking about.

 

 

1 hour ago, Mangkhut said:

I wish the native americans would take some legal action concerning who really belong and has a legal right to stay in America….

The original Americans were savagely eliminated by those who are now referred to as native Americans.

Harsh, but she should have left many years before.

38 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

The original Americans were savagely eliminated by those who are now referred to as native Americans.

 

You've tricked yourself playing your own word games. They weren't "Americans" they were dispersed tribes that crossed over from Asia. They predated America and thus have literally nothing to do with its founding. Even calling them Indians makes more sense than native Americans or better yet call them by their tribes name.

Get the illegals' out. 

Uk needs to do the same. 

 

She must be one of those gang members ,Violent criminal types, or maybe

a lunatic that Trump said he was going to deport ,when really her only crime

was been BROWN ....

 

regards Worgeordie 

1 hour ago, Baht Simpson said:

You literally elected one as President. 😀 

 

Politically motivated conviction.

 

That's why everyone ignored it when they voted him in by a landslide. 

 

It was a decent effort though. 

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

Remember the British guy a few years ago that was caught in Chiang Mai with a 25 year overstay? Same story and no one complained then.

 

True.

 

But everyone knows white males get no sympathy. 

 

They don't tick enough boxes on the DEI form so there is no need to bend over backwards to accommodate them. 

Sucks to overstay and get caught. Like a Russian in Phuket.

No sympathy from me

 

she should have to pay a huge fine before leaving

 

at least 100k