Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother who lived in California for over 30 years, was deported to India
Despite regularly complying with US immigration rules she was arrested
During her arrest and transfers, Kaur was shackled, denied medication, served non-vegetarian food against her beliefs
Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother of five US citizens, was deported to India after living in California for more than 30 years. Originally from Punjab, Kaur had moved to the United States in 1992 as a widow raising two young sons. Despite complying with immigration regulations, including reporting to authorities every six months, she was suddenly taken into custody by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 8, 2025, and sent back to India under harsh conditions.
Kaur’s deportation highlights the ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigrants, which has affected more than 2,400 Indians under the Trump administration. She was reportedly shackled, denied access to her medicines, forced to sleep on the floor, and served non-vegetarian food despite being a strict vegetarian. Her journey back to India involved multiple transfers between detention facilities.
Recalling her arrest, Kaur said she had gone for her routine ICE check-in as usual, but after waiting for two hours, officers asked her to sign some papers. When she refused without her lawyer present, they told her they already had her fingerprints and informed her that she was under arrest. "They told me I was under arrest but never explained why," she told NDTV. During her detention, she described suffering from swollen feet, severe body pain, and sleepless nights.
The emotional impact on her family was equally devastating. Kaur was heartbroken, she could not even bid her family a proper farewell. She survived on chips and biscuits after repeatedly being served non-vegetarian meals, and on one occasion was allegedly handed a plate of ice when she refused meat.
For decades, Kaur lived in California’s East Bay with her sons and their families. Even after her asylum request was denied in 2012, she continued to attend her six-monthly ICE check-ins without fail. Her sudden arrest in San Francisco shocked her family and community. Observers say her case reflects a troubling trend of rising deportations of Indian immigrants under the Trump administration.
Now back in India, Kaur remains uncertain about her future. She does not know whether her former house still exists and currently has no permanent place to stay. “I will go to my village where my brother and sister live, but I don’t have a home of my own,” she told NDTV. Yet her primary concern remains reuniting with her grandchildren. “My only request is to be sent back to my family,” she said.
Her US-based lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, described the conditions she endured in detention as harsh and demeaning. She was denied basic facilities, forced to wear the same unclean clothes throughout her confinement, and subjected to multiple relocations across facilities, often handcuffed during transfers.
Harjit Kaur’s case underscores the struggles of long-term immigrants who, despite working, paying taxes, and following legal procedures, face sudden deportation. For Kaur, decades of compliance ended with separation from her family, loss of dignity, and an uncertain future in a country she left more than 30 years ago. [Rh/Eth/VP]
Suggested Reading:
