73-year-old Sikh grandmother deported to India after ICE detention, denied basic care
Sep 22, 2025·Location: Hercules, CA
Country of origin: India

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Sikh woman who had lived legally in the United States for 33-34 years with no criminal record, was detained by ICE on September 8, 2025, following a routine check-in. During her 15-day detention at facilities in Bakersfield and Georgia, Kaur reported being denied basic hygiene supplies, vegetarian meals consistent with her Sikh faith, and water to take with her medication, and was forced to sleep on detention cell floors. She had filed multiple unsuccessful asylum applications and appeals, including to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On September 22, Kaur was deported to India without advance notice to her family and without being allowed to return home or say goodbye, despite her attorney's requests for release with monitoring or commercial flight accompaniment given her age and medical conditions.
Timeline
Sources
- East Bay grandmother deported to India says ICE denied her water, bed
oaklandside.org·Sep 26, 2025·archived copy
- financialexpress.com
- ICE detains East Bay grandmother, 73, with health issues, no criminal history
richmondside.org·Sep 12, 2025·archived copy
- Deported to India: Sikh grandmother spent three decades in Bay Area before ICE arrest - Local News Matters
localnewsmatters.org·Oct 4, 2025·archived copy
- US: ICE arrests 26-year-old Indian national with prior property crime record
kalingatv.com·May 24, 2026·archived copy
- indianexpress.com
- indianexpress.com
- 'Lived for 33 years in US': Punjabi grandmother, 73, detained by ICE; community outraged - The Times of India
- financialexpress.com
- preprod.indianexpress.com
- 73-year-old 'undocumented' Sikh woman deported from US after 33 years - The Economic Times
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