Indian Government Addresses Maltreatment of 73-Year-Old Harjit Kaur During US Detention and Deportation

Harjit Kaur was deported to India in September by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that 73-year-old Indian citizen Harjit Kaur experienced maltreatment while detained in the United States prior to her deportation. The Indian government has "strongly" addressed this issue with the American embassy following her return to India.

During the question hour in the upper house, the External Affairs Minister explained that government immigration officials routinely interview all deportees upon arrival. In Kaur's case, Jaishankar clarified that the immigration officer confirmed she had not been handcuffed, contradicting some reports.

However, he acknowledged that she had indeed suffered maltreatment during her detention period in the US before being placed on the flight to India.

"Whenever any flight with deportees arrives, the deportees are invariably interviewed by officials of the Government of India. In this particular case, our immigration officer stated that she was not cuffed," Jaishankar explained.

"While Harjit Kaur was not handcuffed, she experienced maltreatment in detention before being put on the flight. We raised the matter of her maltreatment strongly with the American Embassy and requested the American authorities to investigate the incident," he added.

Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old Sikh woman who had lived in the United States for three decades, was deported by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to India in September.

Kaur, whose asylum applications in the US were unsuccessful, was arrested by ICE officials on September 8.

She had relocated to California in 1991 with her two young sons and had lived and worked there while making several unsuccessful attempts to secure asylum in the United States.

She was transferred to a holding facility in Georgia on September 19 and deported to India on September 22, without the opportunity to return to her US home or properly say goodbye to family and friends.

During her detention, she endured 60-70 hours without a bed, forcing her to sleep on the floor despite having undergone double knee replacements. She was given ice to take her medication and denied food she could consume, with guards blaming her for being unable to eat the sandwich provided.

Harjit Kaur filed multiple appeals throughout the legal process, reaching as high as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but was unsuccessful in all instances.