60-Year-Old Indian Immigrant Detained During Final Green Card Interview After 30 Years in the US

Bubbly Kaur was permitted to make one phone call to her attorney following her detention.

A 60-year-old woman of Indian descent was taken into custody by immigration authorities in the United States during the final stage of her green card interview process. Babblejit "Bubbly" Kaur, who has resided in the US since 1994, was detained by federal agents while attending a biometric scan appointment related to her pending green card application, according to information provided by her daughter Joti.

Kaur has an approved green card petition submitted by her other daughter who is a US citizen, and her husband who already possesses a green card, as reported by Long Beach Watchdog.

According to Joti, her mother was at the reception desk of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on December 1, when several federal agents entered the facility. Kaur was subsequently called into the room where these federal agents had gone, and was informed that she was being placed under arrest.

Kaur was allowed to contact her attorney by phone, but remained in detention despite this, her daughter stated.

For many hours, the family received no information regarding Kaur's whereabouts. They eventually discovered she had been transferred overnight to Adelanto, a former federal correctional facility now functioning as an ICE detention center, where she remains in custody.

Following their migration to the US, Kaur's family initially settled in Laguna Beach before relocating to Long Beach when employment opportunities brought them to the Belmont Shore area. Kaur and her husband are parents to three children: 34-year-old Joti, who has legal status in the US through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and her older brother and sister, who are both American citizens.

For more than two decades, Kaur and her husband operated a restaurant, Natraj Cuisine of India and Nepal, located on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, becoming "a cherished part of the Long Beach community," according to the report.

She also worked approximately 25 years at the Belmont Shore Rite Aid until the pharmacy chain closed its remaining locations earlier this year. More recently, she had been preparing to resume restaurant work at Royal Indian Curry House.

Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach, has advocated for Kaur's release. His office indicated that he has been communicating with federal authorities regarding the matter, while her family prepares additional legal documentation that could enable Kaur to be released on bond as her case proceeds.

According to her family, Kaur is being held in a large dormitory-style room at Adelanto, alongside dozens of other detainees. The lights in her room remain illuminated throughout the night, and constant noise makes sleeping difficult, her family informed IndiaWest.

Kaur has been permitted to meet family members during limited visiting hours, though this process reportedly often requires waiting an entire day for a brief visit.

"It's been a nightmare... We're trying anything and everything to get her out. She doesn't belong there. It's so inhumane," Joti expressed.