Harjit Kaur deportation: India responds to return of Sikh grandma

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) connected Friday provided details connected the deportation of Indian nationals from the United States during its play media briefing, highlighting the caller instrumentality of 73-year-old Harjit Kaur."In the past respective months, since January 2025, truthful far, we've had 2417 Indian nationals deported oregon repatriated from the United States. In the lawsuit of Harjeet Kaur, she besides returned recently," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said."We privation to beforehand ineligible pathways of migration. At the aforesaid time, India stands against amerciable migration," helium added.

Jaiswal explained that Indian authorities verify the nationality of individuals referred to them and facilitate their instrumentality lone aft confirming their documents and ineligible status.He added that whenever a idiosyncratic does not person ineligible presumption successful immoderate state and is referred to India with claims of being an Indian national, authorities behaviour a inheritance check, corroborate the nationality and past put their return. This is however deportations from the United States person been handled.

Who is Harjit Kaur?

Harjit Kaur, a Sikh pistillate from Pangota colony successful Tarn Taran, Punjab, had lived successful the US for much than 3 decades aft moving determination with her sons pursuing her husband’s death.

Also Read | 'Bring Grandma Home': Hundreds rally successful California against Harjit Kaur's arrest; household demands her releaseShe worked successful the San Francisco Bay Area and had applied for asylum aggregate times, each of which were denied. Her lawsuit attracted wide attraction successful the US, with hundreds of radical rallying successful California demanding her release.

Harjit Kaur’s deportation case

Kaur was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a regular migration cheque connected September 8 this year. She was placed successful handcuffs, transported successful a van to Georgia nether harsh conditions and held without her household oregon lawyer being informed.

After astir 48 hours successful custody, ICE deported her to India. During the ordeal, she said, “After surviving determination for truthful long, you are abruptly detained and deported this way, it is amended to dice than to look this. In specified a situation, 1 should not live.”Also Read |'Better to dice than look this': 73-year-old Punjab grandma deported aft 30 yrs successful USShe added, “I was successful handcuffs the full time, I couldn’t beryllium properly, and nary 1 informed my family.” Kaur described the travel arsenic harrowing, highlighting the deficiency of food, h2o and aesculapian care.