- Harjit Kaur, 73, was deported to India after 30 years in the US as an undocumented immigrant
- Kaur endured harsh detention conditions including lack of medication and being served non-veg food
- Speaking to NDTV, she said she wants to be sent back to her family back in the US
Over 30 years ago, when Harjit Kaur moved to the United States with her two sons, she couldn't imagine this day. Originally from Punjab, she was an undocumented immigrant in California; she worked and paid her taxes in the US and diligently marked her attendance to authorities every six months, as required by the law. Fast forward to 2025, the 73-year-old grandmother to five US residents was shackled and sent back to India, after a prolonged custody without food and medicines.
Ms Kaur is yet to come to terms with being uprooted from her family after three long decades in the US. While she's unaware of the reason behind her sudden deportation, the action points to the unrelenting crackdown on immigrants by the Trump administration and a sheer lack of compassion.
Struggling to hold back her tears, she recalled being handcuffed and arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"I marked my attendance every six months. On September 8, when I went to the centre, they made me wait for two hours. Then they asked me to sign a paper. I refused to sign anything without my lawyer. The officials said they have my fingerprints. They informed that they have arrested me, but did not give any reason," Ms Kaur told NDTV.
Harjit Kaur breaks down while narrating what she went through
Ms Kaur is among the 2,400-odd Indians deported so far from the US since the Trump administration began its crackdown on illegal immigrants. She arrived in India two days ago, dressed in the uniform given to detainees.
She broke down while narrating what she went through, recalling, "My grandson told me 'I can't see you in these clothes'."
Her ordeal was unexplainable. She struggled to find the words to express herself, but choked up as she tried to remember what she went through.
"I was not provided my medicines. I slept for only four hours. I had no peace," she said, explaining how she was left with swollen feet and body pain. "The day I was arrested, I couldn't sit the entire night. A girl from Punjab asked me to lie down; I agreed, but I was unable to get up the next morning."
That isn't all. Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, has alleged that she was not given the basic facilities at the detention centre. She slept on the floor and was denied a shower, and was flown on a small, chartered plane instead of a commercial passenger jet, as has been the norm, alleged Mr Ahluwalia.
On some days, Ms Kaur, a strict vegetarian, was given non-vegetarian food. "I couldn't eat it, it was turkey," she recalled. "I couldn't even chew their bread and had to survive on chips and biscuits."
Once when she refused the non-vegetarian food, she was given a plate with ice to eat, alleged Kulwant Singh, a relative. She was given a bench so small that a person can't even sit on it properly, he added.
Harjit Kaur was left with swollen feet and body pain
Ms Kaur had gone to the US in 1992 after her husband's death. A single mother with two sons, she lived in East Bay in northern California. Her daughter-in-law, Manji Kaur, said she "faithfully reported to the ICE" every six months. Her asylum request was turned down in 2012, but still, she never shied away from facing immigration officials, recalled her daughter-in-law. To be with her family, she had even sought travel documents from the Indian consulate, but that request was turned down as well, she said.
Meanwhile, back in India, the 73-year-old woman is still unaware of the reason behind her sudden arrest during the routine check.
"I have been going there for so many years to mark my attendance. I am not sure why they deported me this time. I worked and paid taxes there and never made a mistake," she said. Trying to figure out her next move, she said, "I don't have any place to stay in India. I don't know if my house still exists. I will go to my village where my brother and sister stay."
But that's just temporary. Deep within, Ms Kaur has just one wish. She wants to reunite with her grandchildren. "My request is that I be sent back to my family," she said.
