An Indian-origin man, battling a brain tumour and a heart condition, has been held in a detention centre by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over two months. Paramjit Singh, 48, a US green card holder who has lived in the US for more than 30 years, was arrested at Chicago O'Hare Airport on July 30 upon arrival from India due to an old case.
"Paramjit Singh is not getting the medical help he needs. He is only getting medical check-ups," Singh's lawyer, Louis Angeles, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Singh's niece, Kiran Virk, said her uncle was detained over a 1999 case in which he used a public phone without paying. As per the court records, he served 10 days in prison and paid a fine of $4,137.50. The conviction has blocked his US citizenship.
Additionally, the immigration authorities have claimed that Singh was convicted of a forgery offence in Illinois in 2008.
'Taking Legal Steps'
The family claims that authorities are using the old cases to delay Singh's release, knowing that he lacks proper medical care whilst battling several health conditions. Virk said the forgery case was invoked to stay Singh's release on a $10,000 bond granted by an immigration judge.
She added that the family hired a private detective to look into the case, who found no criminal record for a person named Paramjit Singh in the state.
The family is now planning to challenge the 'unethical' detention as Singh's second brain tumour surgery has been delayed, causing him discomfort.
"We are also taking legal steps to block him from being deported from the US," Angeles added.
Last month, Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother to five US residents, was shackled and sent back to India, after a prolonged custody without food and medicines. She was among the 2,400-odd Indians deported so far from the US since the Trump administration began its crackdown on illegal immigrants.
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