By Zee Media Bureau,Zee News
Copyright india
Harjit Kaur, a 71-year-old grandmother from Punjab, has spoken out about her traumatic deportation from the United States, where she lived for over three decades. She described being handcuffed, her feet tied, and given food she could not eat due to her vegetarian diet while in detention.“I lived in the USA for more than 30 years, but I was deported without even being given a reason,” Kaur said.#WATCH | Mohali: Harjit Kaur, the elderly woman from Punjab who was deported from the US, says, Their behaviour was very bad. I was arrested on 8 September… I was arrested and taken to Bakersfield, where I stayed for 8-10 days. I was then taken to Arizona, from where I was… pic.twitter.com/Ggt6IkpQQM— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2025Kaur, who moved to the US in 1991 following her husband’s death and had been residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, stated that deportation proceedings against her had been ongoing since 2012, reportedly due to her lack of a valid passport. Despite having a work permit and regularly attending mandatory check-ins every six months, she was detained earlier this month.“They arrested me on September 8 when I went to sign, as my deportation was ongoing since 2012,” she said, adding, “I had a work permit, I paid so much tax, but still this was done to me.”Kaur said she was never informed of the reason behind her arrest and was denied the opportunity to meet her family, who had tickets to visit her.“I don’t know the reason. I used to go for my attendance every six months. On September 8, I was arrested. I was not told any reason and wasn’t allowed to meet my family, even though they had tickets to see me,” she said.During her detention at the Mesa Verde Detention Centre in Bakersfield, Kaur claimed she was held in a cold room without adequate bedding and shared space with other detained women. She also stated that the food provided was unsuitable due to her vegetarian dietary needs.“When I was arrested, three people were around me and locked me in a cold room. I was not even given a proper blanket,” she recounted, adding, “In the morning, I was taken to another location. I was handcuffed and my feet were tied.”She added, “They did not give me proper food because I am a vegetarian.”Although she was not restrained during the flight to India, Kaur said the experience was mentally and physically exhausting.“My children and grandchildren are all in the US. I want to go back. The past year has been very difficult. My children and grandchildren are there, and I want to go back to the USA,” she said.She also criticised what she described as increasingly harsh immigration enforcement policies under Donald Trump, saying, “All this is happening after Trump came to power there.”Kaur said she was held in Bakersfield for 8-10 days, then transferred to Arizona, and finally flown to New Delhi via Georgia and Armenia on an ICE-chartered flight with 132 other deportees. Her lawyer, Deepak Ahluwalia, later revealed that she was denied water for her medication and given ice instead, while also being mistreated by guards. Ahluwalia added that a formal complaint would be lodged regarding her treatment.Upon arrival in India, Kaur broke down at the airport, “After living there for so long, you are suddenly detained and deported this way. It is better to die than to face this. Look at my feet, they are swollen like cow dung cakes. I neither got medicine nor am I able to walk.”Kaur had lived in the US with her two sons, working at a saree shop in Berkeley until health issues forced her to stop earlier this year. Despite being under ongoing deportation orders, she had complied with all immigration appointments for years, making her sudden detention and removal all the more shocking.“Their behaviour was very bad. My children over there will do something; I cannot do anything,” she concluded.
