Sikh Coalition calls for investigation into reports of mistreatment of deported Sikhs

Sikh Coalition, an organisation that has worked for the civil rights of Sikh Americans for over two decades, has sent a letter on Wednesday to acting US customs and border protection (CBP) commissioner Pete Flores raising concerns about reports in Indian media that Sikhs deported last month were deprived of their religious and human rights.
In early February, videos emerged of individuals being deported to India and marched off of military aircraft with their hands and feet chained; reports around those videos indicated that some individuals had been restrained for 30 to 40 hour periods, the Sikh Coalition said in a release. “Then, in mid-February, Indian media outlets began reporting that Sikh individuals who were deported had been subjected to civil rights violations during their detention and deportation, including having their dastaars (turbans) seized, thrown away, and not replaced until they arrived in India after several weeks.”
“To be clear, the Sikh Coalition has not been able to independently verify reports out of India that deported Sikhs’ religious rights were violated,” said Harman Singh, Sikh Coalition executive director. “However, given the recent history of exactly this kind of mistreatment of Sikhs in department of homeland security (DHS) custody—as well as the way that the deported individuals were paraded in chains on camera by US officials—we strongly believe that an investigation and action are warranted to prevent any future abuses. Undocumented individuals have rights and should be treated with dignity.”
The letter outlines necessary steps that CBP and others must take to prevent these kinds of abuses from happening again. The Sikh Coalition also sent the letter to an investigatory department at the DHS, the department of justice civil rights division (which has purview over rights violations committed by uniformed US personnel), and key congressional allies.
Earlier, in response to a query from the Times of India, a spokesperson of the Sikh Coalition had said that hate crimes are a consistent concern for the Sikh community, given that Sikhs have remained among the most frequently targeted groups for hate crimes motivated by anti-religious bias since the tracking of such anti-Sikh crimes began in 2015. While anti-Sikh hate predated the second term of President Donald Trump, the Sikh Coalition has expressed concern over the ‘tone at the top’ when it comes to elected officials. “The racist and xenophobic rhetoric used by the president and individuals in his political orbit certainly has a negative effect on many communities, and that effect may well include an increase in hate crimes, discrimination, and hate speech.”
A significant recent step taken by the Sikh Coalition has been scaling up immigration work, including an effort to provide more ‘know your rights’ resources to Sikh sangat (congregation) members and gurdwaras. “At the state level, we continue with campaigns focused on hate crime laws and measures to make education more inclusive,” the spokesperson said. Recently, the coalition is working to support an AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) history curriculum Bill in New York and a transnational repression Bill in California.
The Sikh Coalition has raised concerns over several executive orders by the Trump administration, including that on suspending birthright citizenship; reversal of the DHS policy that prohibits immigration enforcement in ‘protected areas’, including houses of worship like gurdwaras, and mass deportations.
“With respect to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, we have been part of conversations about the legal challenge to that policy change and are proud to join over 700 organisations endorsing legislation that would reinstate the protections previously provided by DHS guidance,” the spokesperson said.