Ferozepur, Punjab: 22-year-old Jashandeep Singh was among the 104 undocumented Indian nationals who were deported from the US—chained and handcuffed, after President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.
According to a report by the PTI, Singh alleged facing religious discrimination and mental torture during his time at a US immigration center, prior to his deportation.
'Wasn't Allowed to Wear Turban'
Singh alleged that he was not allowed to wear his turban—a fundamental article of his Sikh faith—while in detention. He further stated that his turban was confiscated, although it was not disposed of.
Upon his arrival in Amritsar, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) stepped in to assist him by providing him with a new dastar (turban).
Jagandeep's Story
Singh, who hails from the Baler village in Punjab, left home nearly three months ago on a tourist visa, intending to reach Europe, but was smuggled from Nicaragua to Honduras and then into the US via Mexico, as per the PTI report.
After illegally crossing the border, he was detained by US authorities, crushing his family's hopes and wasting the Rs 45 lakh they had borrowed to fund his journey.
He claimed that the migrants in detention were assigned numbers instead of names and were referred to as "aliens." While not physically harmed, he described severe mental torture, especially for Sikh detainees, some of whom had their "turbans thrown into dustbins"—a deeply offensive act against their faith.
Singh was held alongside migrants from Vietnam, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. He claimed that the detainees were treated like "hardened criminals," denied legal representation, and not allowed to present their statements.
Jagandeep's Message to Indian Government
Singh has urged the Indian government to address the religious discrimination faced by Sikh detainees in US custody and to help recover the financial losses suffered by their families. He was among 112 illegal immigrants deported aboard a US Air Force plane that landed in Amritsar on Sunday night. As of now, the Indian government has not issued any official response to these claims.