‘She’s not a criminal, she’s a grandma’: Bay area community rallies for 73-year-old ICE detainee

EL SOBRANTE, Calif. (KRON) — Community members gathered Friday night to protest the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest of a 73-year-old grandmother in California’s East Bay, demanding she be released.

Her family says she has no criminal record but was detained Monday during a routine immigration check-in.

More than a hundred people packed into an El Sobrante intersection to protest the detainment of Harjit Kaur. Her family says she was taken while asking about medication, and now they worry about her health and safety in ICE custody.

“We are a wreck right now,” said Manjit Kaur, daughter-in-law of the woman detained. “Our family is not doing well right now. Her son — my husband — is not even able to speak… it’s very emotional to have your mom detained and you’re so helpless.”

Family members say Harjit was detained at immigration court in San Francisco while at a routine check-in with her granddaughter.

“My sister right here — she was the one who took her that day to check in with ICE. She waited for hours and hours alone until she got the call…she was just in a complete state of shock,” said Sukdeep Kaur, one of the granddaughters of the woman detained.

Harjit moved to the U.S. 30 years ago from India. Her family says she has no criminal record and had been attending regular immigration check-ins every six months.

“It’s been a total, total nightmare because we’ve been going into ICE for 13 years,” said Manjit Kaur. “We didn’t think anything like this would happen.”

Now the family is pleading with ICE, backed by a community rallying behind them.

“She is not a threat to anyone,” said Sukhmeet Kaur. “She is not a threat to this country. She is a hardworking woman. All we are asking for is for her to be released.”

“We just need her home, she’s a grandma. If it can happen to her, it can happen to any of us,” said Dr. Puja Thakkar, Harjit’s niece.

Family members say they have barely heard from Harjit and worry about how she will fare in the detention center.

“We don’t know what condition she’s being held. Is she getting her medication? Is she getting anything to eat?” said Manjit Kaur. “We just don’t want her to be at a detention center because of the living conditions. She is not doing good, and her health will only deteriorate at a rapid rate if we don’t get her out of there.”

Congressman John Garamendi’s staff also attended the rally. He released a statement to KRON4 saying, “His office will do everything possible to support her case and family.”