New Administration, New Policy, Pack your Bags: Undocumented Indian Immigrant Checks in with ICE, is Detained, and Released Awaiting Removal

Anita Chabria for the Sacramento Bee writes on a local story that resonates with what is happening to immigrants nationally in the era of Trump.

A day after being released by federal immigration authorities, Yuba City, California resident Baljit Singh was planning for his return to India.  Singh, 39, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Sacramento during a required check-in with federal authorities. After being held for a week in detention, he was granted a three-month reprieve to get his affairs in order and make arrangements to leave the country.

Singh, from India, is undocumented and has been sought permanent legal status for more than 12 years after crossing the border illegally from Mexico in 2005. His immigration case went to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where Singh ultimately lost a bid for political asylum in 2016. He has a final order for deportation issued against him.

ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said Singh was granted 90 days “to afford him time to get his personal affairs in order and make preparations for his departure.”

ICE says greater enforcement increases public safety, and the agency is now detaining those without criminal histories – a practice less common in the final years of the Obama administration.

“While ICE continues to prioritize its enforcement resources to focus on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security, the agency’s Acting Director has made it clear that ICE will not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” said Haley in a statement. “This administration is committed to the rule of law and to enforcing the laws established by Congress. When we fail to enforce those laws, what message are we sending to the millions of people who respect that process and are waiting outside the U.S. now for visas that will enable them to enter the country lawfully?”

Singh has been doing ICE check-ins for years, but said immigration authorities told him that “it’s now a new administration so now everything is changed,” he said.

KJ

Singh said he has no criminal record. His wife, Kate Singh, is a U.S. citizen. The couple married in 2011 and have two young sons, ages 5 and 3. Baljit Singh has worked for the same employer on and off for nine years, managing and running gas stations. The couple moved to Yuba City earlier this year to be near the gas station he was currently working at. They bought a fixer house for $135,000, said Kate Singh, and renovated it themselves in a six-week frenzy.

Baljit Singh said he wanted to get the house ready for his family before his August immigration appointment because he felt that things might not go well for him.

“I have fear, fear all the time,” said Singh.