Sikh Individual with Tumour Held by US Immigration Authorities Denied Medical Care – Family
Kirandeep Kaur
For over two months, Paramjit Singh, 48, a American green card holder struggling with a brain tumour and a heart condition, has been detained in a detention centre by American immigration authorities.
Mr Singh, an India citizen, has resided in the US on a permanent resident card since the year 1994. He resides in the state of Indiana with his loved ones, who operate a series of fuel outlets. His wife and two children are American nationals.
However Mr Singh now confronts the threat of expulsion.
As of July 30, he was detained by border agents at Chicago O'Hare International Airport while returning from a visit to India and has from then been in their custody.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have referenced a couple of old legal matters as causes for his apprehension, but Mr Singh's relatives and lawyer say there are no active charges against him.
They allege border officials of using old cases to postpone his freedom and allege he lacks proper medical care in spite of a brain tumor and cardiac problem.
"Paramjit Singh is not getting the medical help he requires. He is only getting health assessments," his lawyer, Louis Angeles, stated.
Kirandeep Kaur
Mr Singh has regularly visited India without border problems, his relative Kiran Virk explained. This time, his relatives waited for seven hours at Chicago airport for his return.
Ms Virk says immigration officials told them Mr Singh was held over a 1999 case. He was held at the terminal for several days in spite of family appeals, before being transferred to a county detention facility in the state.
The legal issue involves Mr Singh using a public phone without making payment. Legal documents show he completed ten days in prison and paid a four thousand one hundred thirty-seven dollars and fifty cents fine. The conviction has prevented his American citizenship.
Ms Virk alleges immigration authorities said at a court hearing that Mr Singh yet faced a one-and-a-half-year sentence, with only ten days counted.
Border officials additionally claim that Mr Singh was found guilty of a document fraud in the state of Illinois in the year 2008, but his family contends that there are not any these charges against him.
Ms Virk said that the authorities cited the forgery case to block Mr Singh's freedom on a ten thousand dollar bond approved by an immigration judge.
She said a private detective hired by the relatives found no criminal records for a person called Paramjit Singh in the region, suggesting authorities may have confused him for someone else.
Legal Actions and Health Worries
Mr Singh's lawyer informed that he intends to challenge the detention, calling it "unethical".
"We are additionally taking judicial measures to block him from being deported from the US," Mr Angeles stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh's family is increasingly worried about his health, as his second brain operation has been delayed due to detention, Ms Virk explains.
She states the relatives struggles to reach Mr Singh at the detention centre, where few phones and his ailing condition make communication difficult.
Mr Singh's legal matter is set to be heard on October 14.
Wider Immigration Background
His apprehension occurs during a broader crackdown by US Leader Donald Trump's government on immigration, and especially undocumented individuals in the US.
Trump has stated he aims to remove the "most dangerous", but opponents argue immigrants without criminal records who adhere to legal procedures have likewise been singled out.
During the month of September, Harjit Kaur, a seventy-three-year-old elderly woman who lived over 30 years residing in the US was deported to India, sparking anger among the Punjabi population.