Bibi Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother from India, was deported after spending several days in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Georgia, under conditions her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, described to American Community Media as “barbaric.”
Newsweek has reached out to Ahluwalia and ICE for comment via email on Friday.
Why It Matters
Kaur’s detention and subsequent deportation occur amid a broad immigration crackdown, with President Donald Trump pledging the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
Thousands of immigrants—both undocumented and legally residing individuals with valid documentation, such as green cards and visas—have been detained. Those without proper documentation have been asked by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to self-deport.
Multiple legal challenges have been filed against the Trump administration over reported detention conditions, citing inadequate medical care, food, and sanitation.
Case Background
Kaur moved to California from Punjab, India, in 1991 with her two sons. She applied for asylum citing religious persecution along with thousands of other Sikhs but was denied twice, most recently in 2013. Her lawyer confirmed in a Facebook video, “She did exhaust all her appeal options, that’s factually correct,” while emphasizing that the focus should be on “the way in which she was sent back.”
Ahluwalia explained that after her case reached the Ninth Circuit, Kaur continued checking in with ICE for 13 years to assist in obtaining travel documents necessary for her return to India—documents ICE had not procured.
On September 8, during a routine ICE check-in, she was arrested in San Francisco. She was initially held in Bakersfield, California, before being transferred to a facility in Lumpkin, Georgia, on September 20.
“Around 2 a.m., without notifying the attorney or anyone else, (ICE) took her from Bakersfield, drove her to L.A. in handcuffs, and put her on a flight to Georgia,” Ahluwalia said in the Facebook video, highlighting the lack of communication with her family or legal team.
Kaur described her experience at the facility, explaining that when she requested food or water with her medication, “she was given a plate of ice,” which was impossible to eat due to her dentures. A guard reportedly told her, “That’s your fault.” She slept on the floor without a bed, lacked basic hygiene facilities, and was only given wet wipes instead of a shower.
The Stewart Detention Center, operated by CoreCivic under ICE contract, is one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the U.S. An ACLU report previously condemned the facility for poor conditions and due process violations, noting at least 10 deaths between 2017 and 2024.
ICE told NBC News that the agency “is enforcing U.S. law and the orders by the judge; she will not waste any more U.S. tax dollars.”
Ahluwalia told American Community Media, “Her detention was nothing short of barbaric. That type of treatment would affect most people. They chose to do this to a 73-year-old woman with disabilities and health issues.”
Kaur was later flown from Georgia to Armenia and then to New Delhi.
Reactions
Her family stated: “Harjit’s case represents a failure of our immigration system. She has been a contributing member of her community for decades, paying taxes, working legally, and building relationships with neighbors and friends. Her detention is not only cruel but unnecessary. She has never refused to return to India but cannot without documents.”
Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, Consul General of India in San Francisco, told American Community Media: “Once ICE requests travel documents, it usually takes just a couple of days for us to issue them. But Mrs. Kaur had migrated more than 30 years ago, so we had no information about her. We had to connect with Indian authorities, which took some time.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: “Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Brian Todd, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, told Newsweek in May: “CoreCivic plays a limited but important role in America’s immigration system, and we care deeply about treating people in our facilities humanely and providing them with a safe, clean and dignified environment as they prepare for the next steps in their immigration process.”
Next Steps
While Kaur has been deported, her attorney noted, “A lot of people are in this situation in ICE detention facilities as we speak.” He described her treatment, and likely that of others, as “completely unacceptable,” and said her legal team will file a separate complaint regarding detention conditions.
