52 Indians held in Oregon amid US immigration crackdown

The 52 detainees identified themselves as Sikhs and Christians who fled India due to alleged religious persecution

A group of 52 Indians, mostly Sikhs, has been held at a detention centre in the US State of Oregon for being part of a large contingent of illegal immigrants seeking asylum, an Ameri-can lawmaker has said.

 

The Indians form the largest group of detainees in the total 123 illegal immigrants being held at a facility in Sheridan, wrote Congress-woman Suzanne Bonamici on her blog post.

 

The detention centre was visited by a group of Democratic lawmakers from the Oregon State on Saturday, who later told the media about the alleged inhuman condition of the illegal immigrants.

 

“Through our Punjabi translator, we learned that these men were planning to request asylum because they faced severe religious persecution in India. Most are Sikh or Christian. Instead they were incarcerated in a federal prison,” she said.

“They said they came to the United States for religious freedom, but they felt as if they were ‘going crazy’ because they are being confined in small cells for up to 22 hours a day,” the Congresswoman said.

The Indian detainees pointed out that the other non-immigrant prisoners get far more time out of cells, she said.

 

Most of the detainees at the federal facility are asking for asylum because they experienced violence or persecution in their home countries, Bonamici said. Several had travelled to the border with a wife and a child or children; none knew where their family members are, she said.

 

"This is a shameful hour in US history. I don’t care what your stance on immigration is, no one should favour ripping children out of their parents' arms...” Democratic Congress-man Earl Blumenauer said.