Five Sikh migrants are among eight asylum seekers released from a federal prison in Oregon, where they had been detained for three months after being caught in President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy, reports FirstPost.
The five men, all of whom come from India and are in their twenties, were placed in federal prison when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ran out of room in its detention centers designed to house asylum seekers and other immigrants who have not been convicted of a crime.
“When we were brought to Sheridan, even the prison officials didn’t know why we were there, or who we were,” said Lovepreet Singh, one of the men released, according to KLCC. “So for about two weeks we were not able to get out of our rooms, let alone call our families.”
Under the president’s zero-tolerance policy, which has since been rescinded amid public backlash, anyone seeking to enter the US without documentation was prosecuted. Singh and the four other Sikh migrants had family and friends in the United States, and had entered the country claiming that they faced political and religious persecution in India. Inside the Sheridan prison, though, they were prevented from following basic Sikh practices.
One month after their detainment, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon and the Innovation Law Lab sued to provide pro bono legal counsel to the men, and helped them begin the process of applying for refugee status, according to FirstPost. According to Victoria Bejarano-Muirhead, a Development Director with the Innovation Law Lab, more are expected to be released in the coming week.
“In the beginning, I had no hope,” said one of the asylum seekers, 24-year-old Karandeep Singh according to Tribute India. “Now it’s like a dream. I’m so happy. Thank you, all of the people who have helped us.”
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