By Randall Yip, Executive Editor
Two Sikh American organizations say news reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at gurdwaras Sunday appear to be erroneous.
Both the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Sikh Youth Alliance say they’ve found no evidence of ICE agents asking for proof of citizenship at gurdwaras.
Attributing the information to multiple news organizations in the Indian American community, AsAmNews reported Monday that ICE went to services Sunday seeking undocumented immigrants in both New York and New Jersey.
“I met yesterday with all the leaders of NJ gurdwaras and our communication manager reached out to NY gurdwaras,” Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of SALDEF said in a phone interview with AsAmNews. “As far as we know, there’s been no ICE presence at Gurdwaras.”
In an email to AsAmNews, the Sikh Youth Alliance said its own investigation reached the same conclusion.
“The gurdwara representatives from both states are not aware of any such ICE raids,” said Bhupindar Singh, outreach lead with the group.
Singh bluntly called the multiple reports “fake news and information run by the Indian government.”
In a statement released this afternoon, the Sikh Youth Alliance said “Sikhs have been victims of the vast online disinformation campaign run by the Indian government and the Indian state media outlet for the past couple of years in the form of transnational repression. This is yet another addition to that long list of disinformation campaigns run against the Sikh community to instill and create fear.”
SALDEF, however, still stands by its earlier comments condemning a change in policy by Homeland Security rescinding a Biden policy that sensitive areas such as churches and gurdwaras are off limits.
“The safety of our gurdwaras and congregations is of paramount importance, and it is essential that we do not allow fear to undermine the sanctity of these sacred spaces,” it said in an updated statement released this morning.
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