DUBLIN, CA: Sikhs fleeing violence in India and Pakistan are ending up in U.S. jails while their immigration status is determined by the courts.
While incarcerated, the Sikhs religious customs and diets are restricted. Most have no money to post bail. And area Sikh temples can provide only limited help.
Fourteen to 30 Sikhs are being held at Santa Rita county jail for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Among them is “Kumar”, a 33-yrt-old farmer, who has lost hope of finding help and sympathy.
“Lam helpless here, as I was in my own country,” said Kumar. He doesn’t want his last name used because he fears discovery by agents of the Indian government. “There the government police shot and killed my cousin. I left to save my life. Now I don’t know how long I will be in jail. I am told nothing”.
Immigration prisoners can be detained indefinitely while they pursue their claims for political asylum, said Robert Jobe, an immigration attorney in San Francisco who is handling more than 100 such cases.
If a judge approves a claim, immigration officials can appeal, forcing prisoners to remain locked up until the appeal is settled.
Two Sikhs have been released from jail after posting bail. Kumar hopes they will find support from some of the 30,000 Bay Area Sikhs and raise the bail needed to release others.
The Sikh temple in Fremont, like others across the state, is helping Sikh refugees by providing temporary shelter and meals. But the temples cannot Post bail for all prisoners in jail, said Gurmeet Singh, past supreme council member of the Fremont temple.
“Bail is really a difficult problem. There are hundreds of Sikhs in U.S. jails. If we bail out one person, we have to do it for everybody, without discrimination. And we can’t afford that,” Singh said.
Sikh prisoners have had trouble coping with the restrictions of jail life.
Three of the group are constantly sick and stomach pains and headaches because they don’t get enough vegetables to eat, and refuse to eat the white turkey jail meat the jail Provides, Kumar said.
Prisoners in Alameda County jails are not allowed to possess personal religious items, such as beads or crosses. Turbans may fall into that category, sheriff’s department spokesman Sgt.: Jim Knudsen said. However, such items may be brought to prisoners by someone outside of jail only for religious services supervised by jail chaplains, (Local newspaper report)
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