US Homeland Security agents visit gurdwaras in New York, New Jersey to check for illegal immigrants

Washington: Law enforcement officials from the US Department of Homeland Security have started visiting gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey to check for the presence of illegal immigrants, drawing a sharp reaction from some Sikh organisations which see such actions as a threat to the sanctity of their faith.

Some of the gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey are believed to be used as a hub by Sikh separatists along with illegal and undocumented immigrants.

Within hours of Donald Trump being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman in a directive rescinded the Biden administration’s guidelines for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions that thwart law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas.

These “sensitive” areas included places of worship like gurdwaras and churches.

“This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense,” the spokesperson said.

In a statement, the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDF) expressed grave concern over the directive rescinding the guidelines that designated “sensitive areas”, such as houses of worship, where immigration enforcement actions were previously restricted.

"This troubling shift in policy comes in tandem with community reports of DHS agents visiting gurdwaras in the New York and New Jersey areas just days after the directive was issued," SALDF said.

“We are deeply alarmed by the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to eliminate protections for sensitive areas and then target places of worship like gurdwaras,” said Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of SALDEF.

Gill said gurdwaras are not just places of worship; they are vital community centres that provide support, nourishment, and spiritual solace to Sikhs and the broader community.

"Targeting these spaces for enforcement actions threatens the sanctity of our faith and sends a chilling message to immigrant communities nationwide,” Gill said.

Sikh Coalition said the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the DHS policy on “protected areas” (which also included hospitals, schools, social service providers, and more) opens the door to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducting surveillance, investigations, arrests, and raids at gurdwaras."

“The idea that our gurdwaras could be subject to government surveillance and raids by armed law enforcement with or without warrants is unacceptable to the Sikh faith tradition. It will burden religious exercise by limiting the ability of Sikhs to gather and associate with one another in accordance with our faith,” Sikh Coalition said.

“It also harkens to dark periods in our collective memory when governments interfered in the ability of Sikhs to practice our faith freely—with deadly consequences,” it said.

"If Sikhs—whether documented or undocumented—are concerned with gurdwara raids and surveillance, gurdwaras may well be impacted by decreased attendance, and thus an inability to carry out essential religious practices in a meaningful manner," said Sikh Coalition.