U.S. Homeland Security officials visit gurdwaras in New York, New Jersey to check for illegal immigrants

Law enforcement officials from the U.S. 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. 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47th President of the United States, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman in a directive rescinded the Biden administration’s guidelines for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions that thwart law enforcement in or near so-called “sensitive” areas. “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. Sikh Coalition said the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the DHS policy on “protected areas” opens the door to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents conducting surveillance, investigations, arrests, and raids at gurdwaras."