Trump's hunt for illegal migrants reaches gurdwaras; receives backlash from Sikh bodies
PTC News Desk: US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have accelerated their hunt to zero in on illegal migrants and the search has now reached gurdwaras of New Jersey amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented aliens in the country.
The move has received severe backlash from various Sikh bodies which view the action as a threat to the sanctity of their religious spaces.
According to the reports, some gurdwaras in these areas may be used as gathering places by Sikh separatists and undocumented immigrants. The policy change occurred soon after Donald Trump took office as President. Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive that overturned the Biden administration's guidelines on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement. The previous guidelines had limited enforcement actions in or around "sensitive" locations, such as places of worship like gurdwaras.
“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 DHS spokesperson 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 added.
In reaction, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDF) released a statement expressing concern about the policy change. The group noted, "This concerning shift in policy coincides with reports from the community of DHS agents visiting gurdwaras in the New York and New Jersey areas just days after the directive was announced."
- PTC NEWS
