US lawmaker leaves seat empty over deportation of Indian American
Washington: A senior Democratic lawmaker has left his State of the Union guest seat empty to honour a 73-year-old Indian grandmother who was detained and deported by US immigration authorities.
Congressman John Garamendi said he was dedicating the seat to his former constituent, Harjit Kaur, who was deported to India last year.
“I am dedicating my State of the Union guest seat to my former constituent, 73-year-old grandmother Harjit Kaur. She is unfortunately unable to attend because she was cruelly deported to India in the dead of night,” Garamendi said in a statement.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union Address on February 24.
“This seat is for her and every person across the country that’s been caged, detained, and killed at the hands of Trump’s secret police force. Let her empty seat be a stark symbol of the human cost of Trump’s cruel deportation agenda.”
Kaur, 73, had lived in the United States since the early 1990s. After her asylum case was denied in 2012, she complied with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-ins in San Francisco every six months for more than 13 years.
On September 8, 2025, she was detained during a routine check-in and held at an ICE facility in Bakersfield, California. The following day, she was transferred to the Mesa Verde Detention Facility.
On September 19, at approximately 2:00 a.m., she was transported in handcuffs from Bakersfield to Los Angeles and flown to Georgia without notice to her attorney or family. Shortly thereafter, she was placed on a charter flight to India.
Her whereabouts were unknown for more than 24 hours. Although her family had arranged commercial travel and planned to accompany her to India, she was deported without the opportunity to say goodbye.
“President Trump promised to go after the ‘worst of the worst’ in his immigration policy. Yet his administration’s decision to cruelly deport a 73-year-old grandmother with no criminal record—who faithfully reported to ICE every six months for more than 13 years—is one more example of the thousands of individuals across the country whose lives and families have been upended by Trump’s ICE,” Garamendi said.
“Unfortunately, this has become far too common under Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. I dedicate this seat to Harjit, to her family, and to everyone affected by this rogue administration.”
Congressman’s office said during her detention, Kaur was held for hours without a bed or chair, forced to sleep on the floor, shackled during transfers, denied vegetarian meals consistent with her religious beliefs, restricted from showering, denied access to prescribed medications, and denied adequate water. At one point, she was given only a bowl of ice after not receiving a meal for over a day.
Her attorney said she received only one of several prescribed medications and did not see a doctor or nurse despite repeated requests. She had undergone double knee replacement surgery and suffered from thyroid disease and chronic migraines.
Following her return to India, she has remained in contact with her family but has continued to experience health issues without nearby relatives to assist her.
Immigration enforcement has remained one of the most polarising issues in US politics in recent years, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration. His policies have drawn both support for stricter border controls and criticism over detention conditions and deportation practices.
India is among the countries whose nationals face removal proceedings in the United States, and deportations of Indian citizens have periodically sparked debate in both Washington and New Delhi over consular access, documentation, and humanitarian safeguards.
