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Indian woman detained in US during green card interview, claims family
According to her daughter federal agents detained her mother at a US Citizenship and Immigration Services facility without providing an immediate explanation.
A 60-year-old Indian-origin woman who has lived in the United States for more than three decades was reportedly detained by immigration authorities. Her family claims Babblejit 'Bubbly' Kaur was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on December 1 while attending a routine biometrics appointment linked to her pending green card application.
According to her daughter, Joti Kaur, federal agents detained her mother at a US Citizenship and Immigration Services facility without providing an immediate explanation.
Kaur has been living in the US since 1994 and has no criminal record. Her green card petition had already been approved through sponsorship by her US citizen daughter and son-in-law, while her husband is a lawful permanent resident, according to a report by Long Beach Watchdog.
Joti told the publication her mother was at the front desk of the immigration office when several federal agents entered the building and went into a back room. “My mother was then called into the same room and told she was being arrested,” she said. Kaur was allowed a brief phone call with her attorney but was still taken into custody.
For several hours, the family was not informed of her whereabouts. They later discovered through the ICE detainee locator system that Kaur had been transferred overnight to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center near Victorville, California - a former federal prison now used as an immigration detention facility.
According to her family, Kaur is being held in a large dorm-style room with dozens of other detainees, where lights remain on overnight and constant noise makes it difficult to sleep.
Visiting hours are limited, and family members often wait an entire day for a brief visit. “It’s been a nightmare,” Joti said. “She doesn’t belong there. It’s so inhumane.”
Originally from India, Kaur and her husband settled in California in the mid-1990s, first in Laguna Beach and later in Long Beach.
For more than two decades, the couple ran Natraj Cuisine of India and Nepal on Belmont Shore’s 2nd Street, becoming a well-known part of the local community.
Kaur also worked for about 25 years at a Belmont Shore Rite Aid until the pharmacy chain closed its remaining stores earlier this year. More recently, she had been preparing to return to restaurant work at Royal Indian Curry House.
The couple has three children - two US citizens and Joti, who has legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme.
Democratic congressman Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach, has called for Kaur’s release, describing her detention as “horrific”.
His office said it is in contact with federal authorities and that the family is preparing additional legal filings that could allow Kaur to be released on bond while her case proceeds.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by Vanessa Auclair, co-owner of Panxa Cocina and a close family friend, has raised more than 26,000 dollars to help cover legal fees, commissary expenses and communication costs while Kaur remains in custody at Adelanto.
The Department of Homeland Security has not issued a statement yet on the reasons for Kaur’s detention.
As of this week, Babblejit “Bubbly” Kaur remains detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. No timeline has been provided regarding a possible hearing or her release.
“We are in regular contact with Bubbly. We are entering week 2, and it’s getting difficult to alleviate her fears of what’s to come, without having an end date to this nightmare (for her, and families around this country). Her attorney has filed necessary motions and we are waiting for the legal system to review her case,” the GoFundMe page, sharing an update on the case.
