After 30 years in the US, Indian-origin woman detained during green card interview

New York/California: A 60-year-old Indian-origin woman, who has lived in the United States for nearly three decades, was detained by US immigration authorities during what was expected to be the final step of her green card process, her family has said.

Babblejit “Bubbly” Kaur was taken into custody on December 1 while attending a biometric scan appointment related to her pending green card application at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. According to her daughter Joti, federal agents arrested Kaur during the visit without prior notice.

“It’s been a nightmare. We’re trying everything to get her out. She doesn’t belong there. It’s so inhumane,” her daughter Joti said.

Kaur has an approved green card petition, sponsored by her US citizen daughter, and is married to a green card holder, according to a report by Long Beach Watchdog. Despite this, she was detained after being called into a room where federal agents were present.

She was briefly allowed to speak with her lawyer but was still taken into custody. For several hours, the family was not informed of her whereabouts. They later learned that she had been transferred overnight to Adelanto ICE Processing Center, a former federal prison now used as a detention facility.

Kaur has lived in the US since 1994 and has deep roots in Long Beach, California. She and her husband ran a popular restaurant, Natraj Cuisine of India and Nepal, for more than 20 years and later worked at Rite Aid in Belmont Shore for nearly 25 years before the chain shut down earlier this year. She was preparing to return to restaurant work at Royal Indian Curry House before her detention.

According to her family, Kaur is being held in a large dorm-style room with dozens of detainees. The lights remain on overnight, and constant noise makes sleep difficult. Family visits are allowed only during restricted hours and often require waiting an entire day for a brief meeting.