Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
International

US probes reports of Sikh turbans being confiscated at Mexico border

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Aug, 2022 11:04 AM
  • US probes reports of Sikh turbans being confiscated at Mexico border

Washington, Aug 4 (IANS) US authorities have said investigations were underway into reports that turbans of Sikh asylum seekers were confiscated after they were detained at the country's border with Mexico, the media reported.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nearly 50 Sikh migrants have had their turbans taken away, the BBC reported.

It said that the turban confiscations "blatantly violate federal law" and are inconsistent with the US Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) own non-discrimination policies.

In a letter sent to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus on August 1, the ACLU called the seizures "ongoing, serious religious-freedom violations".

Meanwhile, Vanessa Pineda, a lawyer of the ACLU of Arizona, told the BBC that no proper explanation has been given about what, if any, security concerns a turban could raise.

"It's just not acceptable. They need to find another alternative and to stop this. It's dehumanising," she added.

In response, Magnus said the border agency expects its staff to "treat all migrants we encounter with respect", the BBC reported citing A Washington Post report.

"An internal investigation has been opened to address this matter," the CBP Commissioner was quoted as saying.

According to CBP statistics, nearly 13,000 Indian citizens, including many from Punjab, have been detained by Border Patrol officers at the US-Mexico border in the fiscal year that began in October 2021.

Of these, about three-quarters, or nearly 10,000, have been detained in the Border Patrol's Yuma sector, a 202 km expanse of desert and rocky mountains that stretches from California's Imperial Sand Dunes to the border between Arizona's Yuma and Pima counties.

MORE International ARTICLES

Indian students in Ukraine run out of food and essentials

Indian students in Ukraine run out of food and essentials
An Indian medical student, Faisal, sent a video to IANS narrating his ordeal in the north-eastern city of Sumy in Ukraine. In the video, he said that around 500 Indian students are stuck in Sumy, which is 350 km from Kiev.

Indian students in Ukraine run out of food and essentials

Leave Kharkiv under all circumstances by 6 pm: Indian Embassy to citizens

Leave Kharkiv under all circumstances by 6 pm: Indian Embassy to citizens
The embassy stated: "Urgent advisory to all Indian nationals in Kharkiv. For their safety and security they must leave Kharkiv immediately. Proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible."

Leave Kharkiv under all circumstances by 6 pm: Indian Embassy to citizens

Biden speech eases Canada's EV anxiety, a little

Biden speech eases Canada's EV anxiety, a little
The U.S. president renewed his call for tax credits to lower the cost of electric vehicles, but made no mention of preferring American-made cars and trucks.

Biden speech eases Canada's EV anxiety, a little

Ukrainians need support, not resettlement: UNHCR

Ukrainians need support, not resettlement: UNHCR
The UNHCR will discuss resettlement options with countries like Canada at a later stage, but Jamous says typically the demand from people looking for a new home far outstrips the opportunities offered by governments.

Ukrainians need support, not resettlement: UNHCR

WATCH: WOMEN'S SPECIAL COVER | DARPAN MAGAZINE | TEASER

WATCH: WOMEN'S SPECIAL COVER | DARPAN MAGAZINE | TEASER
DARPAN salutes the women in our community for their relentless courage and unyielding voice that has shaped BC’s South Asian community in Canada.

WATCH: WOMEN'S SPECIAL COVER | DARPAN MAGAZINE | TEASER

Russia puts nuclear forces on high combat alert

Russia puts nuclear forces on high combat alert
Many countries, including the US, the UK and EU member states, have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response to its military operation in Ukraine. Earlier, Putin had placed the country's nuclear deterrent forces on "special" alert on Sunday

Russia puts nuclear forces on high combat alert