Close X
Saturday, November 2, 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

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline
It's Vice-President Mike Pence's turn to take the stage at the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump's allies, friends and family members have spent the week putting a positive sheen on the president's first term.

GOP convention, Day 3: Pence to headline

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 
The son of Maharaja Dalip Singh, the late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's palace is up for sale in London for a whopping £ 15.5 million pounds.

The late Prince Victor Albert Jai Dalip Singh's mansion is up for sale in England. 

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC
Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are the big headliners tonight on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention.

Melania, Pompeo showcase Day 2 of RNC

Scientists say Hong Kong man got coronavirus a second time

Scientists say Hong Kong man got coronavirus a second time
University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Scientists say Hong Kong man got coronavirus a second time

First lady opens student art exhibit on women's suffrage

First lady opens student art exhibit on women's suffrage
Melania Trump is marking the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote with an art exhibit based on works by children from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

First lady opens student art exhibit on women's suffrage

Fires, storms rage as Republicans rally

Fires, storms rage as Republicans rally
Climate change, an issue all but forgotten in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, is roaring back to the forefront just as Donald Trump's Republicans begin their sprint to the November presidential election.

Fires, storms rage as Republicans rally