WASHINGTON – Over 50 illegal Indian immigrants, mostly Sikhs, seekingasylum in the US are being treated like criminals with their turbans takenaway in a federal prison in Oregon after getting caught up in the Trumpadministration’s controversial “zero-tolerance” policy, according tovolunteers from legal advocacy groups.

President Donald Trump’s tough immigration policy has separated nearly2,000 children from their parents and guardians and placed into holdingfacilities between April 19 and May 31 of this year.

The controversial decision, however, has been reversed by Trump through anexecutive order following widespread protests against the move.

“It’s heartbreaking when you go in there and you see the young kids likethe ages are close to starting from 18 onwards, 22 to 24 in thosejumpsuits…and you wonder how they ended up being treated as criminals.They’ve not committed a crime, they have crossed the border and they haveasked for a refugee or asylum and that is a law of this land,” NavneetKaur, a community college professor, told PTI.

Over the past several weeks, Navneet has interacted with most of the 52Indian inmates in the federal prison at Sheridan in Oregon. She hasvolunteered to work as a Punjabi translator for the non-profit legal firmInnovation Law lab, which is providing legal assistance to the illegalimmigrants in jail.

The Indians form the largest group of detainees in the total 123 illegalimmigrants being held at a facility in Sheridan.

“Right now, they are (in) a miserable (condition),” she said.

Of the 52 Indians, a majority of them are Punjabi speaking and are Sikhs.

When they were arrested, Navneet said, the Indian asylum seekers werechained.

“When they were in handcuffs and chains for 24 hours they ate with theirhandcuffs on. Even the hardcore criminals are not treated like that. Thenthey were kept for 22 hours a day in a cell with the people who did notspeak the language,” she said. “It’s inhuman,” she said.

The situation is worse for the Sikh inmates as their turbans have beentaken away in the jail.

“Their turbans have been taken away. In a country where everyone has rightto practice their own religion these men there don’t have turbans to cover(their head). Not even a piece of cloth to cover theirheads,” Navneet said.

During the last few days the local community leaders have managed to givebeanies to a few of the Sikh inmates so that they can cover their head.

“They (Indian inmates) are in a state of shock,” she said, adding but noneof these Indian asylum seekers want to go back home. All of them areseeking asylum in the US on the grounds that they fear for their life inIndia and that they are subject to political and religious persecution, sheadded.

“They are feeling very shocked… They are probably all wondering like, isthis worth it if I’m going to be treated this way,” Victoria BejaranoMuirhead, development director at the non-profit Innovation Law lab, toldPTI.

The Innovation Law lab has filed a lawsuit to seek access to these inmatesand have been providing legal assistance to all the Indian asylum seekerswho want one.

Some of the Indian asylum seekers have hired their own attorney. As aresult of the intervention of the Innovation Law Lab the condition of theseinmates have improved and they are being allowed to make calls bothdomestic and internationally.

Innovation Law Lab has been sending its legal team of volunteersaccompanied with translators like Navneet to the Sheridan jail on a dailybasis.

“I am horrified at how the US is treating people who are seeking asylum.I’m horrified at how they’re treating immigrants just in general,” Muirheadsaid.

“Right now there’s so much public attention on this issue, but in realitymany of these issues that we have now are just getting worse, but they werealready there even before Trump was elected as president,” she said.

“For example, the mass detention of immigrants, the mass deportation ofimmigrants, those were issues that were already ongoing before Trump waselected. But I think since his election, it’s just gotten to the nextlevel. We already were detaining families, but now Trump is saying let’sdetain them indefinitely. That’s taking it to the next level. So it was,it’s very concerning,” Muirhead said.

Despite the inhuman conditions these inmates are living in, none of themare willing to go back home, both Navneet and Muirhead said.

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco had recently sent its officials tomeet these inmates. But it is not clear if these Indian citizens acceptedthe offer of the Indian government to help them go back home.

The next step for those who wish to seek asylum is to have a credible fearinterview, which takes place with an asylum officer and with the individualduring which the official will try to assess whether or not they have beenactually persecuted or have a reasonable fear of persecution, Muirhead said.

Secondly, they will try to assess whether or not that persecution isrelated to a reason for having asylum, she added.

The Innovation Lab law has put in a formal notice to the government that itis providing legal counsel for a certain number of individuals. Then thegovernment is required to tell them when they have scheduled to thatinterview so that the they can assure they’re prepared, and accompany themto the interview.