[image: US Border Patrol officers keep watch along the border fenceseparating the US and Mexico in El Paso, Texas, February 17, 2016. PHOTO:AFP]
WASHINGTON – Out of hundreds of detainees at the federal prison inVictorville California, some 40 per cent were found to have travelled fromIndia seeking asylum.
One of their representatives told US Representative for California MarkTakano that they were forced to seek refuge following persecution byIndia’s ruling party Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), *The Los Angeles Times* reported.
“They said they were often bullied into doing things that were immoral.They would have to carry drugs, perpetrate violence against others,” saidTakano.
Hailing from Punjab, on of the detainees, Sukhwinder fled India after beingattacked by a group of men who questioned him on why he had not joined theBJP. Following death threats, he travelled to Mexico in the hope to seekasylum in the US.
Detainees with similar stories said they could not turn to police for help.“In some cases, the beating has been pretty gruesome. People have beenhospitalised. Police have not done anything to protect them, and eventhough they try to relocate, threats continue to follow them and theirfamilies,” said Meeth Soni, co-legal director at Immigrant Defenders LawCenter.
Sukhwinder said the police threatened to book him under false charges if hespoke against the ruling party.
“Mob attacks by extremist Hindu groups affiliated with the BJP againstminority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the yearamid rumors that they sold, bought, or killed cows for beef,” said a reportby Humans Rights Watch.
“Instead of taking prompt legal action against the attackers, policefrequently filed complaints against the victims under laws banning cowslaughter.”
An assistant professor at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy andStrategy, Gaurav Khanna said religious and political persecution in Indiahas become more intertwined with the rise of the BJP.
“There are definitely people getting attacked for their political beliefs.You do see, especially before elections, people are killed for …campaigning for certain parties. My sense is it has been happening foryears, but the question is, is it rising in recent years?”
The troubles for Indian nationals, however, do not end as Sikh detainees –as well as those of other faiths – complained of mistreatment in the USprisons. “I didn’t feel at ease,” Sukhwinder said. “I wished I was in myhome country.”
The Sikhs complained of not being allowed to wear turbans while Hindus saidthey were forced to eat meat.
“We provide turbans to detainees free of charge,” refuted the company thatoperates Imperial Regional Detention Facility. “The menu is approved by adietician according to national standards, and if detainees request, theyare provided with a vegetarian diet.”
“They’ve been told it’s going to cost them $10 for a turban — $10 thatthese people do not have,” asserted Soni. “ICE took their turbans away fromthem, threw them away and now is saying you have to pay us money toproperly observe your religion.”
The immigration officials and attorneys revealed an increase of the numberof Indian nationals crossing into US through Mexico following travel routesforges by Latino immigrants. According to US Federal Bureau of Prisons, 380out of 680 migrants at Victorville facility were Indian nationals withpending immigration cases.
Additionally, 40 per cent of the detainees at Immigration and CustomsEnforcement’s Imperial Valley facility and nearly 20 per cent of thedetainees at ICE’s Adelanto processing center were found to be from India.
During the current fiscal year, 4,197 Indians were arrested by US BorderPatrol agents, revealed data from Syracuse University’s TransactionalRecords Access Clearinghouse.
Asylum details of many detainees have been denied. Date from fiscal years2012 to 2017 showed about 42 per cent requests from Indian citizens wererejected, according to the clearinghouse records.
*This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.link#*