UK MP Gill Flags Sikh Harassment at Airports; US Deportation Threats Loom

UK Labour MP, Preet Kaur Gill, has raised concerns that British Sikhs are being stopped and extensively questioned at UK airports about their views on India, suggesting undue influence from Delhi over British security checks. In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper sent in September, Gill highlighted cases where Sikhs were detained for hours at airports, subjected to inappropriate questions about the Sikh religion, the Partition of India in 1947, and the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. There are reports of rough handling and attempts to remove turbans. These allegations reflect growing anger within the British Sikh community over perceived harassment linked to the Indian govt.’s apprehensions about Sikhs advocating for Khalistan. Sikh community leaders in the UK, including Gurpreet Singh Anand of the Khalsa Jatha (Group) British Isles Gurdwara, report increased targeting under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act,2000, where Sikhs are detained and interrogated without clear suspicion, often asked broad questions about their identity and beliefs, and required to surrender mobile phones and social media passwords. The UK Home Office has declined to comment on these allegations. Meanwhile, as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office in January 2025, stricter immigration policies are already surfacing, with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data showing that of the 1.45M people slated for deportation, nearly 18K are undocumented Indians including Panjabis. While India ranks 13th on the list for Asian countries with undocumented immigrants. Over the past year, 90K Indians have been apprehended trying to cross into the US illegally, many from Panjab, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh. Last year the number was 97K (SDW Vol 1, Issue 8, Story 10).