• 05/07/2026

  Defending Dignity for Detainees - Project Update

  Over the past several months, SALDEF has significantly expanded our advocacy and direct support efforts on behalf of Sikh immigrants impacted by increased ICE enforcement and detention. As detention practices continue to escalate nationwide, we are working at both the federal and state levels to advance policies that strengthen oversight, protect due process, and uphold the dignity and religious rights of those in detention.

  To date, SALDEF has held more than 90 meetings with Congressional offices to elevate immigration oversight and detention reform as key advocacy priorities. At the federal level, SALDEF endorsed the Ban Warehouse Detention Act, introduced by Representative Rashida Tlaib, which seeks to prohibit ICE from using warehouse-style facilities to detain individuals. We also endorsed the SHIELD Act, introduced by Senator Ed Markey, which would invest $100 million in immigration legal services to expand access to counsel, protect due process, and reduce strain on immigration courts nationwide.

  In California, SALDEF is supporting the Masuma Khan Justice Act (SB 995), legislation aimed at strengthening oversight of private detention facilities to ensure basic health, safety, and labor standards are met. The bill is named in honor of Masuma Khan, a 64-year-old woman who experienced medical neglect while detained after attending a routine ICE check-in appointment — circumstances that mirror those faced by Sikh detainee Harjit Kaur. SALDEF submitted a formal letter of support to the California Senate and continues mobilizing community members to advocate for the bill’s passage.

  Alongside policy advocacy, SALDEF has dramatically expanded our direct outreach to detention facilities to ensure Sikh detainees receive critical religious accommodations and support. This year, we finalized and distributed a Sikh Chaplain Guide to more than 120 ICE detention facilities nationwide. Through conversations with detention center chaplains, it became clear that many had little familiarity with Sikh religious practices or the accommodations detainees may require. As a result of our outreach, facilities have been better equipped to support Sikh detainees with religious articles and services.

  To date, SALDEF has provided more than 100 turbans and 40 gutke to Sikh individuals in detention. In one conversation, a detention center chaplain shared that he did not know what accommodations Sikh detainees might need until SALDEF provided the guide. After reviewing it, he was able to proactively request materials and support he had previously not realized were necessary. By equipping chaplains directly, SALDEF helps shift the burden away from detainees themselves and reinforces institutional responsibility for protecting religious rights.

  We have also launched volunteer-driven efforts to provide emotional support and human connection to Sikh detainees. During our first letter-writing session, volunteers sent 13 letters to detainees at the Clay County Detention Facility in Indiana. Participants reflected on how the experience helped humanize the individuals behind the headlines and foster deeper empathy and solidarity. One family member of a detainee, upon learning their loved one would receive a letter, became emotional and shared gratitude that “someone actually cares.”

  In partnership with IndianaAID, SALDEF is now organizing Punjabi-speaking volunteers to virtually connect with Sikh detainees in Indiana, helping individuals maintain communication with loved ones and access vital emotional support during detention.

  None of this work would be possible without the support of our community and donors who make this advocacy, outreach, and direct service possible.

• 02/05/2026

  Defending Dignity for Detainees - Project Update

  Amid increased ICE enforcement, SALDEF deepened its advocacy on behalf of Sikh detainees nationwide. SALDEF joined more than 500 organizations in an ACLU-led letter and engaged in direct congressional advocacy urging lawmakers to oppose expanded funding for ICE and CBP. In parallel, SALDEF expanded on-the-ground outreach to detention centers to ensure Sikh detainees could access critical resources and ensure their religious accommodations are met.

  Donor support enabled SALDEF to work directly with the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana, where numerous Sikh detainees were being denied core religious accommodations, including access to turbans. Through this support, SALDEF secured and provided dastaars and keskis for detainees and shared educational materials with facility staff outlining Sikh religious requirements. Similarly, donor contributions made it possible for SALDEF to provide dastaars and gutke to approximately 100 Sikh detainees at the California City Detention Center.

  Building on these efforts, SALDEF’s Outreach and Policy teams developed and shared a comprehensive religious accommodation guide for detention facility chaplains, helping institutional staff better understand and meet the needs of Sikh detainees. Donor generosity also made direct family care possible. After one individual was reunited with their family, they shared fears of retaliation that prevented them from speaking publicly about their experience, which they described as traumatic. In response, SALDEF was able to connect them with pro bono, culturally competent mental health support from a Punjabi health practitioner—ensuring healing and care continued beyond detention.

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