• 10/30/2025

  New Trucking Rules

  October 30, 2025 (Washington, DC) — The Sikh Coalition continues to work to support Sikh truckers amidst rapidly changing federal policy.

  Last month, the Trump Administration issued a new Interim Final Rule (IFR) to strip many different classes of immigrants from obtaining or renewing non-domiciled Commercial Drivers’ Licenses (CDLs). This change is not being made on the basis of drivers’ English language proficiency (ELP) or other qualifications: Instead, it is simply an argument that non-domiciled CDL holders are inherently dangerous to the public, and thus an effort to remove approximately 194,000 of them from the workforce. You can read an analysis of the IFR that we co-developed with Asian Law Caucus in both English and Punjabi.

  The Sikh Coalition opposes this IFR given its serious and sweeping consequences for rule-abiding truck drivers, lack of actual safety justification, and rushed implementation process. We are currently drafting a public comment in opposition to the rule, but the IFR public comment process is open to anyone and comments can be submitted anonymously. If you are connected to the trucking industry—or concerned about the impact of this rule on people who are—you can TAKE ACTION by visiting this link and submitting your own public comment by the deadline of November 28. If you are unsure of what to write in your comment, consider personalizing one of our available templates:

  Template IFR comment for truckers
  Template IFR comment for trucking company owners
  Template IFR comment for family members of truckers
  Template IFR comment for any member of the public
  In addition to rallying the sangat to submit public comments, the Sikh Coalition and our partners have submitted an amicus brief in support of two separate lawsuits that are asking the court to stop the Trump Administration from continuing to implement the rule. An amicus brief is a brief written to help the court consider additional arguments or facts when deciding an issue. Here, the Sikh Coalition, along with our co-counsel Asian Law Caucus, prepared a brief on behalf many Sikh community organizations. In the brief, we explain the harmful impact the IFR is having on the Sikh truck driver community, including trucking companies.  We are grateful to Asian Law Caucus for partnering with us in this effort, as well as to the additional groups who signed on: Gurdwara Sahib of Stockton, Jakara Movement, SALDEF, United Sikhs, California Sikh Youth Alliance, and Umeed-Hope.

  Beyond the IFR, the Sikh Coalition remains committed to fighting any discrimination against Sikh and Punjabi truckers. Earlier this month, our legal team visited Fresno, California, to offer “Know Your Rights” trainings for drivers at the Sikh Institute of Fresno and Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib. More than 50 sangat members attended the sessions and spoke with our attorneys about their ongoing concerns related to recent policy changes and the onslaught of hate and discrimination directed at Sikh truckers. As a reminder, our Know Your Rights information includes brochures, printable flyers, and voice notes in English and Punjabi—all of which is available for free on our website. 

  Finally, we continue to raise our concerns about discrimination around ELP enforcement with the Department of Transportation (DOT). As of the time of writing, the DOT continues to stonewall our requests for more information—but you can see our most recent policy letter to the DOT, where we affirm the need for ELP requirements while also asking specific, civil rights-oriented questions, here.

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

• 10/30/2025

  New Trucking Rules

  October 30, 2025 (Washington, DC) — The Sikh Coalition continues to work to support Sikh truckers amidst rapidly changing federal policy.

  Last month, the Trump Administration issued a new Interim Final Rule (IFR) to strip many different classes of immigrants from obtaining or renewing non-domiciled Commercial Drivers’ Licenses (CDLs). This change is not being made on the basis of drivers’ English language proficiency (ELP) or other qualifications: Instead, it is simply an argument that non-domiciled CDL holders are inherently dangerous to the public, and thus an effort to remove approximately 194,000 of them from the workforce. You can read an analysis of the IFR that we co-developed with Asian Law Caucus in both English and Punjabi.

  The Sikh Coalition opposes this IFR given its serious and sweeping consequences for rule-abiding truck drivers, lack of actual safety justification, and rushed implementation process. We are currently drafting a public comment in opposition to the rule, but the IFR public comment process is open to anyone and comments can be submitted anonymously. If you are connected to the trucking industry—or concerned about the impact of this rule on people who are—you can TAKE ACTION by visiting this link and submitting your own public comment by the deadline of November 28. If you are unsure of what to write in your comment, consider personalizing one of our available templates:

  Template IFR comment for truckers
  Template IFR comment for trucking company owners
  Template IFR comment for family members of truckers
  Template IFR comment for any member of the public
  In addition to rallying the sangat to submit public comments, the Sikh Coalition and our partners have submitted an amicus brief in support of two separate lawsuits that are asking the court to stop the Trump Administration from continuing to implement the rule. An amicus brief is a brief written to help the court consider additional arguments or facts when deciding an issue. Here, the Sikh Coalition, along with our co-counsel Asian Law Caucus, prepared a brief on behalf many Sikh community organizations. In the brief, we explain the harmful impact the IFR is having on the Sikh truck driver community, including trucking companies.  We are grateful to Asian Law Caucus for partnering with us in this effort, as well as to the additional groups who signed on: Gurdwara Sahib of Stockton, Jakara Movement, SALDEF, United Sikhs, California Sikh Youth Alliance, and Umeed-Hope.

  Beyond the IFR, the Sikh Coalition remains committed to fighting any discrimination against Sikh and Punjabi truckers. Earlier this month, our legal team visited Fresno, California, to offer “Know Your Rights” trainings for drivers at the Sikh Institute of Fresno and Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib. More than 50 sangat members attended the sessions and spoke with our attorneys about their ongoing concerns related to recent policy changes and the onslaught of hate and discrimination directed at Sikh truckers. As a reminder, our Know Your Rights information includes brochures, printable flyers, and voice notes in English and Punjabi—all of which is available for free on our website. 

  Finally, we continue to raise our concerns about discrimination around ELP enforcement with the Department of Transportation (DOT). As of the time of writing, the DOT continues to stonewall our requests for more information—but you can see our most recent policy letter to the DOT, where we affirm the need for ELP requirements while also asking specific, civil rights-oriented questions, here.

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

• 09/24/2025

  Update on Bibi Harjit Kaur

  September 24, 2025 (Nationwide) — The Sikh Coalition is saddened and angered to share that Bibi Harjit Kaur has experienced additional mistreatment in the course of her deportation. As of the time of writing, she has landed in India and is on her way back to Punjab.

  Bibi Harjit Kaur is a 73-year-old grandmother who had been attending her ICE check-ins in Hercules, California, for the past 13 years. On September 8, she was abruptly detained at one of those check-ins and held by ICE since. Late on Friday, September 19, Bibi ji was flown across the country from an ICE detention center in Bakersfield, California, to a holding facility in Lumpkin, Georgia; shortly thereafter, she was put on a charter flight back to India. Per Deepak Ahluwalia, her attorney, he and Bibi ji’s family were not notified of this cross-country transfer and she was not allowed to say goodbye—despite the fact that they had literally booked her a commercial flight from San Francisco to India and planned for a family member to accompany her.

  We detailed some of the inhumane and unacceptable treatment that Bibi ji experienced at the hands of ICE in our previous update about her case. Since we have learned more from her through her attorney, however, that list now includes:

  She was held in cells without a bed or chair for hours and made to sleep on the floor. 
  She was shackled when being transported via van between ICE facilities.
  She was refused vegetarian meals in accordance with her religious beliefs; at various points, she was offered only an apple or a plate of ice as food to take her medicine with—things she could not eat due to dental problems.
  She was prohibited from showering throughout her detention.
  She was denied basic medical care, and was only provided with her medicine several days into her detention. 
  She was repeatedly refused water and access to basic hygiene supplies like toilet paper.
  It is despicable that any human should be treated this way, and downright sickening that a 73-year-old woman was forced to endure it. We have a collective responsibility to stand against this and all further injustices being visited upon vulnerable people in ICE’s custody—because again, as we detailed in our previous message, the cruelty of what was done to Bibi ji is not unique.

  There is a deep moral rot growing rapidly throughout our nation’s immigration enforcement apparatus. To be sure, it is the seizure, mistreatment, and deportation of law-abiding (and often vulnerable) individuals like Bibi ji. But it is also the Trump Administration’s immediate move to permit immigration raids at schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. It is ICE’s use of thuggish tactics like masked and unidentified agents who throw people into unmarked vans. It is the Supreme Court permitting the Trump Administration to send deportees to dangerous third countries like South Sudan and Libya, or the Trump Administration sending asylum seekers to a notorious supermax prison in El Salvador. It is ICE having a larger budget than most of the world’s militaries and lowering its application standards to hire more agents. It is so-called “Border Czar” Tom Homan being investigated for accepting bribes from undercover FBI-agents—before the Justice Department, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, shut that investigation down. And it is the Department of Homeland Security gutting its own watchdog agencies while arresting and charging elected officials for attempting to conduct oversight at ICE facilities.

  Our nation can and must have reasonable civic debate about immigration policy. That debate, however, is not happening; in its place is an increasingly draconian and undemocratic surge that will come for the vulnerable and the innocent in our community just as sure as it has already come for Bibi Harjit Kaur and too many others. We are committed to taking further action in response to this rising threat, and we look forward to sharing more in the days and weeks ahead.

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

• 09/17/2025

  Bibi Harjit Kaur and Others Facing Deportation

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  September 17, 2025
  On Bibi Harjit Kaur and the Trump Administration’s Immigration Enforcement Practices

   

   

   

  
  Please see below for a reflection on the case of Bibi Harjit Kaur and our larger concerns with the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement practices. As always, access all of our immigration ‘know your rights’ materials—in English and Punjabi—at thesikh.co/immigration.

  Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,

  Bibi Harjit Kaur is a 73-year-old grandmother who is currently detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Facility in Bakersfield, California. Bibi Harjit Kaur was detained in San Francisco last week during one of her regular ICE check-ins, to which she had been faithfully reporting to for the past 13 years.

  If Bibi Harjit Kaur’s detention and potential deportation itself were not harsh enough, we have recently learned through her attorney, Deepak Ahluwalia, that she has endured unacceptable treatment since being detained by ICE. She was shackled and held in a cell without a bed or chair for hours. She was transported from San Francisco to Fresno to Bakersfield with almost no ability to contact her family. She has been denied basic medical care, and only recently was provided with her medicine. And she has been refused water, vegetarian meals, and access to basic hygiene supplies like toilet paper. Again, we stress that all this is being done to a 73-year-old woman.

  This is beyond unacceptable, and we are committed to doing anything we can, alongside other Sikh activists and organizations, to help Bibi Harjit Kaur and her family. (Her family is planning another solidarity rally in El Sobrante, California, on Friday, September 19.) It is time to recognize, however, that this extraordinary cruelty is not an exception under the Trump Administration’s immigration regime—it is the norm. Since the start of this year, we have seen too many similarly horrific stories:

  A four-year-old child with metastatic cancer, who is a U.S. citizen, was deported to Honduras in April without medication or the ability of his parents to consult with his treating physicians.
  Imam Ayman Soliman, a former chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, was detained while attending a regular check in with ICE officers. His seven-year-old asylum status was terminated and the government falsely accused him of ties to terrorism; he now faces deportation.
  George Retes, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran, was detained during an immigration raid at his workplace in July and held in custody for three days.
  Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Massachusetts high school student who arrived in the United States from Brazil when he was seven years old, was arrested by ICE agents on his way to volleyball practice. He was detained for nearly a week.
  Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a Maryland pastor and father of three with no criminal record who has been in the U.S. for 24 years, was arrested by ICE and detained in a field office in Maryland. He was released on bond from a facility in Louisiana one month after his arrest, only after supporters wrote dozens of letters in his defense.
  It is not a matter of partisanship to recognize that these stories are antithetical to the Sikh faith and basic human decency. Accordingly, we are calling for action:

  We urge you to contact your members of Congress and ask them to endorse the VISIBLE Act, a bill that would require ICE agents to wear visible identification and prohibit them from wearing ski masks or other non-medical face coverings while conducting public enforcement activities. We similarly urge all Sikh organizations to join us in endorsing this bill and pursuing an organized effort to find a Republican co-sponsor so that it can become bipartisan legislation.
  We compel all Sikh elected and appointed officials to forcefully condemn these cruel and dehumanizing policies. Again, this is not a partisan issue; it is a moral obligation rooted in our collective commitment to justice and human dignity.
  And most importantly, if most difficult, of all: If you are outraged by the treatment of Bibi Harjit Kaur, we urge you to share her story within your sangat—and then emphasize how what is happening to her is happening to too many elders, children, and other fellow human beings from different communities.
  As a reminder, the Sikh Coalition has denounced immigration policies of both political parties in the past: We opposed draconian asylum changes during the Biden Administration, just as we opposed family separation policies under the first Trump Administration. We believe that people can and should deliberate different border security measures, paths to citizenship for undocumented persons, and more. The way that ICE is rapidly expanding its power in our country now, however—with a budget larger than many countries’ militaries, masked and unidentified agents sowing chaos, and increasing hostility to any oversight—is far beyond any normal or healthy civic debate.

  Finally, we urge everyone to confront a stark reality: There will be no exception for our community. Policies designed to harm immigrants as a whole will inevitably harm Sikhs, as demonstrated by the case of Bibi Harjit Kaur and our organization’s direct engagement on similar situations this year. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. powerfully articulated this interconnectedness, stating, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Our defense of immigrant rights is not a choice—it is a moral imperative in keeping with the idea of sarbat da bhala, as well as a spiritual one.

  As Sikhs, we have faced, and persevered through, forced migration and persecution from the land of our Gurus to our arrival in the United States. Our lived experiences compel us to speak out on inhumane and discriminatory policies that impact Sikhs and all other communities, and that includes the Trump Administration’s increasingly appalling immigration policy choices. The Sikh Coalition chooses to leverage our history to fuel our resolve in the present—for to secure our own future, we must fight for the future of all. We respectfully urge you to join us.

  In Chardi Kala,

  The Sikh Coalition Team

• 08/14/2025

  Responding to Complex Immigration Needs

  August 14, 2025 (Nationwide) – Earlier this year, the Sikh Coalition became aware of a very concerning situation: More than a dozen Sikh community members were arrested and detained by immigration officials in one city over a 48-hour period.

  While these arrests were supposedly related to a criminal investigation, no formal charges have been filed against any of the individuals months later. A significant number of those detained are in the United States with pending asylum cases or on various visas, yet they are being “held for ICE.” More importantly, many of them appear to have no connection whatsoever to the alleged criminal activity.

  Unfortunately, legal options for those who are still detained are very limited because of the Trump Administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement and severe policies. Courts are moving slow because they are overwhelmed; even those who are agreeing to deportation are having to wait months in detention. Beyond that, asylum cases from years ago are now being questioned by authorities. This situation is a powerful reminder that it is absolutely critical for all sangat members to understand their legal rights, especially when interacting with law enforcement. 

  Since the situation began unfolding, the Sikh Coalition has been on the ground and actively working to support the affected families and the broader community. Our team has:

  Coordinated with families and their legal counsel, providing support with detention visits and translation services;
  Consulted with outside organizations to determine potential larger lawsuits over what we believe to be unethical detention practices;
  Offered Know Your Rights trainings to empower sangat members;
  Provided support to the local gurdwara and helped alleviate wider community fears during this uncertain time; and
  Prepared for potential opportunities for media engagement to ensure the community’s perspective is accurately represented and protected.
  We are here to support those who have been affected, and we are also looking into potential legal avenues should these individuals be released without charges. We urge everyone to review and share our extensive library of immigration Know Your Rights materials, which are available on our website in Punjabi and English. If you or someone you know is facing wrongful detention, please reach out to us immediately at [email protected]; our attorneys cannot take on immigration cases indirectly, but we will work to refer you to an attorney with expertise if we can. 

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

• 08/06/2025

  Sikhs Remain Third-Most Targeted Religious Group

  August 6, 2025 (Washington, DC) — Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its annual hate crime statistics report for 2024. 

  The number of anti-Sikh hate incidents reported in calendar year 2024 is a slight reduction from 2023, reflecting the overall decrease (roughly 2 percent) in reported hate crimes across the board. Sikhs, however, do remain the third most-targeted religious group behind the Jewish and Muslim communities, with 153 anti-Sikh victimizations noted in the dataset.

  While the high-level information in this report is important for emphasizing that violent hate continues to pose a persistent challenge to our nation’s communities, it is important to recognize that the picture it paints remains fundamentally incomplete. Unfortunately, thousands of agencies are still reporting zero hate crimes to the FBI within their jurisdiction. In some cases, this could be because of a total lack of bias-motivated crime in their areas—but more likely it reflects a combination of individuals being reluctant to come forward after experiencing hate, a failure by some law enforcement agencies to investigate or prosecute potentially bias-motivated crimes, inaccurate recording within those law enforcement agencies, and other such persistent issues.

  “Sikhs remain under threat from violent hate disproportionate to the size of our population,” said Mannirmal Kaur, Sikh Coalition Senior Federal Policy Manager. “Despite shortcomings in the collection of this data, this new information clearly shows that biased-based violence is still prevalent today—which means that to better protect all of our communities, the first and most basic step is to improve reporting across the country and more fully understand the scope of the problem.”

  The Sikh Coalition continues to advocate for measures like the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (IRPHA), a bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. IRPHA would compel local law enforcement agencies to make this dataset more inclusive and provide for additional education around hate crimes and bias incidents for both law enforcement and the general public. We also remain committed to ensuring that the experiences of our and other communities regarding violent hate continue to be a part of the national dialogue on this critical issue. Finally, pro bono support for hate crime survivors remains a core part of our legal work: If you or someone you know has been targeted, reach out to us for help in English or Punjabi.

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

• 06/18/2025

  Updated ‘Know Your Rights’ Resource for Truckers

  June 18, 2025 (Washington, DC) — This week, the Sikh Coalition is publishing several new kinds of updated resources around our “Know Your Rights” information for truckers. 

  This new content builds on our previous trucking “Know Your Rights” information: It still includes information about workplace accommodations and police stops, but now also has material about immigration concerns and the Trump Administration’s new regulations around English language proficiency (ELP). The information is available in several formats:

  As a printable quadfold brochure that includes both English and Punjabi text;
  As printable flyers, in either English or Punjabi, which can be hung at trucking schools, truck stops, gurdwarae, or other locations;
  As a living Google Doc, available in English or Punjabi for easy copying and pasting; and
  As voice notes, which can be found on our website shared via WhatsApp.
  As a reminder, President Trump issued an executive order calling for new regulations around ELP for truckers in April—specifically, calling for roadside inspectors to have the authority to declare truckers “out of service” for an ELP violation. The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued new guidance on when and how to enforce this policy in May. The Sikh Coalition has sent two letters to the DOT on this issue; our most recent outreach focused on specific questions about how the guidance will be enforced. 

  To be clear, we are not opposed to common sense safety reforms—including the obvious fact that all truckers must have basic English language skills to drive safely in the United States. We simply want to ensure that the new executive order does not lead to accidental or intentional discrimination against Sikh and Punjabi drivers. We intend to continue to push for a meeting with DOT civil rights personnel to seek answers to our questions on this matter. 

  In the meantime, if you or anyone you know has been subjected to discrimination (in or out of the workplace) based on your Sikh identity, please contact our legal team for assistance.

  As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.

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