Over hundred Punjabi men were said to be held in detention facilities
for undocumented immigrants in El Paso, Texas, this week, with 42 of
them embarking on the fourth day of a hunger strike to protest against
authorities’ alleged denial of access to outside resources to the
inmates.
Satnam Singh Chahal of the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA)
expressed concern at the “miserable plight” of these “young men who are
languishing in U.S. jails charged with illegal entry without valid entry
visas”.
Howvever, when contacted by The Hindu the press officer at the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Processing Centre, Leticia
Zamarripa, said, "I checked and there are no hunger strikers reported at
the... Centre."
She said that she did not have any additional details available on the case but would be looking into it.
Speaking to The Hindu Mr. Chahal said that the men began their
journey from India in July 2013 from India and reached Mexico via a
circuitous global route involving Moscow, Havana, Ecuador, El Salvador,
and Guatemala.
When they reached an unknown city of Mexico, he said, the entire group
was held in a single room and not permitted to go outside the room.
At some point prior to November 11 2013, when they found themselves in
the U.S. detention facility, they either attempted a border crossing
into the U.S. or were transported across.
While in the facility the Punjabi youths were not permitted to use
telephones or other means of communication to update friends and family
on their situation, Mr. Chahal said.
NAPA extends legal aid
Following this NAPA sought to extend “legal assistance and moral
support” to the detainees, including by filing a Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
In an April 10, 2014 email to the ICE that was shared with The Hindu
NAPA said, “This is our third email request to you for which we are
looking forward to have your response. Several undocumented persons of
Indian Origin are detained in El Paso Processing Centre 8915 Montana Ave
El Paso TX 79925. We are… concerned about their future. We got
information that some of the detainees of Indian origin are on hunger
strike [for] three days for… unknown reasons… Please provide us [with]
information about this and also let us know when our representatives can
visit this facility to meet these detainees.”
NAPA sources also said that one among the Punjabi youths in detention
had “committed suicide by hanging himself” because he was “unable to
bear the pressure of leading this troublesome life” in detention.
NAPA, some of whose members said they were planning to “soon leave for
Texas to meet these detainees after getting the permission from
detention centre authorities,” also said that it sent his body to his
native village in Punjab for cremation.
The organisation also flagged the problem of “human trafficking” as a
criminal act that had victimised Punjabis, adding, “Punjabis enthusiasm
to migrate to affluent countries in search of greener pastures has given
the traffickers to exploit them. Using different modus operandi, people
of different back grounds involved in human trafficking and often put
the lives of their clients in considerable danger.”
