SALDEF Policy Update: February 2026
In February, SALDEF engaged lawmakers, filed legal briefs, strengthened coalitions, and ensured that Sikh American perspectives were represented in critical federal and state policy discussions. Here is exactly what your support made possible.
1. Protecting the Right to Vote
Sikh Americans, like many immigrant communities, face outsized barriers when navigating voter registration systems: language access gaps, name discrepancies on documents, and unfamiliarity with bureaucratic processes.
The SAVE America Act, the Make Elections Great Again Act, and the original SAVE Act would have made those barriers worse.
SALDEF joined a national civil rights coalition to oppose all three, ensuring that eligible Sikh American citizens are not locked out of the democratic process that shapes the policies affecting their lives.
2. Defending Birthright Citizenship and Due Process
For Sikh families with mixed immigration status, a reality for many in our community, birthright citizenship is the legal foundation of their children’s lives in America.
This month SALDEF endorsed the Defend the Fourteenth Amendment Resolution and joined SAAJCO and the South Asian coalition on an amicus brief in Trump v. Barbara, standing in federal court in direct defense of this constitutional protection. As this right is challenged, with your support, SALDEF is pushing back.
3. Protecting Gurdwaras and Sikh Sacred Spaces
The sanctity of religious worship spaces is not a matter of preference; it is a matter of constitutional and moral principle. This month, SALDEF continued to put pressure by joining a letter urging Congress to enact the bill.
This federal legislation would formally protect houses of worship, including Sikh gurdwaras, from immigration enforcement actions that erode community trust and undermine religious free exercise.
4. Holding Government Power Accountable
SALDEF called for congressional oversight of Department of Homeland Security surveillance technologies through a coalition letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
SALDEF endorsed the Melt ICE Act, advocating for an immigration system grounded in due process and proportionality rather than punitive detention.
5. Leading the Nation on Transnational Repression
After California Governor Newsom vetoed SB 509 last year, we continued our advocacy in ensuring victims of transnational repression are protected.
This month, SALDEF successfully engaged with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to ensure that as the state develops official law enforcement training on transnational repression, the Sikh community’s experiences are centered.
Following the guilty plea entered by Nikhil Gupta in a plot tied to foreign threats against Sikh Americans on U.S. soil, SALDEF issued a public statement reinforcing that accountability is not optional.
6. Defending Religious Freedom and Fighting Online Hate
When X/Twitter became a platform for coordinated hate targeting minority religious communities, civil rights organizations that spoke up faced legal retaliation. SALDEF joined an amicus brief in Media Matters v. FTC to protect the right of advocacy organizations including our own to do this work without fear.
SALDEF also joined Interfaith Alliance v. Trump as a plaintiff, challenging the Religious Liberty Commission to ensure that religious freedom protections serve all Americans, not just some.
Because of your partnership, SALDEF continues to advocate for our community, ensuring that Sikh Americans are not only included in national conversations, but actively shaping them.
Thank you for your continued trust and investment in this work.