New Attorney General Guidelines May Legitimize Racial and Ethnic Profiling Washington, DC – September 25, 2008: The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest and largest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, is deeply concerned by new FBI guidelines that could lower the threshold for federal law enforcement officers to conduct investigations of individuals on the mere suspicion of questionable activity or meeting the FBI’s assessment of what it considers to be a threat. Last week, SALDEF, along with other civil rights groups, met with Justice Department officials and reviewed draft language of the revised Attorney General (AG) Guidelines governing the investigative powers of the FBI in matters of national security. The new guidelines, which are slated to be approved on October 1, 2008, represent a major shift in public policy. These new guidelines would allow the FBI to recruit informants, conduct pretext interviews without identifying the agency the investigator works for, and allow for physical surveillance of persons, including U.S. citizens, in the United States without evidence of criminal activity. Additionally, they would replace existing guidelines for five types of guidelines: general criminal, national security, foreign intelligence, civil disorders and demonstrations. Currently these intrusive investigative measures are already in place to investigate criminal conduct, which is based on physical evidence. The new AG guidelines will lower the standard for utilizing intrusive investigative techniques by not requiring evidence of criminal conduct, but simply the mere accusation of impropriety. “The new guidelines will rely heavily on information from the Intelligence Community. Unfortunately, such information is highly suspect due to its high risk of being incorrect – as we have seen in the past,” said SALDEF Legal Director Rajdeep Singh Jolly. “The use of weak information to justify intrusive investigative techniques without evidence of criminal activity should be alarming to all Americans.” Although the Justice Department reassured meeting participants that investigations will not be conducted solely based on race or ethnicity, many scenarios were discussed that included a heavy reliance on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, and religion to initiate investigations. The guidelines are the latest reflection of the government’s desire to become more proactive in protecting the United States. While SALDEF firmly believes that national security should be of utmost importance and that policies should reflect such priorities, all Americans have an obligation to speak out when those policies violate or threaten to violate our privacy and civil liberties. FOR SIKHS — Be aware of your surroundings. Do not submit to interviews voluntarily without first consulting with an attorney in your state. If you believe that an individual you are speaking with is an FBI Agent, respectfully disengage from the conversation and contact SALDEF immediately at legal@saldef.org. For more information about the new regulations, please visit the links below: ACLU Asks Inspector General to Investigate Abuses of FBI Guidelines – ACLU PR, September 23, 2008 Problematic Attorney General Guidelines Implemented While FBI Safeguards Pending – ADC PR, September 23, 2008 New FBI Guidelines Open Door to Further Abuse – ACLU PR, September 12, 2008
SALDEF Expresses Alarm About New Investigative Powers of FBI
SALDEF and ADC recognized for landmark partnership with Washington DC Police Force Washington D.C. – July, 24, 2008: This past Tuesday, July 22, 2008, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) each received an award from the Washington DC-Metro Police Department for their work in training the entire police force on the religious and cultural practices of Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Americans. SALDEF National Director Rajbir Singh Datta and ADC Legal Director Nawar Shora were recognized for their efforts in providing uniformed officers with recommendations on how to interact with Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Americans. The 30 week-long training program, which was completed earlier this year, reach almost 3,500 officers. Utilizing a professionally designed interactive presentation, SALDEF’s Training DVD On Common Ground, and other educational publications including our Who are the Sikhs brochure and the first-ever Sikh American Law Enforcement Reference Card, the training program was designed to provide law enforcement with an understanding of Sikh cultural practices and provide recommendations on how to appropriately interact with the community in non-emergency, non-crisis situations. The training was part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program, which has trained over 100,000 law enforcement officers since it’s inception eight years ago. In 2007 alone, SALDEF training efforts reached over 20,000 law enforcement officers in cities across the nation including Washington, DC; Columbia, MO; Des Moines, IA; Jamestown, NC; Charlestown, WV; and Pittsburgh, PA. “It’s important that police leaders in our community are aware of, and have a thorough understanding, of the diversity of the millions of residents, commuters and the millions of tourists in the Washington DC area,” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “We encourage the Sikh American community to partner with us and reach out to key civil and law enforcement officials in their local communities to ensure that relationships and connections are developed for greater understanding of who Sikhs are.” The award ceremony was held at the ADC National Headquarters on Wisconsin Ave, NW and attended by over 50 police leaders, civil rights officials, law enforcement representatives and Sikh residents of the local DC-Metropolitan area. CONTACT: Rajbir Singh Datta Phone: 202-393-2700 Ext. 27 E-mail: media@saldef.org
Washington D.C. – June 5, 2008: Last week, a Sikh family in Albuquerque, New Mexico awoke to find their vehicle had been defaced in an act of racist vandalism. Mr. and Mrs. Singh, who have asked to maintain their anonymity, awoke in the morning to find their car vandalized with an extremely offensive picture of male genitalia and the statement, “(explicative removed) Alah!” (click here to see the image) Additionally, in a phone conversation with SALDEF, the family feels they have been victim to at least two previous bias crimes. Both of the previous incidents involved a single white male between the age of 20 and 30 shouting at the couple and in one case involved an alleged physical attack with the man throwing stones at Mr. Singh. A formal complaint has been filed with the Albuquerque Police Department; however, the investigation is still ongoing. SALDEF has engaged in direct communication with these authorities to ensure that there is an increase in patrols in the area and that the hate crime investigation continues. “Such an incident is not only an attack against the victims, but both the larger Sikh and Muslim American communities in New Mexico”, said SALDEF Western Regional Director Kavneet Singh. Law enforcement should respond forcibly with similar cases. Often times, cases of physical bias attacks result from a poor response to issues which may seem ‘minor’ to members of the community and therefore get under-addressed.” SALDEF is encouraged to hear that the neighbors of this couple have joined together in speaking out against such acts of hate and are showing their full-fledged support to the Singh family. SALDEF urges the Sikh American community to report incidents of bias, regardless of how minor the situation may be perceived by local authorities by calling 911 and contacting SALDEF at info@saldef.org or 877-917-4547.
A charge of carrying a dangerous weapon was dismissed against a Sikh man arrested in Kern County with a ceremonial dagger in his possession. Sahadur Singh, a Utah truck driver, was traveling through Kern County on Dec. 30 when he was stopped for a traffic violation by California Highway Patrol officers. Singh, a baptized Sikh, had a kirpan, a short dagger used in religious ceremonies, in his truck and the officers arrested him in part on suspicion of carrying a dangerous weapon, according to court documents. That charge and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and taking up two or more lanes while driving were dismissed. Singh pleaded no contest to driving without a license and disturbing the peace and was sentenced to three years probation, court records said. Sahadur Singh said the arresting officers kept asking whether he was a terrorist or involved with the Taliban, said Manjit Singh, a representative of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a non-profit civil rights organization. Intervening on Sahadur Singh’s behalf, the organization sent a letter to the Kern County District Attorney’s office explaining what a kirpan was and that, in similar cases, charges of carrying a dangerous weapon were dropped. Police reports weren’t immediately available, but there was no mention of harassment on the part of officers in court documents. And attorney Stanley Simrin, who represented Sahadur Singh, said his client never told him that officers accused him of being a terrorist. “I think it was a language or a cultural problem,” Simrin said of the incident. An interpreter was present for Sahadur Singh’s court appearances, according to court documents. [http://www.bakersfield.com] The Bakersfield Californian
Prosecutor declines to charge Sikh due to religious significance of mandated article of faith Washington D.C. – April 22, 2008: This past week, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) learned that criminal charges were dropped against a Sikh American truck driver who was arrested for wearing his kirpan (a religious article of faith) in California. Last December, Mr. Sahadur Singh, a Utah resident, was driving in Kern County, California when a police officer stopped him for a normal traffic violation. The police officer spotted the kirpan underneath Mr. Singh’s clothing and immediately arrested him for violating the State’s concealed weapon law and for resisting arrest. On his way to the police station, Kern County police officers reportedly screamed at Mr. Singh asking him, “Are you a Terrorist?”, “When was the last time you went over there, Taliban?” and “Did you ever send money to the Taliban?” On the request of Mr. Singh, SALDEF intervened and wrote a letter to the prosecutor in the case and sent the prosecutor information detailing the religious significance of the kirpan along with a list of case law documenting the dismissal of similar charges against other Sikhs across the country. SALDEF is currently assisting Mr. Singh obtain his kirpan from the local authorities. SALDEF is also working with local Kern County officials in regards to the alleged racist comments made by the Kern County police officers after the incident took place. Over the past 12 years, SALDEF has received and resolved nearly 30 cases involving Sikhs who faced criminal charges for wearing their kirpans. SALDEF thanks the Kern County Prosecutor’s office for being receptive and learning about the significance of the Sikh kirpan and deciding not to prosecute this case.
Help Support local efforts to educate about Sikhs As part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program, 4,200 police officials of the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department are now informed about Sikh Americans and Sikh religious practices. SALDEF and its volunteers provided similar Sikh awareness training over a period of one year to the entire 3,000+ officers of the Boston Police Department. When police officers are informed and aware of the Sikh identity, their response is positive and appropriate when interacting with Sikh Americans, unlike what we saw last month when local Texas police initially refused to file a complaint when a Texas A&M University Sikh international graduate student was accosted outside a Wal-Mart parking lot by an unknown male who assaulted the Sikh student screaming ‘terrorist’ while punching him in the face, knocking his daastar off. Unfortunately, many police departments do not have the budget to pay for the training that SALDEF provides. Every one hour of training, along with free educational materials, that SALDEF delivers on behalf of the Sikh American community costs $250. Help us increase our capacity and resources to take SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program to other police departments across the country. Your monthly contribution of $20 will help fund one such training session for a police department. In 2007 alone, SALDEF’s staff and volunteers were directly responsible for training over 12,000 law enforcement officials in 17 states. Additionally, as of February 2008, all 43,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners at the nation’s airports have been trained on Sikh culture and beliefs by watching SALDEF’s training video
SALDEF Completes Third Department-Wide Training Campaign Washington D.C. – March 11, 2008: This Wednesday, March 12th, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights organization, will conclude a highly successful year-long campaign to train all 3,800 Washington DC Metro Police Department officers on Sikh cultural practices and customs. This is the third such campaign SALDEF has completed with a major law enforcement agency to train their entire uniformed staff. 
Since March 2007, SALDEF has been training between 75 and 125 law enforcement officers every week on cultural awareness and techniques for better interacting with Sikh Americans. The trainings are intended to foster greater understanding for the cultural diversity in the nation’s capital and also one of its largest cities. “It’s important that police leaders in our community are aware and have a thorough understanding of the diversity of the millions of residents, commuters and over 17 million tourists in Washington DC.” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “We encourage the Sikh American community to partner with us and reach out to key officials in their local communities to ensure that relationships and connections are developed for greater understanding of who Sikhs are.” Due to their religiously mandated turbans and beards, Sikh Americans are often mistaken for Arabs, Muslims, or Middle Easterners based solely on their appearance. The Sikh American community has been targeted by hundreds of hate crimes, including the first post-9/11 hate-motivated fatality. Since that event, it has become critical for the community to develop lasting relationships to prepare against a future attack. The training program is designed to provide law enforcement with an understanding of Sikh cultural practices and provide recommendations on how to appropriately interact with the community in non-emergency, non-crisis situations. The program utilizes a professionally designed interactive presentation, SALDEF’s Training DVD On Common Ground, and other educational publications including our Who are the Sikhs brochure and SALDEF’s pioneering Law Enforcement Reference Card. The training is part of SALDEF’s Law Enforcement Partnership Program which has trained tens of thousands law enforcement officers over the past eight years. In 2007 alone, SALDEF training efforts reached over 65,000 law enforcement officers in cities across the nation including Washington, DC; Columbia, Missouri; Des Moines, IA; Jamestown, NC; Charlestown, WV; Pittsburgh, PA; and all 43,000 Transportation Security Officers across the United States who viewed On Common Ground, as part of their mandated training which was completed this January. SALDEF conducted the trainings in partnership with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and would like to acknowledge and thank the Washington DC Police Department, Chief Cathy Lanier, and Officer Ben Sharpe for their tremendous support during this initiative.
February 20, 2008 1. Vermont Prisons To Change Policy on Religious Freedom 2. SALDEF Internship Program 3. 10-year old Sikh American Discriminated Against 4. ABC Apologizes for Misrepresenting Sikhs as Muslims 5. Two California Sikh Americans arrested for possession of Kirpan 6. Sikh’s Turban Grabbed in New Jersey Restaurant 7. SALDEF Mourns Loss of Human Rights Icon 8. SALDEF Discusses Bullying and School Harassment with Sikh Children at Houston Sikh Camp 9. Prosecutors Decline to File Charges in Death of Simran Singh 10. Upcoming Events Vermont Prisons to Change Policy on Religious Freedom Last year, SALDEF was contacted by Satnam Singh, a Sikh American currently incarcerated within the Vermont Department of Corrections, regarding a potential policy change that would have restricted Mr. Singh’s right to maintain his turban. On January 10, 2008, in response to SALDEF’s inquiry, Robert Hofmann, Commissioner of the Vermont DOC formally accepted changes in policy to respect a prisoner religious rights. Among others, changes included recognizing the Khanda as a religious symbol, allowing prisoners to maintain their turbans in all areas of the institution, and an implementation of a redress process. SALDEF Internship Program The SALDEF Internship Program offers Sikh American youth rare opportunities for political advocacy and leadership development. The program educates students on issues of civil rights, public policy and the legislative process. Students will gain hands-on experience in community organizing, research, writing, legal issues effecting the community, political action, and education outreach. Current opportunities available include: Legal, Legislative, Communications and Development Fellows. Click here for more information. 10-year-old Sikh American Discriminated Against In January, a 10-year-old Sikh American was denied his right to wear a t-shirt with the phrase, “Akal Purakh Ki Fauj.” The school banned the phrase, meaning The Truth is God’s Army, by misrepresenting it’s translation to support militancy. SALDEF is working to educate the school on the meaning of the phrase and how denying the student to wear the shirt, which was obtained through a local Sikh camp, violates his Free Speech rights. ABC Apologizes for Misrepresenting Sikhs as Muslims A New Jersey affiliate of ABC News apologized to SALDEF and the Sikh American community for misrepresenting Sikhs as Muslims. In a news report on the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Correspondent Jeff Rossen showed a Sikh American walking in the streets of New York City under the language referring to a Muslim neighborhood and concerns over the affairs in Pakistan. Within 24 hours of receiving SALDEF’s letter Jeff Rossen and ABC apologized to SALDEF and the Sikh American community and promptly removed and edited the video depicting the misrepresentation. Two California Sikhs Arrested for Possession of a Kirpan SALDEF is currently assisting two Sikh American men who were arrested and charged with violating concealed weapon laws for wearing their religiously-mandated article of faith, the kirpan. SALDEF is working closely with attorneys in both Bakersfield and Oakland to ensure the dismissal of these charges and that these Sikhs face no penalty.
New Policy Affects Tens of Thousand of Green-Card Applicants Waiting for FBI Name Checks Washington D.C; February 15, 2008 – The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the nation’s oldest Sikh American civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomes the new procedure announced by the U.S. Government to expedite the permanent residency applications of thousands of immigrants in the United States. The new policy by U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (USCIS) affects 47,000 permanent residency or green card applicants whose applications, which are otherwise completed but delayed due to FBI name checks. The new policy will give the FBI 180 days to complete the name checks. After the time threshold is passed, the new immigration documents will be provided to the applicant even if the FBI has not completed their check. However, the background checks will continue and DHS and the FBI reserve their right to revoke the legal status of someone if credible information is obtained to justify doing so. Unfortunately, this new USCIS policy does NOT apply to applications for naturalization. Since mid-2007, SALDEF has made dozens of official complaints in response to naturalization delay concerns from community members – some waiting over 4 years. In total, 44% of the 322,000 pending immigration name checks (which include naturalization and green cards) have waited over six months. In a December 2007 meeting with USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez, SALDEF was informed that steps were being taken by the DHS and the FBI to address the thousands of applicants waiting for their naturalization due to name checks. SALDEF was told that “significant results” would be seen within six months. SALDEF feels the new USCIS policy expediting permanent residency and green card applications is an encouraging step in the right direction. We remain hopeful that the increased resources provided by the DHS and the FBI to deal with name check delays resolves this issue for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. If you or a community member you know is experiencing an immigration delay, contact SALDEF immediately at info@saldef.org or 202-393-2700. USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez Testimony; Hearing on “Naturalization Delays: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions.” House Judiciary Committee, January 2008 E-Verify: Employment Eligibility Verification Program
Department of Justice Adds SALDEF Sikh Cultural Awareness Training to Community Relations Service (CRS) Website
SALDEF has played a leading role in improving the understanding of Sikh American religious and cultural practices among law enforcement and government agencies nationwide.
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), SALDEF developed On Common Ground: Sikh American Cultural Competency Training for Law Enforcement, a training video designed to reduce bias, prevent misunderstandings, and strengthen relationships between Sikh communities and public institutions.
Launched: January 2007
Reach: Viewed by more than 65,000 law enforcement officials in the United States
Adoption: Used by all TSA screeners at U.S. airports
Global Impact: Requested by law enforcement agencies in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, India, and Brazil
Federal Recognition: Hosted by the DOJ’s Community Relations Service (CRS)
This work builds on SALDEF’s broader Educational Outreach efforts with federal agencies, including:
- DOJ Collaboration (2004): Common Sikh American Head Coverings — a poster educating local, state, and federal officials on Sikh articles of faith, including the dastaar (turban), and best practices for respectful engagement.
- DHS Collaboration (2006): Sikh Americans and the Kirpan — guidance developed with the Department of Homeland Security to promote awareness and ensure appropriate interactions between Sikh Americans and federal law enforcement.
Director of DOJ-CRS, Ondray T Harris remarked, “On Common Ground serves as a valuable tool in educating law enforcement officials, airport personnel, and various communities across the United States on the cultural and religious practices associated with Sikhism. Awareness of cultural and religious observations can help avoid misunderstanding and tension. Towards this goal, On Common Ground can assist the public in understanding the challenges and realizing the contributions of the Sikh community in the United States. Former CRS Director Sharee Freeman, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and other local, state, and federal agencies are to be commended for their extraordinary efforts in making On Common Ground possible.”
Together, these initiatives demonstrate SALDEF’s long-standing commitment to proactive education, institutional accountability, and protecting the civil rights and dignity of Sikh Americans through partnership and policy-informed outreach.