SALDEF in the News
Breaking: Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Asylum Ban to Stand
The Supreme Court is allowing nationwide enforcement of a new Trump administration rule that prevents most immigrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border from seeking asylum in the United States. The policy is meant to deny asylum to anyone who passes through another country on the way to the U.S. without seeking protection there. According to rough estimates from the Sikh American Legal Defense Fund, in 2018, an estimated 9,000 people from India arrived by foot on the U.S.-Mexico border, seeking asylum. In their asylum claims, many Indian minorities, including Sikhs, Muslims, and Christians, have stated they have faced violence and persecution in India, from both private actors and public officials.
Recent News
States should follow New York’s lead in the fight against racial terror
“Since 2009, three out of four killings by extremists in our country have been perpetrated by white supremacists….Given the increased threat of mass shootings, many law enforcement officials have recognized that existing federal terror laws are inadequate.” New York is leading the way in the fight against the scourge of white supremacist terrorism. “On Aug. 15, New York took a critical step forward through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Hate Crimes Domestic Terrorism Act, which would elevate penalties for violent crimes committed by white supremacists and create a domestic terror task force.”
United Sikhs Release Timeline Of Attacks Against Sikhs Across America Since Sept. 11, 2001
Jesse Singh added that “Sikhs continue to be a target of hate crimes and several have been murdered with no justice to date, as many attackers remain on the loose.” Official statistics documenting hate crimes and bias-based offenses against Sikhs are unreliable in part because reporting attacks is not mandatory. Many victims do not report such incidents, which range across a spectrum from hateful or xenophobic comments to violent physical assault and everything in between. Additionally, such incidents are frequently classified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and law enforcement authorities, if they go reported at all, as “anti-Muslim” rather than anti-Sikh.
Lakhvir Kaur speaks on the Sikh community in Bakersfield
Lakhvir Kaur, a psychology graduate pursuing her master’s degree in school psychology at California State University, Bakersfield, was interviewed in order to take a deeper look into the challenges and growth within the Sikh community in Bakersfield. Kaur added that “Being part of the Sikh community is coming together and showing deep respect for all people…I believe the best way to support the Sikh community is just awareness about us and what we stand for such as our faith, values, and history would be a good way to inform society.”
The Sikh Project is being presented at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California from Sept. 15 through Nov. 3. This portraiture portfolio presents engaging and expressive photographs in storytelling empowered to spark a positive, optimistic and inspirational discourse regarding the Sikh experience in America.
Why Sikhs wear a turban and what it means to practice the faith in the United States
Simran Jeet Singh, writes to educate on the Sikh faith and to shed light on the issues being faced by Sikh Americans today. Singh adds that “The racist attacks spiked again after 9/11, particularly because many Americans did not know about the Sikh religion and may have conflated the unique Sikh appearance with popular stereotypes of what terrorists look like. News reports show that in comparison to the past decade, the rates of violence against Sikhs have surged…As a practicing Sikh, I can affirm that the Sikh commitment to the tenets of their faith, including love, service, and justice, keeps them resilient in the face of hate.”
Sikh Women’s Association launches resource line
The Bakersfield Sikh Women’s Association launched a new community resource phone line aimed at helping Punjabi people in need. The resource line consists of a confidential voicemail system and calls are returned by volunteers with the association and will help callers dealing with issues such as domestic violence and drug abuse connect with local agencies and resources that can help them. Raji Brar, co-founder of the association, added that “I think it would increase their comfort level and reduce the cultural and language barriers that often come with other resource lines.”