Green Card Holder Denied Surgery By ICE, Faces Deportation

India-West News Desk

CHICAGO, IL – Paramjit Singh, 48, a  green card holder who has lived in the US for more than 30 years, has been held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility for over two months while battling a brain tumor and a heart condition.

His lawyer, Louis Angeles, told the BBC that Singh is not receiving proper medical treatment in detention, and is only being given routine check-ups.

Singh was arrested at Chicago O’Hare Airport on July 30 after returning from India, in connection with an old case.

ICE has cited a 1999 conviction in which Singh used a public phone without paying. Court records show he served 10 days in jail and paid a $4,137.50 fine. This decades-old conviction hadreportedly prevented him from obtaining US citizenship. Authorities have also referenced a 2008 forgery conviction in Illinois as grounds to deny Singh’s release on bond.

Singh’s family disputes the charges, alleging that authorities are using old cases to delay his release despite his serious medical conditions. They also say a private investigator found no criminal record for a Paramjit Singh in Illinois, raising questions about the legitimacy of the claims.

Since the Trump administration, approximately 2,400 Indians have been deported from the US as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration. The  family is  seeking legal action to prevent Singh from being deported from the United States.

It is further preparing a legal challenge to what they call the “unethical” detention, as Singh’s second brain tumor surgery has been postponed.