Green Card Holding Businessman In Month-Long ICE Custody

Photo:ICE

India-West News Desk

CHICAGO, IL – Federal officials say lawful permanent residents with prior convictions can face detention at U.S. ports of entry—a policy now under scrutiny after the month-long confinement of an Indiana businessman.

Paramjit Singh, a green card holder for more than 30 years, was stopped by immigration agents at Chicago O’Hare Airport on July 30 upon returning from India. He has remained in custody ever since, his attorney confirmed to Newsweek.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told Newsweek that permanent residents with past criminal records “may be subject to mandatory detention” or be required to present additional paperwork before an immigration hearing.

Singh’s lawyer, Luis Angeles, said the case highlights how those rules are being enforced in ways that can devastate families. He described his client’s detention as “nothing short of horrific,” stressing that Singh suffers from a brain tumor and heart problems. According to Angeles, Singh spent five days in custody at the airport, during which his condition worsened to the point that he required emergency care. His family only discovered the hospitalization after receiving a bill, he told Newsweek.

The government’s case reportedly stems from a decades-old misdemeanor involving the use of a payphone without payment. Angeles argues that Singh “already took full accountability, served his time, and paid his debt to society,” making the detention both unnecessary and harmful.

Although Singh won a bond hearing, his legal team says the Department of Homeland Security has deployed “legal—yet arguably unethical—tactics” to keep him confined. “The government is holding him without justifiable cause, exacerbating his health risks and causing immense distress to his family,” Angeles argues

Immigration advocates note that Singh’s ordeal is not unique. Several green card holders have been taken into custody in recent years due to old legal issues, raising questions about how enforcement priorities are being applied.

Singh’s attorneys have now filed an appeal and are seeking immediate review in federal court to secure his release.