A 60-year-old Indian American woman was taken into custody by U.S. immigration authorities during what was expected to be a routine step in her green card process.
Babblejit “Bubbly” Kaur, who has lived in the United States since 1994, was detained by federal officers when she arrived for a biometric scan linked to her pending permanent residency application. Her daughter, Joti, said the appointment was part of the final stages of the process and that the family had not anticipated any enforcement action at that point.
Kaur’s detention has raised further questions as her immigration case was already moving forward. According to a report by Long Beach Watchdog, her green card petition had been approved through sponsorship by her other daughter, a U.S. citizen, as well as her husband, who holds permanent resident status.
Joti said the incident unfolded while her mother was checking in at the front desk of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office on Dec. 1. According to her account, several federal agents entered the building shortly afterward. Kaur was then asked to step into a separate room where the agents were present and was informed that she was being taken into custody.
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Kaur was allowed to make a brief phone call to her lawyer, but that did not prevent her detention, her daughter said. For hours afterward, the family said they were left in the dark about where she had been taken. They later learned that she had been moved overnight to Adelanto, a former federal prison that now operates as an ICE detention center, where she remains in custody.
After immigrating to the United States, Kaur and her family initially settled in Laguna Beach before relocating to Long Beach when work opportunities drew them to the Belmont Shore neighborhood. She and her husband raised three children there: their eldest daughter, 34-year-old Joti, who has legal status in the U.S. under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), and two older siblings who are U.S. citizens.
For more than 20 years, the couple ran Natraj Cuisine of India and Nepal on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, becoming “a cherished part of the Long Beach community,” according to the report.
Beyond the family business, Kaur spent roughly 25 years working at the Belmont Shore Rite Aid, a job she held until the pharmacy chain shuttered its remaining stores earlier this year. In recent months, she had been preparing to return to restaurant work and was set to join the Royal Indian Curry House.
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Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach, has urged federal authorities to release Kaur. His office said he has been in touch with immigration officials as the family prepares additional legal filings that could pave the way for her release on bond while her case moves forward.
Family members said Kaur is being held at the Adelanto facility in a large dormitory-style unit alongside dozens of other detainees. The lights stay on through the night and the noise never really stops, they told IndiaWest, adding that the conditions have made it hard for her to sleep.
“It’s been a nightmare… We’re trying anything and everything to get her out. She doesn’t belong there. It’s so inhumane,” as per Joti.
Kaur has been permitted to see her family during limited visiting hours, but those visits have not come easily. According to her relatives, the process often involves waiting most of the day for what amounts to only a short window of time together, adding to the strain as she remains in detention.