“We are pleased that CBP recognized the need for interim guidance, but it does not adequately protect the rights of Sikhs or other religious migrants,” said Sim J. Singh Attariwala, Sikh Coalition Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager. “We need to see more comprehensive and clearer policies that protect all migrants from having to give up their personal property and limit CBP officers’ ability to avoid accountability--whether acting in good faith or not--on the basis of vague security exceptions.”
As a reminder, more than 160 civil rights, immigration, religious, advocacy, and other organizations joined the Sikh Coalition, ACLU-AZ, and the ACLU in a
sign-on letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas on this issue on August 22. Before that, the three organizations each sent letters of complaint to CBP in early August. The Sikh Coalition was also pleased to
support a letter sent last month by Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and Judy Chu (D-CA) demanding transparency and accountability from CBP.
The Sikh Coalition remains grateful to our allies at the ACLU and the ACLU-AZ, other partner organizations, and sevadaars working hard to address the needs of Sikh migrants. We will continue to serve as a resource to members of the press who keep reporting on this important issue, as well as continue to provide updates on this important work as we are able to share more details publicly. If you know of someone who has experienced discrimination or had their religious rights violated in the course of interactions with CBP officers, please reach out to our team at
legal@sikhcoalition.org.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.
