A Fort Wayne man who has lived in the United States for more than three decades remains in federal custody after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him at Chicago O'Hare Airport on July 30, sparking a legal battle over his release and raising concerns about the treatment of lawful permanent residents.
Paramjit Singh, a green card holder who immigrated from India more than 30 years ago, was stopped after returning from one of his regular trips abroad and held for five days inside the airport before being hospitalized. Singh suffers from a brain tumor and a heart condition, and his family said they only learned of the emergency room visit after receiving the hospital bill.
This detainment has been "nothing short of horrific," Singh's attorney, Luis Angeles, told Newsweek, adding that the alleged offense stems from a decades-old case involving the use of a pay phone without payment. "He has already taken full accountability, served his time, and paid his debt to society."
Angeles said Singh's case illustrates a troubling pattern of lawful permanent residents being swept up in immigration enforcement actions despite long-standing ties to the U.S. "We filed for a bond redetermination and successfully won the bond hearing," he said. "However, DHS has continued to employ what I would describe as legal-yet arguably unethical-tactics to prolong his detention, despite being fully aware of his severe medical condition, which requires emergency surgery."
Singh's family and attorney say the Department of Homeland Security has appealed the bond decision, keeping him in custody as the legal challenge continues. He has since been transferred from an Indiana detention center to a facility in Kentucky.
His brother, Charanjit Singh, expressed frustration at the lack of communication. "We're just trying to post the bond, we're just trying to speak to someone, trying to communicate with someone," he told WPTA. "We're lost."
Customs and Border Protection defended its actions in a statement to Newsweek, noting that "a green card is a privilege, not a right" and that lawful permanent residents with prior convictions "may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing."
Singh's legal team is now preparing to take the case to federal court to challenge DHS's authority to keep him detained. "This is not an isolated case," Angeles said. "We believe that he has a strong case for a federal judge to decide what DHS has done is not correct, and he should be released immediately."
