After the Trump administration said it would allow immigration and customs application operations in worship houses, hundreds of members of a SIJ temple in New York have stopped attending services regularly. Another Gurdwara, or temple, in West Sacramento, California, has been sending half a dozen daily calls of fearful members of immigration raids. And others are concerned that community members begin to renounce essential services often offered in these sacred spaces.
Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento is among the dozens of religious groups that have sued the Trump administration in recent weeks after the elimination of restrictions that prevented the ice from making the ice in places considered “sensitive” locations. Throughout the United States, members of the SIJ community, which are in large part of the Indian ancest Naturalized citizens practice their faith.
“People will stop going to the temple, the mosque and the different places, because they will feel threatened,” said Narinder Singh Thandi, president of Gurdwara Sahib West Sacramento. “This is just a sacred place in which people come for help. People come to pray. They should be able to enjoy the freedom of the United States of America. “
The policy that prevented ICE agents from entering the so -called delicate locations, including children Donald Trump. But the president rescinded the rule in January, which caused generalized criticisms of religious groups and civil rights organizations. The White House did not answer NBC News questions about fears about attending worship services or in progress.
The demand that western Sacrament [immigration] The application deter the congregants from the assistance services, especially members of immigrant communities. “And this week, two other dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a separate demand, arguing that the new policy violates religious freedom.
Thandi said his Gurdwara, which serves between 1,500 and 5,000 people during meetings, has not been visited by immigration agents. But the sweeping reports in the Bay area, less than two hours by Sacramento, have had many on the limit, Thandi said. And the elimination of last week of about 100 undocumented Indian immigrants who use a military plane has further amplified concerns among the faithful. He said that he has had to make several calls every day of the faithful worried who often ask about the possibility of ice raids in the temple, along with other questions about how to keep safe.
Thandi also said that while Gurdwara offers food throughout the day, he realized that around 100 people have changed their meals, opting to eat for hours less full of people, instead of joining the typical lunch after service. He thinks that change can be to avoid any possible encounter with ice.
Although the assistance remains until now, he said that he is “100% sure” that will not be the case for a long time if the protections on the houses of worship are not restored. That is why his temple joined the demand. Thandi added that, in addition to the growing concerns among the faithful, the imminent potential of ice raids invites the possibility that the holiness of their space is not respected.
“We follow the protocol. When we enter, we sit on the floor and take off our shoes. We covered our heads, ”said Thandi. “We don’t want to have anything like an immigration officer who comes with shoes on. … We don’t know what he has in his pocket. We definitely do not allow weapons. “(While the Sikhs must carry a Kirpan, or an article of faith that resembles a knife or sword, it is used as a symbol of compassion, not of violence, and remains wrapped).
It is estimated that there are 500,000 SIJS and more than 350 Gurdwaras throughout the country, according to the Sikh coalition, a national non -profit civil rights organization. The group, which came for the first time to the US. In the 19th century, it has largely made houses in New York and California. But other areas have also become the main cultural centers, including Chicago, Oklahoma City and Dallas. While there are no specific data on undocumented Sikhs, there are approximately 725,000 Indocumented Indian immigrants in the United States, according to estimates of the Pew 2021 Research Center.
A gurdwara with the headquarters in Queens, New York, the Sikh cultural society, has experienced a presentation of approximately 10% in the assistance, which translates into around 200 worshipers, said its president, Jatinder Boparai. Those without documents, he said, probably “do not want to take risks.”
Boparai said that given the purpose of the sacred spaces, he agrees with those who have fought the demands.
“It is not supposed that places of worship become ice attacks because people want to pray. We pray, especially the SIJ religion, for everyone, ”said Boparai.
Even so, Boparai said that he believes that the government has “all rights” to carry out immigration sweeps, and that repression is not necessarily a surprise given the promises of the Trump campaign. Most of the faithful have been committed to going, he said, and there have been no incursions into the temple.
“I’m a good citizen,” he said. “I agree with my government.”
Harpreet Singh Toor, a SIJ and old community leader in Queens, New York, said the tense atmosphere has even caused anguish for some headlines of green cards and naturalized citizens. Toor said that he has spoken with several people who have long had American citizenship, but they fear that any minor brush with the law decades ago can take them in hot water with immigration officials. And families have been canceling their international travel plans for concerns that they are not allowed to return to the country, he said.
Trump’s immigration raids have hooked citizens, including a veteran military in Newark, New Jersey, who was arrested and questioned by ICE.
Toor said that at this point, anxiety around immigration has also leaked in numerous aspects of life outside the temple.
“Traffic is low in companies,” said Toor. “Companies complain about it. Traffic is fallen into places of worship, whether mosque or gurdwara. “
Sij Gurdwaras are integral spaces for many community members, particularly Indian immigrants, which serve as a social and commercial center. That makes the current immigration environment even more distressing, said Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh coalition. Singh said he has heard from Gurdwaras throughout the country that assistance has been decreasing, which could mean that some worshipers are renouncing critical care.
“That is really heartbreaking, because obviously our houses of worship are places that people go not only because of worship, but also for the community, for the essential services they need,” said Singh. “That includes everything from mental health care to physical health to the sense of belonging.”
Singh also mentioned that the Sikhs, a minority in India, have experienced persecution in their homeland. But concerns about their safety in the United States now increase, particularly after an alleged plot to kill a Sij separatist leader in New York City was discovered in 2023. The issue of immigration has added another layer of tension, he said.
“People who experience religious persecution in India can come here to the United States to seek asylum,” said Singh. “Now those same people are concerned about their safety in the American soil, and now they are also worried about this additional risk for their immigration state.”
