Family alleges unlawful detention as 30-year US resident with health issues remains in ICE custody
Paramjit Singh, a US green card holder who has lived in the country for over three decades, has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for more than a month after being stopped at Chicago O’Hare Airport on July 30. Singh, who runs a business in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was returning from India when he was detained, raising serious concerns about due process and his deteriorating health, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Lawyer calls detention “absolutely illegal” as Singh battles brain tumour and heart disease.
Singh’s attorney, Luis Angeles, said the detention stems from a decades-old case involving unpaid use of a payphone—a minor infraction for which Singh had already served his sentence.
Despite his compliance with US laws and status as a lawful permanent resident, he was allegedly confined at the airport for five days before being rushed to the emergency room. His family only learned of his hospitalization after receiving the bill.
Angeles criticized the detention, noting that Singh has always “followed the rules to the letter,” lawfully entering the US, adjusting his status, and building a life as a successful businessman and community contributor. The lawyer warned that keeping Singh in custody is worsening his fragile health, as he suffers from both a brain tumour and heart problems.
Family pleads for release as DHS accused of prolonging detention.
Though Singh won his bond hearing, he remains in custody. His brother Charanjit Singh told local channel WPTA that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was using tactics to delay his release. “We’re just trying to post the bond, trying to speak to someone, trying to communicate with someone. We’re lost,” he said, expressing the family’s desperation.
