Kirandeep Kaur
For more than 60 days, Paramjit Singh, 48, a US permanent residency holder struggling with a brain tumor and a heart condition, has been held in a detention facility by US border officials.
Mr Singh, an Indian passport holder, has resided in the United States on a green card since the year 1994. He resides in the state of Indiana with his family, who operate a series of fuel outlets. His wife and two kids are American nationals.
But Mr Singh currently confronts the threat of deportation.
On 30 July, he was detained by border agents at O'Hare Airport in Chicago while returning from a visit to India and has from then been in their detention.
American ICE authorities have referenced two old cases as causes for his apprehension, but Mr Singh's relatives and lawyer say there are not any active cases against him.
They accuse border officials of using old legal issues to delay his release and assert he is denied proper medical care despite a brain tumour and cardiac problem.
"Paramjit Singh is not receiving the medical help he needs. He is only getting medical check-ups," his lawyer, Louis Angeles, commented.
Kirandeep Kaur
Mr Singh has frequently visited the Indian nation without border problems, his niece Kiran Virk explained. This time, his family waited for seven hours at Chicago airport for his return.
Ms Virk says border agents informed them Mr Singh was detained over a 1999 case. He was detained at the airport for several days despite family appeals, before being transferred to a county detention facility in Indiana.
The case involves Mr Singh using a payphone without making payment. Legal documents show he served ten days in jail and settled a $4,137.50 penalty. The conviction has blocked his US citizenship.
Ms Virk alleges border officials said at a court hearing that Mr Singh still faced a one-and-a-half-year sentence, with only ten days counted.
Immigration authorities also claim that Mr Singh was convicted of a document fraud in Illinois in 2008, but his relatives argues that there are not any these charges against him.
Ms Virk stated that the officials referenced the forgery case to block Mr Singh's freedom on a ten thousand dollar bail granted by an judicial officer.
She said a investigator employed by the family found no criminal records for a person named Paramjit Singh in the state, implying officials may have mistaken him for another person.
Judicial Challenges and Health Worries
Mr Singh's attorney told that he plans to challenge the detention, labeling it "unethical".
"We are also taking judicial measures to prevent him from being deported from the United States," Mr Angeles stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Singh's relatives is increasingly worried about his well-being, as his second brain tumour surgery has been delayed due to custody, Ms Virk says.
She says the family finds it hard to reach Mr Singh at the facility, where limited telephones and his poor health make contact challenging.
Mr Singh's case is set to be heard on October 14.
Broader Immigration Background
His detention occurs during a wider enforcement by US Leader Donald Trump's government on immigration, and particularly illegal immigrants in the United States.
Trump has said he aims to deport the "most dangerous", but critics argue immigrants without legal history who follow due process have also been targeted.
In the month of September, Harjit Kaur, a 73-year-old grandmother who lived more than three decades residing in the United States was expelled to the Indian nation, triggering anger among the Sikh community.