ACLU calls on Border Patrol to stop stripping Sikh men of their turbans
The American Civil Liberties released a letter this week calling for Border Patrol agents to stop forcing Sikh migrants to remove their turbans, a practice
The American Civil Liberties released a letter this week calling for Border Patrol agents to stop forcing Sikh migrants to remove their turbans, a practice reported more than 50 times by advocates in Yuma, Arizona.
“CBP’s actions humiliate Sikh migrants as they flee their homes seeking asylum,” ACLU Arizona communications director Marcela Taracena said. “It is just one of the most egregious examples of how this agency’s disposal of migrants’ personal property creates a dehumanizing experience for all migrants seeking protection in the United States.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. Commissioner Chris Magnus told The Washington Post on Wednesday that he is taking the allegations seriously and that an internal investigation has been opened.
“Our expectation is that CBP employees treat all migrants we encounter with respect,” Magnus told The Post in a statement.
In its letter, the ACLU accuses CBP of violating migrants’ right to religious freedom, as well as the agency’s own anti-discrimination policy, taking religious headwear from asylum-seekers and never returning it. The letter notes similar reports have been made by Muslim women whose hijabs have been stripped during Border Patrol processes.
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