“US agents’ visit to gurdwaras sparks concern among Sikh[s],” reported several Indian news outlets like the Hindustan Times and the Economic Times on Jan. 27. They published reports that numerous gurdwaras, Sikh houses of worship, throughout the tri-state area were raided by Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The stories sent Sikh community leaders in Richmond Hill, Queens, home to one of the largest Sikh enclaves in the country, into a frenzy as they tried to verify the reports to protect their neighbors.
However, local Sikh leaders countered the spread of misinformation: the reports were false, they said, and they found no gurdwaras had been raided. Initial fears quickly morphed into outrage, as Sikh leaders condemned the false reports aimed at destabilizing their community. As of yet, neither publication has issued corrections to their reports.
“Thankfully our community and the heads of our gurdwaras were really quick to shut those rumors down,” said Simran Thind, a community organizer with Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM).
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Since then, the Sikh community has been actively fighting back against disinformation and preparing to defend against the possibility of ICE raids by educating and organizing Richmond Hill’s wider South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities.
Travel to any gurdwara in the world, and you’ll be provided a free vegetarian stew of black beans and split chickpeas, along with rice and bread, and sometimes a place to rest for a while should you need it. Called “langar” in Punjabi, the communal meals are part of the Sikh’s religious duty to serve all who come, regardless of race, religion, caste, or gender. It’s a vital part of Sikhism, a religion that dates back to 15th-century Punjab, now situated between Pakistan and India.
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“In Sikhism, we have a duty to give service and that’s what makes us open to all of humanity,” said community leader Sukhwant Singh, 53. “It’s in our culture, in our blood.”
But to experience the Sikh’s reputation for charity, one doesn’t need to travel to Asia but only to Richmond Hill, Queens, which is home to several gurdwaras. South Asian migrants of all religions who have arrived in New York have often made their way to Richmond Hill’s gurdwaras for a place to stay and for a plate of food until they get on their feet.
“Everywhere in the world, gurdwaras are known for having an open door policy so East Asians of all regions know to come here,” said Japneet Singh, a member of the Sikh community and candidate for the New York City Council representing the 28th District of Queens.
The gurdwaras’ reputation for generosity makes them a vital resource for recent arrivals, as noted by Japneet. Over the past two years, he says Richmond Hill’s gurdwaras housed nearly 400 East Asian migrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. But that same generosity that attracts hundreds to its doors could also make it a potential target for ICE raids.
Thind of Desis Uprising says that rumors of raids alone could disrupt the important role gurdwaras play as not just a spiritual center but a community center. “In New York City we have a large number of undocumented Punjabi migrants of all ages,” she said. “A big place of congregation is the gurdwaras, so, rumors sow panic because it is one of the few places we have in Richmond Hill to congregate. With those rumors obviously, people will not want to come.”
As of 2019, there are currently an estimated 43,000 undocumented Indians living in New York, representing 5% of the state’s total undocumented population.
During the first week in office, the Trump administration empowered ICE to now raid sensitive locations such as churches, schools, and hospitals. Sikh gurdwaras’ would fall under that category.
Singh says that he suspects that the rumors of ICE raids were spread by the Indian government to destabilize the Sikh community, which has long been at odds with the Indian government. The gurdwaras in Richmond Hill and the wider Sikh diaspora in the U.S. and Canada have been supportive of the Khalistan cause, a movement to create an independent Sikh state in India’s Punjab province that dates back to the 1930s.
“These Richmond Hills gurdwaras are known for their activism work, so these fake reports highlight these gurdwaras on purpose because they are the most known,” said Japneet.
The Sikh communities’ tensions with the Indian government date back centuries, when the religion was founded under the rule of the then-Mughal Empire. However, much of the contemporary animosity stems from the 1984 pogrom of Sikhs following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. For four days, over 3,000 Sikhs were killed and countless others were raped and injured.
To this day, the Indian government has failed to prosecute governmental officials involved in the 1984 massacre. Still, the Sikh community has not forgotten. Featured among the children playing tag in the hallways and the communal kitchen are framed portraits of Sikh martyrs all along the walls. When entering the gurdwara, a large sign greets visitors with a reminder to “Never Forget 1984.”
Japneet says it’s this history of persecution that makes them resilient as a people in the face of what they perceive to be a targeted campaign by the Indian government.
“You know what is with the Sikh community, we have been persecuted for such a long time back home, a lot of us experienced persecution in the 80s and 90s,” he said. “When we hear that kind of targeting is happening here, we are on the defense.”
Harmful misinformation is not unique to the Sikh community, however, having plagued various immigrant communities throughout the country since Trump’s inauguration. Rumors of ICE raids have circulated widely, causing some migrant parents to keep their children out of school.
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But for the Sikh community, fears of Indian government surveillance and targeting of their community are not without merit. The rise of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avid Hindu nationalist, has only inflamed tensions further.
In 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a vocal Khalistan activist, was shot and killed in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Canada. Soon after, the Canadian government alleged that Indian intelligence officers carried out the assassination, straining relations between the two countries. The following year, in New York, federal officials were able to foil yet another plot by an Indian intelligence officer to assassinate a Sikh activist in New York.
“Within our community, we are well aware that the Indian government has tried to interfere with our community,” said Thind. “Our people have stood strong and we are not going to forgo our identity and who we are.”
The Consulate General of India in New York did not respond to Documented’s request for comment as of press time.
Facing centuries of oppression, the Sikh community has grown incredibly organized and has developed a close-knit network. They say they are not only prepared to fight disinformation campaigns but also prepared for the high possibility that ICE could raid their gurdwaras.
Richmond Hill’s gurdwaras have hosted ‘Know Your Rights’ training and immigrant legal resources for immigrants of all backgrounds. DRUM, which organizes South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities, has helped organize community defense training that trains the community on how to identify ICE officers and how to report their presence in the community. They are also building rapid response teams within the Sikh community to respond to possible riads.
“We are a resource in the community but we want to make sure people stay organized and collectivize this work beyond just knowing your rights so we can keep each other safe,” said Thind.
Japneet agrees.
“Thanks to the hard work of our community we are the heart and soul of Richmond Hill,” said Japneet. “If ICE raids were to happen we are prepared to fight back.”
