They all have applied for asylum in USA citing various reasons including state repression and fearing danger to their lives from the Punjab Police. The US immigration department had released 20 youth on bail bond when they went on hunger strike in the Miami detention center.
North American Punjabi Association(NAPA) which is helping the detained youth in USA has now collected information that 68 more youth from Punjab are detained in the Seattle detention center. Satnam Singh Chahal Executive Director of NAPA said that they have launched a campaign to find out more youth from Punjab detained by Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE). He said that Western Regional Communication Director Virginia Kais has informed them by e-mail that 68 youth from Punjab were detained in Seattle detention center.
NAPA head said that most of them were detained during last 30 days and others were detained from Texas state bordering Maxico which is transit route for illegal immigrants. He said that illegal entry of youth from Punjab in the USA was an indication that a well organised racket of human trafficking is operating in Punjab.
Chahal said that they were reaching out to the detained youth and trying to help them in getting bail. He said that it takes years before the applications of asylum were decided by the US authorities.
