Note: partially conducted in Hindi, translated by Staff Writer Veer Mahajan
Veer (from the Smoke Signal): You might already be familiar with this, but in this country, the new government has introduced some new immigration laws/policies. These affect immigrants, especially Latinos/Mexicans, but also Indians, Chinese, etc. I understand that some of these questions can be very personal, so if you don’t want to give a response to anything, you don’t have to, but anything you can tell us will be great since our school also has a very large Indian, Chinese community with many minorities. Their parents and families might be immigrants in a similar situation.
So the changes that have come regarding immigration laws, have there been any effects on you?
Anonymous: No, nothing, no.
V: If I may ask, are you a citizen of this country?
A: Yes, I am a citizen.
V: Have you lived here a long time?
A: Yes.
V: Where did you come to America from?
A: From India, [from Punjab].
V: What do you think is most likely to happen?
A: No, the permanent, those people [who] are legally over here, in the cities, with the blood relations, it makes no difference to them. Everything is fine. It is only for the illegal people. Nothing wrong with me.
V: Has anything happened to your relations/loved ones regarding visas, deportations, etc.?
A: My relatives, no… everybody is over here legally.
V: All of you are legally here, I understand. What do you think will happen in the future when this government goes? Seeing the immigration crackdown increase, along with violence conducted by officials, what do you imagine future immigration enforcement to look like?
A: They are enforcing the law. They are supposed to enforce that. If we need to protest, we can protest, we have the right to protest, anybody has the right to protest, right? But whatever the law, they are supposed to enforce that.
V: What do you want the readers/Bay Area to know or understand about the immigrant community right now? Is there any message that you would like to put out there?
A: The message is that all the citizens and the legal people over here should be respected properly per the law. Nothing like that one, if you’re giving [a] hard time to any citizen, to check their passports or their status like their status to live here. Everyone has the right to live here, legally. Those who are illegal, immigrants or something like that, it’s okay to check them and stop; if they’d like to stop, they can stop it.
V: For some of your other family members who might be immigrating here from India, do you think it’s become more difficult for them to renew their student or work visas? People who might not be citizens yet?
A: Yeah, for people who are coming here for the study basis, and generally they are going to the school or college, that’s fine. They should be given… I’m not sure about their policy now, but during the Biden administration, they were getting the visas easily, students visas and work visas and H1Bs. And now it is a little bit hard because of this Trump administration’s policies, but it’s their policies, nobody can object.
V: Do you think there’s been any impact from the immigration changes (on the Sikh community)?
A: No, not any significant [changes] for those people legally over here, it makes no difference to them. The Sikh community is independent and free, their role in the economy is very important in CA, in USA; all the immigrants are playing a good role. They should be able to do, legally, what they should enter this country and they can contribute to the economy and the further development of this country. Even those that legally entered here on the work permit, they are paying taxes, working, and even then putting their great role for the development of this country. Those ones that are here illegally, that’s not good. They should not cross the borders, and if the government does not like that, they can deport them.