A 29-year-old Indian national, Jaspal Singh, has been arrested by US immigration authorities on charges related to sexual assault. Singh was taken into custody on January 29 in Tukwila, Washington, according to a release by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Seattle.
Jaspal Singh faces charges of “assault with sexual motivation”
Singh faces charges of “assault with sexual motivation.” Alongside him, three other individuals—citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador—were also arrested. ICE has confirmed that all four will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
ICE statement on arrests
“Protecting our communities and preventing further victimization is of paramount importance to ICE throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Drew Bostock, Field Office Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Seattle. “These arrests reinforce the message that the presence of illegal criminal threats will not be tolerated.”
Trump’s immigration crackdown
The arrests come as President Donald Trump begins his second term with a renewed focus on immigration enforcement. His administration has ramped up deportation efforts, targeting undocumented individuals and seeking to tighten border security.
Rising illegal immigrants arrests
Since Trump’s inauguration, nearly 8,000 people have been arrested reportedly by federal immigration authorities. While the administration has not disclosed specific targets for arrests, daily apprehensions have already exceeded last year’s average under President Joe Biden.
The deportees alleged that they were shackled throughout the journey and only freed upon arrival in Amritsar.
On February 6, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that the Indian government is in discussions with the US to prevent mistreatment of deported citizens, emphasising the need for a stronger crackdown on illegal migration networks.
