U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained a California mother who has been petitioning for a green card and living in the United States for nearly three decades, her family told local media.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and her attorney for comment via email.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump’s mass deportations, a key campaign promise, has been a cornerstone of his second term in office. The president said he would target those who have criminal records, but there have been many reports of individuals with misdemeanors, decades-old infractions or in some cases no criminal records being swept up in the heightened enforcement, sparking some pushback on the policy.
The case of Altadena’s Masuma Khan, who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 1997, underscores the concerns of many immigrants across the country.
What To Know
Masuma Khan, 64, arrived in the U.S. on a visa after her daughter became ill with kidney failure during a family visit, her daughter Riya Khan told Newsweek. She overstayed her visa at the time. Riya Khan said she did so because she only had a visa for a short stay and was not expecting to be in the country for a long time. However, she stayed longer to take care of Riya, who required dialysis for more than three years, she said.
Riya Khan said her father was able to immigrate to the U.S. in 1999 and secured a green card through a family member who was already a citizen.
However, Masuma Khan’s case grew more complicated, according to Riya Khan. She said her mother was approached by a man in a grocery store who said he could help her obtain a green card but ended up scamming her. He created a false identity for her and an asylum case under that name. He claimed her case was denied and never told her she would have to return to court. Then he disappeared, the daughter said.
The Khan family had tried to get help from lawyers to secure Masuma’s legal status over the years. In 2015, her husband, who by then had become a citizen, petitioned for her green card. During an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency asked about the alias created by the man who allegedly scammed her years earlier, and that case ended up getting denied.
In 2020, ICE agents detained her at her job but released her because she was married to a citizen and had no criminal record, according to Riya Khan.
Masuma Khan was scheduled for a regular check-in with ICE on October 6. She had attended these check-ins for years without issue. This year, however, an ICE agent confronted her with a deportation order and detained her, Riya Khan said.
“That’s where she is. At 64 years old, she’s elderly, she has multiple health issues now, for which she needs medication,” Masuma’s daughter added.
Her mother was not given any of her medications for blood pressure and thyroid issues, or her eyedrops, for four days, she said. The daughter added that she asked ICE agents about the issue when she visited her mother on Thursday, and that when she returned on Saturday, Masuma had still not been given her full medication. The mother was later taken to receive medical care.
“She was very, very ill, and it really upsets me. I’m really sad and so worried about her,” Riya Khan said.
Her concern right now is to get her mother out of ICE custody “as soon as possible.”
“I’m trying to get her story out because it’s also not just about her,” she said. “It’s about other people going through the same thing, and I want them to know that whatever they can do, reach out to their reps, it’s just going to help other people as well. Because I know they’re all being treated this way.”
What People Are Saying
U.S. Representative Judy Chu, a California Democrat, told KABC: “I’ve talked to her daughter and we are actively following up on this case. We need to put pressure, and that is why it is good that we are doing it, and Senator Adam Schiff is also doing that. … But also, we are pressing that there be a hearing, so that she can get out on bond.”
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson previously told Newsweek: “A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused. Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a U.S. port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing.”
What Happens Next
Masuma Khan’s attorneys have submitted a bond request and are requesting bail, her daughter told Newsweek.
