'Nightmare': Indian woman detained in US during Green Card interview; family issues plea - report

An Indian woman who has lived in the United States for three decades was detained by federal immigration agents during what her family believed would be a routine step in her green card process, triggering distress and outrage among relatives and members of her local community, as reported by the Long Beach Watchdog.

As per the report, Babblejit “Bubbly” Kaur, 60, was taken into custody on December 1 during a biometric scan appointment linked to her pending green card application, according to her daughter, Joti Kaur. The family says Bubbly has no criminal record and already has an approved immigration petition filed by her U.S. citizen daughter and her husband, who holds a green card.




“It’s been a nightmare,” Joti said. “We’re trying anything and everything to get her out. She doesn’t belong there. It’s so inhumane.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions from local media on why Bubbly was detained.

A family rooted in the US for decades

The Kaur family moved to the United States from India in 1994, first settling in Laguna Beach before relocating to Long Beach. Bubbly and her husband, Singh, went on to run Natraj Cuisine of India and Nepal on 2nd Street in Belmont Shore for more than 20 years, becoming well known in the local community.

According to Joti, biometric appointments typically last only minutes. On this occasion, a family friend accompanied Bubbly, who reportedly sensed something was wrong. She later told her family that staff appeared uneasy, and that two vehicles arrived carrying several federal agents.

Bubbly was called into a back room and told she was being arrested. Despite requesting to speak to her lawyer and completing an eight-minute call, she was taken into custody.

For hours, the family did not know where she had been taken. After briefly appearing on the ICE detainee locator in Los Angeles, she was transferred overnight to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center near Victorville, as per the Long Beach Watchdog. Joti said her mother was shackled and transported in a van with male detainees.

At Adelanto, Bubbly is held in a dormitory-style room with more than two dozen people, bright lights left on overnight and constant noise. “There’s always someone screaming or wailing,” Joti said. Limited phone access and visiting hours have made contact difficult, with family members driving hours and waiting all day for short visits.

Detention amid broader immigration crackdown

Bubbly’s detention comes as the Trump administration tightens immigration scrutiny, expanding social media vetting for H-1B workers, students and exchange visitors, and pausing or reviewing several immigration pathways. Officials have repeatedly said visas are “a privilege, not a right”, framing each adjudication as a national security decision.