US lawmaker leaves seat empty over deportation of Indian American

WASHINGTON: A senior Democratic lawmaker has left his State of the Union guest seat empty to honour a 73-year-old Indian grandmother who was detained and deported by US immigration authorities.

Congressman John Garamendi said he was dedicating the seat to his former constituent, Harjit Kaur, who was deported to India last year.

“I am dedicating my State of the Union guest seat to my former constituent, 73-year-old grandmother Harjit Kaur. She is unfortunately unable to attend because she was cruelly deported to India in the dead of night,” Garamendi said in a statement.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union Address on February 24.

“This seat is for her and every person across the country that's been caged, detained, and killed at the hands of Trump's secret police force. Let her empty seat be a stark symbol of the human cost of Trump's cruel deportation agenda.”