Efforts to Address Hate Crimes and Transnational Repression Concerns

NEW YORK CITY – In a series of significant meetings held recently, UNITED SIKHS took major steps towards addressing public safety concerns and transnational repression issues affecting Sikhs living in New York City and throughout the United States. We highlight some of them below:

Meeting with Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams

In a crucial meeting, UNITED SIKHS delegates engaged with NYC City Assembly Speaker Adrianne Adams to address the pressing public safety concerns and the alarming rise in hate crimes against Sikhs in New York City. This meeting follows our successful Town Hall event in November 2023, where we brought together the Queens Borough President, the Police Chief, and the Queens District Attorney’s Office to discuss these critical issues.

The primary objective of this meeting was to discuss community concerns and develop a comprehensive plan for collaborative efforts and strategies aimed at tackling these issues head-on. UNITED SIKHS, along with NYC City Council Speaker Adrianne Adams, is advocating for legislative solutions in cases where legislative commitment is required to ensure the safety and security of the Sikh community. It was agreed to have a working group with the Speakers Office to have quarterly meetings to address issues affecting the Sikh Community. 

Meeting with FBI HQ and Field Office in New York

UNITED SIKHS also met with the FBI Field Office in New York to address concerns related to transnational repression. Sikhs activists and leaders across the United States and Canada have been living in fear of attacks directed at them from foreign land due to differences in their political opinions and civil rights activism.

UNITED SIKHS has been at the forefront of efforts to seek a permanent solution to this serious problem. In September 2023, we initiated a series of major meetings with Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Justice (DoJ), and the State Department. During these meetings, we urged relevant Federal Agency leadership, inter alia, to allocate more resources in publishing and distributing safety information in the Punjabi language, which has since been prepared and shared with our community to enhance critical channels of safety communication during emergencies.

Launch of Transnational Repression Crime Working Group

In addition to these critical meetings, UNITED SIKHS announced in December 2023 the launch of a working group consisting of several Sikh organizations across the United States. This working group has been formed with a consensus and a mandate to advocate for the codification of the Transnational Repression Policy Act, which is currently on Congress’s agenda. UNITED SIKHS is committed to leading similar efforts at the State level to ensure that our community can live in peace without the constant fear of repression from foreign entities.

As UNITED SIKHS continues to fight for our community’s dignified existence free of fear and hate crimes, we remain resolute in our mission to make the world a better place for all by following practically up on our motto – recognizing the human race as one.

We thank the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Staff, NYC City Council Speaker Adrianne Adams, FBI HQ, and NY Field Office in New York, as well as Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. among others for their continued collaboration and support in these crucial endeavors.

Dr. Henok Gabisa

Director, UNITED SIKHS International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy (ICHRA)