In another win for the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested an illegal immigrant in California with alleged ties to terrorism. The individual, known as one of India’s most wanted, was apprehended after overstaying his visa and reportedly committing several crimes, including assault and planning more than a dozen grenade attacks on police officials. ICE officials have confirmed that the man has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization in multiple countries, including India and Canada, for his violent campaign to carve out a separate Sikh state by force.
Harpreet Singh, also known as “Happy Passia,” one of India’s most-wanted fugitives, was arrested by ICE agents. Singh is connected to a series of violent terrorist attacks targeting police stations and public officials. He is allegedly an operative of the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), which is banned and believed to have ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Singh has been linked to at least 17 criminal cases and is suspected of working with Harwinder Singh Sandhu, a Pakistan-based terrorist, to plan and carry out attacks in Punjab.
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the agents in the Sacramento division who led the investigation, commending their collaboration with local and international partners. Patel emphasized that justice will be served.
Singh reportedly entered the U.S. illegally on January 27, 2022, through an entry point in Arizona. He was arrested by a U.S. Border Patrol agent from the Tucson sector and placed in removal proceedings, but was later released into the interior of the country.
“The Biden Administration not only let a wanted terrorist into our country, but after he was arrested by Border Patrol agents, they released him into the interior of our country,” Tricia McLaughlin, the Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs said.
“While shocking, it’s not surprising given the Biden administration routinely released unvetted terrorists and criminals into American communities… Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, ICE is unleashed to remove these violent criminals from America’s streets and put an end to catch and release. We will hunt down, arrest, and lock up foreign terrorists and criminals who have operated with impunity on American soil,” she continued.