Gurinder Singh Khalsa expresses concerns over recent changes in immigration rules.
Indian American Sikh leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa on Sunday condemned the Kansas bar shooting incident that resulted in the death of a 32-year-old Indian engineer and asked the community to unite, PTI reported.
“Our first priority needs to be ensuring the safety and security of every Indian and Sikh living in the United States,” founder and chairman of the Indiana-based Sikhs Political Action Committee (SikhsPAC) said, PTI reported.
Khalsa said that the community should unite and work with the federal and state governments to ensure that Indians and people of Indian origin no longer become victim of hate crimes.
He also expressed concern over the new immigration rules but said that now is not the time to panic.
“Frankly, we were shocked at the speed with which these changes were made,” Khalsa said. “We are working tirelessly to seek clarification from federal officials. That effort is stretching our resources to the limit, but we will get answers as quickly as we can.”
The Indiana-based leader added it is time for Indians of all faiths and creeds to work together on this issue.
“Indians and Indian Americans have a lot of economic influence in the United States. We turned those resources towards ensuring a safe, secure political environment for ourselves and our children.”
Khalsa said that the shootings at the Kansas bar prove that xenophobic rhetoric has fatal repercussions.
“We all need to work together to ensure that this type of violence is never repeated. We must decide how we will react to attacks like this. It is my hope that this will become an opportunity for Sikhs and all Indians to become more politically active,” he added.
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