Children of Indian-American immigrants face deportation; White House blames Republicans for legislative impasse
Washington, July 27: The future remains bleak for many children of legal immigrants in the United States, particularly Indian-Americans, who risk deportation as they age out of their dependent visa status upon turning 21.
Approximately 2,50,000 children of legal immigrants, a significant number of whom are Indian, face this predicament. The White House has pointed fingers at Republicans for the legislative deadlock on this issue.
"I talked about the bipartisan agreement that came together from the Senate where we negotiated a process to help the so-called documented Dreamers. And sadly, Republicans, and I've said this many times already at this podium today, which is that they voted it down twice. They voted it down twice," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a recent press conference.
Last month, a bipartisan group led by Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and Representative Deborah Ross, called on the Biden administration to take urgent action. The group urged protection for more than 250,000 documented Dreamers, children of long-term visa holders who risk aging out of their dependent status and face self-deportation if they cannot secure another status.
"These young people grow up in the United States, complete their education in the American school system, and graduate with degrees from American institutions," the lawmakers stated. "However, due to the long green-card backlog, families with approved immigrant petitions are often stuck waiting decades for permanent resident status," they explained in a letter to the Biden administration dated June 13.
Improve The Dream, an organisation representing these children, met with over 100 congressional offices and senior administration officials last month. Dip Patel, founder of Improve The Dream, expressed disappointment over the inaction. "It is disappointing to see the lack of action and associated proposed regulations deprioritizsed and delayed. It is time for action and I hope President Biden and the administration see the support from this bipartisan letter and show they care about one of the most bipartisan issues in the Congress and rectify the mistakes of the past," Patel commented.
Patel also acknowledged the efforts of bipartisan members of the Congress advocating for urgent administrative policy changes and pushing for a permanent solution
- With inputs from agencies
