Indian American Congressman Backs Bipartisan Bill to Combat the Aging Out of Indian Immigrants

By siliconindia   |   Friday, 20 May 2022, 13:11 IST
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Indian American Congressman Backs Bipartisan Bill to Combat the Aging Out of Indian Immigrants

Congressman Ami Bera of California, along with Congresswoman Deborah Ross, Senator Alex Padilla, and Senate judiciary committee chair Dick Durbin, called for the passage of America's CHILDREN Act.

FREMONT, CA: Last week, Congressman Ami Bera of California, along with Congresswoman Deborah Ross, Senator Alex Padilla, and Senate judiciary committee chair Dick Durbin, called for the passage of America's CHILDREN Act, bipartisan legislation that will protect documented dreamers who are dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa holders from aging out of the system when they turn 21. Several documented dreamers accompanied the parliamentarians, sharing their stories and advocating for the Bill.

Improve The Dream brought a delegation of 40 youth members from throughout the country to the US Capitol to lobby. Dip Patel created Improve The Dream, a youth-led organization that fights for children of legal immigrants who grew up in the United States but have no clear path to citizenship because they "age out" of the system at the age of 21. Documented dreamers is a term used to describe them. Over 20 young immigrants from Improve, The Dream visited the White House this week for the first time, meeting with senior immigration officials to discuss the issue of aging out and the backlog of green cards for affected youngsters. They were able to express their stories not just to the president, but also to their legislators—the congresspeople who represent them. They met senators and congressmen from Indiana, Florida, Iowa, and other states as a result of their advocacy.

Over 200,000 children and young adults are dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa holders in the United States (including H-1B, L-1, E-1, and E-2 workers). These people are born and raised in the United States, and they attend American schools and institutions. Documented dreamers are not eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy or the work authorization that comes with it because they have retained legal status. Senators Padilla and Rand Paul introduced bipartisan America's CHILDREN Act in the Senate by Representatives Ross, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Andy Kim in July. If passed, the bill would put an end to aging out and give these young individuals a road to permanent residency.