Why thousands of children of Indian-Americans face deportation risk

Over 2,50,000 children of legal immigrants, many of whom are Indian-Americans, are at risk of being deported from the United States due to the "aging out" issue. These children, known as 'Documented Dreamers', came to the US with their parents on temporary work visas but now face deportation as they turn 21 and lose their dependent status.

The Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) conducted a study of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data as of November 2, and found that over 1.2 million Indians, including dependents, are currently waiting for green cards in EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 categories. This number is from a Forbes report.

The Immigration and ity Act (INA) defines a child as someone who is both unmarried and under 21 years old. If a person applies for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status as a child but turns 21 before getting approved for a Green Card, they are no longer considered a child for immigration purposes.

This is called “aging out", and it means the person might have to file a new application, wait longer for a Green Card, or may not be eligible for one anymore.

The White House has blamed Republicans for the legislative impasse, citing that they voted down a bipartisan agreement twice, reported news agency PTI.

“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 her daily news conference.

US LAWMAKERS APPEAL FOR ACTION

On June 13, a group of 43 lawmakers, led by Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and Representative Deborah Ross, urged the Biden Administration to take urgent action to protect these individuals.

“These young people grow up in the United States, complete their education in the American school system, and graduate with degrees from American institutions. However, due to the long green-card backlog, families with approved immigrant petitions are often stuck waiting decades for permanent resident status,” the lawmakers wrote, reported PTI.

STORIES OF STRUGGLE OF DOCUMENTED DREAMERS

Improve The Dream, an organisation representing these children, met with over 100 congressional offices and senior administration officials to advocate for a solution.

“It is disappointing to see the lack of action and associated proposed regulations deprioritised and delayed. 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 Congress,” Dip Patel, founder of Improve The Dream was quoted as saying by PTI.

Individuals like Jefrina, who came to the US at the age of 7, and Praneetha, who arrived at 8, have had to navigate temporary visa solutions to avoid self-deportation.

Jefrina, now a graduate student in Minnesota, shared, “My young adult life has been a series of temporary fixes to avoid self-deportation. I graduate from my Master’s program in December and I’m yet again at the crossroads of leaving my family, pets, and friends.”

Praneetha, a cloud engineer in Texas, has lived in the US for over 15 years but faces uncertainty about her permanent residency status.

Similarly, Roshan, who came to the US at age 10, was forced to leave the country last month after aging out in 2019 despite spending almost 16 years in the US, reported PTI.

Dwarkesh Patel, who is a podcaster, often features faces like Jeff Bezos, Tony Blair, and more in his show, Dwarkesh Podcast, has also shared his story on X stated, "My family moved to the US when I was 8, but by the time I turned 20, my dad was still on an H1B (waiting to get processed for a green card). Once I turned 21, I would age out as his dependent, despite the fact that I basically grew up in the US. I thought I'd have to become a code monkey after college, and even that only if I was lucky enough to win the H-1B lottery. Otherwise, back to India."