Washington: As many as 2,50,000 children of legal immigrants, including a considerable number of Indian-Americans, are now facing a serious risk of deportation from the US once they turn 21.
Why Immigrants Are Facing Deportation
The children of those parents who are themselves working on temporary visas enter the United States under the ‘Document Dreamers’ program. These children lose their temporary dependent status after attaining the age of 21. This is known as “aging out”.
Individuals who “age out” must submit a new application for permanent residency, even if they have lived in the country for decades, have been waiting longer for a Green Card, or may no longer qualify for one.
According to an analysis of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data by the National Foundation for American Policy, more than 1.2 million Indians, including dependents, have been waiting in the first, second, and third employment-based green card categories as of November 2 last year.
White House Blames Republicans
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre have blamed Republicans for the legislative impasse.
“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 Appeals For Urgent Action
Last month, a bipartisan 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 over 250,000 Documented Dreamers—children of long-term visa holders—who risk losing their dependent status as they age out and may be forced to self-deport if they do not qualify for another status.
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