Asian American Unity Summit highlights huge green card backlog

The 2024 National AANHPI Unity Summit from Sep 19 to 20 in Washington, DC, highlighted issues vital to their communities such as immigration, need for education initiative, violence against Asians, and discrimination.

Organized by the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) with GOPIO International and eight other local and national Asian American organizations as cohosts, the summit provided a platform for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) organizations and leaders to interact and collaborate on, according to a media release.

The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is a Founder Member of Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) which takes up and campaign on broad issues of Asian Americans.

On Sep 19, a delegate group of 70 individuals attended a White House briefing to discuss issues concerning diverse communities, followed by a White House tour for 100 Summit attendees, according to a media release.

Same afternoon, representatives of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI met and listened to Asian American community representatives at the Crowne Plaza Hotel which was followed by a youth session discussing racial bias in schools and cross-cultural identities.

The White House briefing started with a warm welcome by Kristal Ka’ai, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) who spoke on the White House initiatives for Asian and Pacific American Islanders.

Special Advisor to Public Engagement Kota Mizutani spoke on how Asian Americans are engaged with the White House. AAUC President Angela Anand, Board Chair Dr SK Lo and representatives of various co-hosting organizations spoke on the various Asian American issues.

GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham highlighted the legal immigration issue on the huge green card backlog. He said that there are two bipartisan bills in Congress (HR-6543 and S-3269) that could reduce this long waiting period. These bills were included in the AAUC S summit agenda.

READ: Asian American Unity Summit in Washington, DC, on Sep 19-20 (September 18, 2024)

Dr. Abraham pointed out that of the two million immigrants in the backlog, 1.2 million (62%) are Indians followed by Chinese and Filipinos. GOPIO has taken up this campaign to help the affected people and suggested to the Biden Administration what executive actions they can implement in the short term even before the legislative measures can solve the problem.

While waiting for legislative action from Congress, Dr Abraham urged the White House administration to use executive powers and implement these reforms in good faith immediately:

Instruct USCIS to remove the “Compelling Circumstances” clause for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and Travel Documents (Advance Parole) for approved immigrant petitioners and their dependents who have legally resided in the US for at least ten years.

Instruct USCIS and Department of State to create a Rule that will Lock the age of dependent and non-US born children as on the approval date of the very first immigrant petition (I-140) so that these kids do not have to self-deport.

For EAD and Travel Documents, consider charging premium fees, may be as much as $5,000 per applicant, which will generate substantial revenue for USCIS to enhance the infrastructure to process these applications.

AAUC and GOPIO have requested and urged the Biden Administration to execute these administrative measures immediately and in good faith.

In a message at the welcome dinner of the AAUC/GOPIO Summit, President Joe Biden wrote, “America has a heart and soul that draw from old and new. We all come from somewhere, but we’re all Americans. And since our nation was founded, our spirit has been enriched by the immense contributions and diverse cultures of the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities – and that includes those attending 2024 National Unity Summit. By elevating AA and NHPI voices, encouraging civic engagement and advocating for the issues that matter most to your communities, each one of you demonstrates a commitment to our country that continues to propel our great American experiment ever forward.”

“People like you and events like this are a big part of the reason why I have been never more optimistic about the future of this nation. As you gather for 2024 National Unity Summit, I hope you are filled with pride not only in the remarkable achievements of those around you but also of AA and NHPI people all across America,” Biden continued.

On Sep 20, during several meetings with the Congressional officials, the AAUC advocated for various causes such as racial discrimination, civil rights, hate crime prevention, immigration, and Asian American history education. Delegates from 27 states participated.

The AAUC presented its resolution on the Alien Land Laws. Additionally, the AAUC also highlighted the power of the mobile responsive online AAPI Community Hub launched at the summit.

At the Summit at the Capitol, one of the affected Indians in the immigration backlog, Sathyanarayan Krishnamurthy highlighted the challenges faced by immigrants and their family members who are stuck in the Employment-Based Green Card backlog, despite having lawfully resided in the USA for decades.

Several distinguished individuals were recognized for their contributions during the summit:
US Rep. Judy Chu (California) was honored with the Dilip Singh Saund Award for Political Leadership.
US Rep. Andy Kim (New Jersey) was honored with the Norman Mineta Award for Public Service.
Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society (Long Island, New York), SEWA-AIFW (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Team Aid (Boston, Massachusetts), and Elizabeth de Leon-Gamboa (Las Vegas, Nevada) were honored with the Community Service Award.
Evan Chen of Long Island was recognized as Philanthropist of the Year.
JencyMalena Mesik (Anchorage, Alaska) and Suraj Kulkarni (Los Angeles, California) received the President’s Young Person and Youth Awards, respectively.