WASHINGTON DC – Today, DNC Vice Chair Grace Meng, Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra, and DACA recipient Parthiv Patel held a press call to discuss Trump’s immigration policies and the destructive effects they have on Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.<\/p>\n
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Some highlights from the call:<\/p>\n
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DNC Vice Chair Grace Meng: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I’m the daughter of immigrants. The first one in my family to come to the US was my grandmother. She worked for years as a nanny and was eventually able to sponsor my mom.” […] “Without family-sponsored immigration, I would not have been able to be here with you today representing our communities and our country in Congress.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Contrary to what this administration says, (Dreamers are) the hardest working Americans that you will see.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I have been involved in addressing hate crimes in King County since after 9\/11 and so in December 2016—I was at the local mosque in Redmond WA attending a safety forum—I was there with our local police chiefs and law enforcement officers in a very large auditorium filled with people. People who were so scared because they did not know what was going to happen to them, their children or their families.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The area that I represent—45th LD is home to many tech employees—some of whom are here on a H1B visa—it is taking them decades to convert that visa into a green card. Decades. The question that people forget to ask, is what happens to their children when they turn 18. These kids come here at a young age with their parents, but when they become adults, they suddenly have no legal status. We are a country of immigrants. Immigrants enrich and contribute to the success of America every single day.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n DACA recipient Parthiv Patel, the first DREAMer admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey State bars: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I didn’t know what to do. All I thought was – was all of my hard work for nothing? Was I ever going to be admitted to the bar? Was I ever going to be able to fulfill my dreams of becoming an attorney? But I decided to do what Dreamers do best; I decided to preserve.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I was never really big about speaking out and showcasing my status. But that kind of changed for me over the course of the last six months. Realizing that Dreamers have a lot on the line. There are nights where Dreamers toss and turn in bed not knowing what’s going to happen. […] I felt like this was a time where Dreamers that can lend their voice, Dreamers that can out and speak out, should go speak out. That’s why I began to speak out. Also, another reason that I began to speak out was because I realized that especially in the Asian community, there is this notion that nobody speaks about their status. […] I think it’s important that we begin to speak out, because this is not just a Latino issue […] this is a global issue.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n