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Immigration and Immigrant Rights
With nearly three-quarters of the over 2.7 million South Asians in the United States being foreign-born, the rights and welfare of immigrants in this country are a top priority for the community. South Asians possess a range of immigration statuses. The South Asian community includes undocumented immigrants, dependents and temporary workers on various visas, refugees and asylum-seekers, lawful permanent residents, and United States citizens. Unfortunately, the immigration system and immigration policies have negatively affected many South Asians, regardless of status. For example, members of the South Asian community have faced obstacles to attaining permanent legal status and citizenship and the impact of various harsh enforcement initiatives.
SAALT supports a just and humane approach to immigration reform that includes a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants; elimination of the visa backlog; robust worker protections; and enforcement provisions that respect civil rights and due process. Guided by input from South Asian community-based organizations, SAALT advocates for broad immigration reform that addresses the needs of all South Asians. SAALT also develops community education materials analyzing proposed legislation’s unique impact on South Asians.
View Deepa Iyer's Testimony before House Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship(April 2006).
SAALT and Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign
SAALT
is a proud member of the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign. The
campaign is a united national effort
that brings together individuals
and grassroots organizations with the mission to build support for
workable comprehensive immigration reform. Join the campaign and get
email updates using the form to the right:
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- SAALT’s Testimony and Statements Regarding Immigration
- SAALT Statement Regarding Family Unity Waiver (2012)
- SAALT Statement in Support of Reuniting Families Act (2011)
- SAALT Statement in Support of the Uniting American Families Act (2010)
- SAALT Participates in White House Meeting on Immigration Reform (2009)
- Immigration Priorities for the South Asian Community (2009)
- SAALT’s Testimony before House Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship (April 2006)
- SAALT Letter to the Department of Justice Regarding Immigration Courts and South Asians (March 2006)
- Public Statement from South Asian Organizations Regarding Immigration Reform (April 2006) - Statement supported by over 20 South Asian organizations around the country in support of just and humane immigration reform
- Community Education Resources
- Pending Civil Rights and Immigration Legislation Affecting the South Asian Community (June 2009)
- "What You Need to Know to Become a U.S. Citizen: A Guide for South Asians (April 2008) (English; Bangla; Hindi; Gujarati)
- Immigration Reform and the South Asian Community: Myths and Realities (September 2007): SAALT has produced this community education document to dispel common myths about the impact of the immigration system on South Asians. This document also provides stories collected from press articles and through SAALT’s Documentation Project that illustrate the challenges and obstacles faced by South Asian workers, women, youth, and families.
- “Is America's 'Immigrant Problem' Really With Immigrants?” (September 2005) Op-ed in India Abroad by SAALT’s Executive Director, Deepa Iyer
- Asian American Justice Center (AAJC)
- Detention Watch Network (DWN)
- National Network on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
- National Immigration Forum
- National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
- Rights Working Group
