Senator Durbin’s hold over the Fairness Bill comes as a shock to people in the Green Card backlog. As a former co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Durbin was well aware that the bill ensures everyone who applies for an employment-based Green Card is treated equally regardless of their national origin. Yet, he proceeded to place a hold over the bill. There was a public outcry against delays in passing the Fairness bill because of Senator Durbin’s hold. People were outraged by instances of widows in Illinois and the U.S. who were in the Green Card backlog and were forced to self-deport their entire family after the family’s principal Green Card applicant died. Social media remained rife with statements about how the Senator’s hold ensured that children born in India who accompanied their parents were forced to self-deport at age of 21 when they age out of their backlogged parents’ Green Card applications.
In response to Senator Durbin’s shocking hold over S.386: Fairness for high skilled Immigrants Act, Immigration Voice hosted an advocacy event in Illinois. This training event was designed to empower Immigration Voice members to defend themselves against Senator Durbin’s vicious attacks on the rights of immigrants in the green card backlog. Aman Kapoor, in his capacity as the President of Immigration Voice and trainer at the event, shared in-depth knowledge on the background to Senator Durbin’s misguided opposition to the Fairness bill. Members were equipped with talking points to employ when advocating for the Fairness bill so that we can overcome Senator Durbin’s political assaults on immigrants – especially immigrants from India.
