Our Bureau
Washington, DC
The Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) organized the 2024 National AANHPI Unity Summit from September 19-20, 2024, in Washington D.C. GOPIO International served as a co-host along with eight other local and national Asian American organizations. The summit provided a platform for Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) organizations and leaders to interact and collaborate on issues vital to their communities. The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is a Founder Member of the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) which takes up and campaigns on broad issues of Asian Americans.
On the morning of September 19th, a delegate group of 70 individuals attended a White House Briefing to discuss issues concerning our diverse communities, followed by a White House tour for 100 Summit attendees. In the 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 immediately 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. This was followed by remarks from Special Advisor to Public Engagement Kota Mizutani who spoke on how Asian Americans are engaged with the White House. Mizutani then invited AAUC President Angela Anand and Board Chair Dr. S.K. Lo to speak, who in turn invited representatives of various co-hosting organizations who spoke on the various Asian American issues such as immigration, need for education initiative, violence against Asians, and discrimination, etc.
All co-hosts presented various Asian American issues at the briefing. In his address at The White House event, 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 Summit agenda.
Dr. Abraham pointed out that of the 2 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. The following are the suggestions:
- While waiting for legislative action from Congress, Dr. Abraham requested and 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.
President Biden’s Deputy Assistant Erika Moritsugu presented a message from President Biden at the Welcome Dinner of the AAUC/GOPIO Summit in Washington, DC.
In his message, 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,” President Biden continued.
On September 20th, during several meetings with 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 summit marked the launch of the mobile responsive online AAPI Community Hub.
During the Summit at the Capitol on September 20th, the AAUC presented its resolution on the Alien Land Laws. Additionally, the AAUC also highlighted the power of the online AAPI Community Hub.
At the Summit at the Capitol, one of the affected Indians in the immigration backlog, Mr. 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. Despite having been approved for a Green Card long ago, the discriminatory 7% per-country cap in current version of INA is preventing many of them from obtaining one. Unfortunately, due to their birth in large populous countries like India, some may never receive their Green Cards in their lifetime.
Krishnamurthy also emphasized the plight of half a million children who face the risk of aging out and potentially self-deporting to unfamiliar countries. These children arrived in the USA as dependents of legal immigrant parents from India and other Asian countries when they were infants or toddlers
Furthermore, Krishnamurthy advocated for bipartisan support for the Common Sense Bill (HR6542, the Immigration Visa Efficiency and Security Act) and its Senate counterpart (S3291 – Eagle Act). These bills aim to gradually eliminate discriminatory and arbitrary country caps over a ten-year period, ensuring fair treatment for immigrants from all countries without adversely affecting anyone.
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.
- Mr. Evan Chen of Long Island was recognized as Philanthropist of the Year.
- Ms. JencyMalena Mesik (Anchorage, Alaska) and Mr. Suraj Kulkarni (Los Angeles, California) received the President’s Young Person and Youth Awards, respectively.
The AAUC has made significant contributions to the AAPI community by organizing national conferences, assembling a diverse working board, developing monthly newsletters and podcasts, and creating an online hub that connects over 15,000 AAPI nonprofits across all 50 states. For more information, visit its website.
The AAUC is a nationally operating 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to unite our diverse Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities around common goals to amplify collective voice through advocacy, collaboration and education.
