Chief among the many objectives of the summit was to provide 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 and Member of the Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC) which takes up and campaigns on broad issues of Asian Americans. GOPIO is co-host of the Summit.
In his address at The White House event, GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham highlighted the need to address the issue of the Green Card Backlog at the White House. There are two bipartisan Bills in Congress (HR-6543 and S-3269) that could reduce this long waiting period. These bills are 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:
1. While waiting for legislative action from Congress, we request and urge the White House administration to use
executive powers and implement these reforms in Good faith immediately:
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 presenting a message from President Biden at the Welcome Dinner of the AAUC/GOPIO Summit in Washington, DC. Delegates from 27 states are participating. Today the program is at The Capital with lawmakers.
As part of the Unity Summit, on 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 DOJ met with and listened to our community voices at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was followed immediately by a youth session discussing racial bias in school and cross-cultural identities.
On September 20th, during several meetings with the officials, the AAUC advocated for various causes such as racial discrimination, civil rights, hate crime prevention, immigration, and Asian American history education.
The summit marked the launch of the mobile responsive online AAPI Community Hub. During the press conference
on September 20th, the AAUC presented its resolution on the Alien Land Laws. Additionally, the AAUC will also highlight the power of the online AAPI Community Hub.
Several distinguished individuals were recognized for their contributions during the summit:
● US Rep. Judy Chu received the Political Leadership Award.
● US Rep. Andy Kim was given the Public Service Award.
● Suffolk County Police Asian Jade Society, SEWA-AIFW, Team Aids, and Elizabeth de Leon-Gamboa were honored with the Community Service Award.
● Mr. Evan Chen was recognized as Philanthropist of the Year.
● Ms. JencyMalena Mesik and Mr. Suraj Kulkarni received the President’s Young Person and Youth Awards, respectively.
Attendees from across the country representing diverse AAPI ethnicities and age groups had networking opportunities with leaders from multicultural ethnic groups through in-person interactions.
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. To learn more about the conference agenda, visit 2024 Asian American Unity Summit – AAUC.
