Jayapal is the first Indian American woman elected to US Congress.
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) on Tuesday said that restriction for immigration creates an atmosphere of fear and ‘cuts the very fabric of what really does make America great.’
In an Op-Ed titled The Country I Love published in The New York Times, the Indian American congresswoman recollected the memories of her naturalization ceremony and her feelings while receiving the citizenship of the world’s oldest democracy.
“After arriving here from India at age 16, I spent more than a dozen years on an alphabet soup of visas – F1, H1B and more – before I finally got my green card through marriage to an American,†Jayapal wrote, while remembering how she celebrated her first Independence Day as a United States citizen, seventeen years ago.
Jayapal, who went back to India for two years as part of her fellowship program from the Institute of Current World Affairs, gave birth to her premature son in India and the babies condition didn’t allow her to go back to the US to keep her permanent resident status. She lost her green card status but soon able to regain it and fly back to the US.
“When I finally walked into the cavernous hall at the old location of Immigration and Naturalization Services (now called United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) south of downtown Seattle, I was prepared for a simple transaction that would finally grant me citizenship and ensure that I would always be with son,†she wrote in the Op-Ed.
Jayapal describes how she felt while embracing the new country and how she realized about her luck. She points that these are difficult times for Immigrants as well as Americans as President Trump has harnessed fear and prejudice.
“Restricting immigration from Muslim-majority countries, and cracking down on unauthorized immigration in a way that tears families apart and creates an atmosphere of fear, cuts at the very fabric of what really does make America great: the diversity that is our greatest strength,†said.
Jayapal, the first Indian American woman elected to US Congress, thanked America for honoring her with a citizenship and requested the president and fellow Americans to remember the country’s history.
“Immigration is about more than just who comes here and who is allowed to stay. It is about who we are as country and what we are willing to stand up for,†she added.