Page 73 - Khabar Magazine (February 2020)

In the spring of 2015, 26-year- an immigration policy that al-
old Amisha Singh, a shy woman lows those who were brought to
from the small city of Kanpur, In- the country as children—either il-
dia, made her new home in the legally, or who, after entering the
bustling metropolis of Santa Clara, country legally, lost status due to
California. Singh got married to an visa overstays or other reasons—
Indian IT professional in a typi- to receive a renewable two-year
cally arranged marriage where period of deferred action from de-
she got to know her groom on portation and become eligible for a
long-distance calls over a period work permit. However, considering
of a few months. Once in America, the current administration’s heavy-
while she enjoyed the initial mari- handed stance against immigrants
tal period, differences soon began like her, Akriti fears her status may
cropping up in her relationship. be revoked at any time.
Trapped in an abusive marriage, Akriti admits that she had a
she went through depression and tough childhood, where her par-
betrayal before consulting a di- ents, living without any federal
vorce lawyer. The attorney assured aid or insurance, had to crunch ev-
her that it was fine to get a divorce ery penny to afford the basics for
while in the U.S. Neither the lawyer her and her sibling. She says that
nor the client consulted an immi- despite having been a stellar stu-
gration attorney. Once the divorce dent, she has been mocked about
was finalized, to her utter dismay, the situation she never created.
Singh fell out of status and became She now works part-time in a gro-
an undocumented immigrant. cery store, and her plans of pursu-
While Amisha got trapped in ing a degree in medicine seems like
an immigration quagmire owing to a wishful dream.
ignorance, 19-year-old Akriti Patel’s Both Amisha and Akriti rep-
undocumented status was more resent a subsection of immigrants
due to circumstances she played in America whose undocumented
no role in. The Patel family came to status is the direct result of circum-
the U.S. during the ’80s from Guja- stances and a broken immigration
rat, India. Akriti, who was 8 years system rather than illegal intent.
old at the time, assimilated into Model minority no more?
American life, and gradually lost Indian-Americans, thanks to
most memories of her motherland. their outsized success in the cor-
A few years ago, when she had to porate world, in academics, entre-
submit some documents for attain- preneurship, and other fields, are
ing a scholarship, her parents broke known for having aced the Ameri-
the news that the family had over- can Dream. But as per recent data,
stayed their visitor visa and were Indians in America are fast facing
undocumented in America. a parallel reality—that of being one
Today Akriti is on Deferred Ac- of the largest undocumented popu-
tion for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), lations in the U.S.

At a count of over 600,000, Indians are now one of the largest undocumented immigrant
groups in America. (Photo courtesy of Diwali at Times Square)

>>

KHABAR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY• 2020 • 69