Daughter of immigrants may become this country’s first female, Asian-Black American Vice President

Regardless of your political views, Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate is historic. Harris is the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India. When speaking about Harris, Biden noted the significance of her background remarking, “[as] a child of immigrants, she knows personally how immigrant families enrich our country, as well as the challenges of what it means to grow up Black and Indian American in the United States of America. Her story is America’s story.”

Harris’ background as a first-generation American

Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India and came to the United States in the late 1950s as a young, unmarried woman to study at the University of California – Berkeley, and later became a breast cancer researcher. Her father, Donald Harris, emigrated from Jamaica in the early 1960s, and went on to become a professor of economics at Stanford University.

Track record as a champion for immigrants

Harris was a leading critic of President Trump’s policy of separating families at the border. She joined protests outside of immigration shelters where children were held and advocated for more oversight of immigration detention centers. Harris even called for the resignation of then-Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, over the family separation policy and detention of pregnant women.

Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA)

While running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris advocated for the use of executive powers to not only reinstate, but expand, DACA. She further backed a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers brought into the United States as children. Harris also supports increased border security, but opposes construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. She would rather invest funds in drones and other surveillance methods.

Impact going forward

It will be interesting to see how Harris’ background and experience will influence discussions around immigration in the weeks ahead. Stayed tuned for more updates regarding both presidential campaigns throughout the election. Like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

And as always, if you have questions about your current immigration status, contact us to schedule a free consultation.

Sincerely,
Natalia Morozova, Abraham Hamra, and Wendy Barlow
The Cohen, Tucker & Ades P.C. Team