Chair Meng Condemns Reckless Green Card Policy Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), issued the following statement condemning the Trump administration’s new memo that will force immigrants seeking permanent residency, or a green card, to return to their home countries to apply—a drastic change from longstanding policy:

“The Trump administration is once again proving that they are not going after the ‘worst of the worst.’ Instead, they are blatantly attacking legal immigration, with family separation at the center of its agenda. This new policy will rip apart families, spouses, and children from their parents. For immigrants from more than 100 countries affected by Trump’s immigrant visa and travel bans—including over a dozen countries in Asia—these separations could last for years, if not indefinitely.

“Students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other temporary visa holders who followed the law and built their lives in the United States would be forced to abandon their livelihoods in order to apply for permanent residency. This reckless policy shows a stunning disregard for the human cost it will impose on hundreds of thousands of people each year. We will pursue every avenue to fight against this reprehensible decision and push for its reversal.”