By Bill Parry
Rishi Singh, 29, of DRUM – South Asian Organizing Center in Jackson Heights– met with the president and affirmed the importance of relief programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents. He also pushed for relief for those who are currently excluded from the president’s executive action on immigration.
“Over 6 million undocumented immigrants are excluded from the program, including those from the LGBTQ communities and those with prior criminal records,” Singh told the president. The Hunter College graduate was joined by five other activists in the Oval Office to promote Obama’s executive actions on immigration while pressing for more.
As a former undocumented high school student and later a DACA recipient, Singh voiced the struggles of all undocumented youth. “We know the work is not done,” he said. “We fought to get the most recent executive action and will continue to fight so all of our people are able to come out of the shadows and continue to live and work in dignity.”
Singh, originally from Trinidad, has been an organizer with DRUM for the last 12 years where he has led the campaign for Administrative Relief for undocumented immigrants for the last year and a half. He called his meeting with the president part of a broader struggle.
“This is a testament to the power of organizing and our ability to win real change that will benefit the lives of our community,” he said.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.
