'My parents were Indian, so I felt...': White House domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden on US immigration
2 min read 27 May 2023, 02:01 PM ISTNeera Tanden said that the president has important principles which is to ensure that they are expanding legal immigration and legal pathways.
PremiumIndian-American public policy expert Neera Tanden on Saturday assumed the role of White House Domestic Policy Advisor, succeeding Susan Rice. She promised to work on ‘issues related to immigration’, an agenda that stems from her personal experience.
“Currently I'm Staff Secretary, and tomorrow I'm going to…I'm extremely enthusiastic about taking over as Domestic Policy Council Advisor. My experience is like many immigrants in the United States as children of immigrants," Tanden told PTI on Friday.
"My father came here from India in the early 1950s, and my mother came in the 1960s. They moved to Bedford, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. They were the only Indian family in that community. So, I felt a part of that community, but also a little bit different," she said.
“I had that duality of being the child of immigrants. But also, being part of America."
"What I'm really incredibly enthusiastic about in this role and excited about is one of the issues that I will take on as domestic policy advisor is the issue of immigration," she said on the last day of her being senior advisor and staff secretary to President Biden.
President Biden has a strong record of expanding legal immigration in the United States, as well as a whole host of other issues, she said.
“I'm looking forward to working on those issues as well. And it really does feel like it comes full circle given the journey my parents made to come here, and to give me the opportunities I've had and that is effectuated now when I'm in this new role," Tanden said.
She said that the president has important principles which is to ensure that they are expanding legal immigration and legal pathways.
“We have a lot of complicated issues on immigration at the border, other issues, but it's a touchstone to ensure that America's role as a beacon for the world, a place where there are people like my parents who made that great leap of faith to go to a place very different, live in a different world, a different culture, and try to really reach for the American dream," she said.
“And I know that 50, 60 years ago, 70 years ago, they would never imagine that their short daughter would be working at the White House one day. But that is one of the great aspects of our immigration policies, and we have to keep true to that, which is, fighting against efforts to restrict legal immigration and really ensure that our immigration policies reflect our values for the 21st century," she said.
(With PTI inputs)