Praising community for hard work promises “an immigration system that powers our economy.”
Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden has assured the Indian American community that if elected he would address their concerns regarding H-1B work visa for the highly skilled coveted by Indian techies.
Addressing a virtual fundraiser organized by the community Tuesday, Biden also hit out at President Donald Trump for his June proclamations suspending the H-1B and several other categories of foreign work visas until the yearend.
The Trump administration’s decision has met with protests from Indians, who have received as much as 70% of H-1B visas over the past five years.
US business leaders have also criticized the move saying it will block their ability to recruit critically needed skilled workers from foreign countries.
All the harmful actions of Trump on H-1B, racial injustice or climate crisis are a common threat, said Biden declaring, “This president makes things worse, not better.”
READ MORE: Road to the White House
“It makes parents wonder whether their kids will have the kind of future they dreamed of when they came here,” said the former vice president, who has chosen Indian American senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.
“As president, I promise I am going to draw on the best, not the worst, beat this pandemic and build the economy back, help our kids get a good education and make sure healthcare is a right not a privilege,” he said.
Biden also vowed to “build an immigration system that powers our economy and reflects our values.”
Praising the community for their hard work and entrepreneurship, he said Indian Americans had powered the economic growth of the US and helped forge cultural dynamism in the country.
“You have helped forge an economic and cultural dynamism in this country,” Biden said. “That is a continuation of who we are, we are a nation of immigrants.”
RELATED: Biden vows to end green card caps, increase H-1B visas (July 15, 2020)
“Think about what this community has done for the country,” he said. “We do not talk enough about how the Indian American community has powered our economic growth.”
“Entrepreneurs running businesses around the country and around the world, innovators who make the foundation for Silicon Valley and lead some of the most influential companies in the world come from the community.”
Appreciating the cultural, social and family values of Indian Americans, Biden said that is why he valued the Indian American diaspora so much.
In a conversation with Dr Vivek Murthy, who served as surgeon general during the Obama administration, Biden also recalled the work he had done to forge close India-US relations.
If elected, Biden said his administration is going to continue to value this relationship.
RELATED: Joe Biden vows to lift Trump’s H-1B ban if elected (July 1, 2020)
“Seven years ago, as vice president, I told a business owner in Mumbai that the US-India partnership was the defining relationship in the 21st century,” he said.
“I am not just saying it now, I said it then and I mean it,” Biden said asserting that as president, “I will work to make sure it occurs.”