Prerna Lal is a formerly undocumented immigrant rights advocate and attorney. They pioneered the use
Prerna Lal is a formerly undocumented immigrant rights advocate and attorney. They pioneered the use of social media to stop hundreds of deportations of undocumented youth.An Indo-Fijian immigrant, Prerna was sponsored by their US citizen grandmother. But decade-long backlogs meant that Prerna had “aged out” of the green card process, leaving them without legal status.Through United We Dream and Dream Activist, Prerna helped create online networks of immigrant youth, and mobilized people to take action against deportations and in support of the DREAM Act. This organizing helped pave the way for the DACA program.Their experience as an undocumented immigrant led them to law school where they gained legal expertise to fight their deportation order. After graduating, Prerna won and DHS closed the case. In April 2018, they became a US citizen.As an attorney, Prerna has helped establish policies like Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal and parole-in-place for the family members of Filipino war veterans.They’ve also provided immigration counsel for hundreds of students and their families through UC Berkeley’s Undocumented Student Program, including working to release a student from ICE custody. -- source link
#apahm#indo fijian#undocumented#immigrant rights#daca#dream act#asian american#queer