A Former Undocumented Immigrant Shares Her Story

The Takeaway

This week, the Senate’s Gang of Eight is working on a bill that promises compromise on Immigration Reform. But what do former undocumented immigrants have to say about the immigration experience?  
Sayu Bhojwani was born in India, raised in Belize and was in the United States when her visa expired — making her an undocumented immigrant. She went on to not only become an American citizen, but also also to be appointed New York City’s first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs.
She now helps other first and second generation immigrants seek public office as the Founding Director of the New American Leaders Project. She is also a PhD candidate in Politics and Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College where she studies the role that public schools play in shaping immigrant students’ civic stance.
Bhojwani recently wrote about her immigration experience in an article for the digital news outlet Quartz.

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