Indian American groups hail long-overdue CAA

Embracing Hope, Securing Rights: The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), akin to the Lautenberg Amendment, provides a long-awaited lifeline for persecuted religious minorities, offering them a path to safety and freedom

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According to PTI, Hindu American groups express strong support for India’s recently notified Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), labeling it as long overdue. They compare it to the Lautenberg Amendment in the United States.

Under the CAA, passed by the Indian Parliament in December 2019, the central government has the authority to grant citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who entered India due to religious persecution before December 31, 2014.

Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), emphasizes the necessity of the CAA, stating that it provides essential human rights protection for vulnerable refugees who were denied such rights in their home countries. She compares it to the Lautenberg Amendment, established in the US in 1990, which offers a clear immigration path for individuals fleeing religious persecution.

Amidst misconceptions, Indian American groups champion the CAA, emphasizing its necessity in safeguarding human rights and granting sanctuary to those fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan

Pushpita Prasad of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) highlights that the CAA has no impact on existing Indian citizens of any faith. She stresses that it simply expedites the Indian citizenship process for approximately 31,000 religious minorities who fled persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Prasad further explains the dire situation in Pakistan, where minority girls are kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married off to their abductors with the support of authorities. This persecution has led terrified families to flee to India for safety.

CoHNA conducted an education and advocacy campaign on the CAA in 2020 to counter misinformation, with eight cities passing resolutions in support. They urge residents of the US and Canada to educate themselves and others to prevent the spread of misinformation.

(The report is based on inputs and quotes from PTI)

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