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Barring H-4 Spouses From Employment Disproportionately Discriminates Against Indian Families
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ASHINGTON, DC (December 15, 2017) — Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expressed concern over the Trump Administration’s plan to revoke a 2015 rule created by President Barack Obama allowing spouses of H-1B skilled labor visa holders to seek employment under the H-4 visa. The initial rule took into account the financial and emotional stress faced by immigrant workers and their families, and sought to allow spouses on H-4 visas to contribute taxable income to support their households. This announcement from the Department of Homeland Security regarding thousands of H-4 visa holders comes several months after President Donald Trump ordered a review of the H-1B visa program. Additional restrictions to the H-1B program itself are expected in the upcoming year. Media reports indicated that this was an attempt to enhance the Administration’s “Buy American - Hire American” initiative.
“The vast majority of H-1B visas issued to skilled laborers are from India, and the proposed rule change will have a disproportionate and discriminatory impact on Indian immigrants, the vast majority of whom are Hindu” said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF Senior Director for Policy, based in San Jose, CA. “If the rule is changed it would jeopardize the livelihoods of skilled immigrant labor families, and hinder the positive economic impact they have on our country.” Currently, the backlog for obtaining Green Card status, which most H-1B workers from India utilize to immigrate to the United States, is decades long due to country-cap restrictions. H-4 visa holders are often skilled workers in their own respective fields. The vast majority of H-1B/H-4 couples are also residing in metropolitan areas where there is a labor shortage, not where unemployment is high. “Indian skilled workers, who fill a major void in the American labor force, have long endured unwarranted criticism, and at times harassment,
for America’s broken immigration system. This year we saw a heinous hate crime murder perpetrated against an H-1B worker in Kansas, whose widow is an H-4 visa holder herself. Neither side of the political spectrum seems interested in addressing this critical immigration issue, and now spouses, most of whom are women, who are no threat to American workers are casualties of this gridlock,” added Kalra. About HAF The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is a non-partisan advocacy organization for the Hindu American community. The Foundation educates the public about Hinduism, speaks out about issues affecting Hindus worldwide, and builds bridges with institutions and individuals whose work aligns with HAF’s objectives. HAF focuses on human and civil rights, public policy, media, academia, and interfaith relations. Through its advocacy efforts, HAF seeks to cultivate leaders and empower future generations of Hindu Americans.
Student of Indian origin pleads guilty to launching cyberattack on US varsity EW JERSEY An Indian-American student has pleaded guilty to launching a massive cyberattack on a US university’s computer network by creating a giant botnet that paralysed the internet, officials have said.
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Paras Jha, 21, of New Jersey along with two others Josiah White, 20, from Pennsylvania and Dalton Norman, 21, from Louisiana also pleaded guilty to creating and operating two botnets last year, which targeted ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) devices,
the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. “Paras Jha has admitted his responsibility for multiple hacks of the Rutgers University computer system,” Acting US Attorney William Fitzpatrick said in a statement yesterday. “These computer attacks shut down the server used for all communications among faculty, staff and students, including assignment of course work to stu-
Paras Jha, who faces a long prison term for his role in a series of cyber attacks. (Jeff Granit | For NJ Advance Media)
FRIDAY, December 22 2017
Sanjay Murty makes Influential Chicago Minority Lawyers List
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anjay K. Murthy is a trial attorney who specializes in representing technology companies in high-stakes patent cases. He has represented Praxair, Inc., Baxter Healthcare and Baxalta, Inc., among many others. This year, he achieved two significant trial wins. Murthy was a lead partner in a complete trial victory for Praxair in an 11-patent infringement case filed by Mallinckrodt Hospital Products IP, INO Therapeutics LLC, and Ikaria Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The asserted patents relate to INOMAX (inhaled nitric oxide, which is used to treat neonates and children with breathing disorders) and medical devices for delivering the same. INOMAX is Mallinckrodt’s second-best-selling product, with annual sales of $500 million. Mallinckrodt was represented by a 12-lawyer team from a prestigious global firm, including its two global co-chairs of IP litigation and its
dents, and students’ submission of their work to professors to be graded,” he said. “The defendant’s actions effectively paralysed the system for days at a time and maliciously disrupted the educational process for tens of thousands of Rutgers’ students. “Yesterday, the defendant has admitted his role in this criminal offence and will face the legal consequences for it,” Fitzpatrick said. In a guilty plea before US District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton federal court in New Jersey, Paras accepted of violating the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act. According to court documents, between November 2014 and September 2016, Paras executed a series of attacks on the networks of Rutgers University.
Sanjay K. Murthy Partner Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP global co-chair of litigation. In September, the court ruled that five of the asserted patents were invalid and that the other six were not infringed, which resulted in a complete victory for Praxair. The case received national press attention.
His attacks effectively shut down Rutgers University’s central authentication server, which maintained, among other things, the gateway portal through which staff faculty, and students delivered assignments and assessments. At times, he succeeded in taking the portal offline for multiple consecutive periods, causing damage to the university, its faculty, and its students. The count to which Jha pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of USD 250,000, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain or loss derived from the offence, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13. (-PTI)
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