US Senate candidate Andy Kim meets Indian American community

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Third-term Congressman Andy Kim, D-NJ, wants to further strengthen US-India relations, deal with the H-1B visa problems, and strive to keep United States a land of opportunity for future generations.

He was speaking at an August 30, 2024, meet-and-greet event held in Pooja Indian Cuisine, Somerset, NJ, hosted by Parikh Worldwide Media, in association with Indian American Community, and former New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula.

Rep. Kim gave a stirring speech about his immigrant parents from Korea. He spoke of his roots in New Jersey, his public-school education, winning a Rhodes Scholarship, being a former civilian serving in Afghanistan for the State Department, his stint in the Obama White House, and his wife and the two sons who inspire him to seek public office.

The Congressman decided to jump into the race for the seat vacated by disgraced Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, and has already received the nomination of his party, as he intensifies his campaign around the state that houses some 9 million people, and has a massive concentration of Indian Americans and South Asians who could be key to his victory November 5.

Introduced by Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold, as well as   Chivukula who served 12 years as a lawmaker, and the Mayor of Franklin Township, Phil Kramer, Kim also answered several questions after giving his speech.

Dr. Parikh gave Rep. Kim a ringing endorsement, assuring him of his support and that of his media outlets. He called it an honor to have Kim address a gathering of well-known community members including doctors, engineers, as well several elected officials.

“We Indian Americans are a very dynamic and vibrant community. We always want to be number one in whatever we do,” Dr. Parikh said, adding, “That is why I like Congressman Andy Kim because he is the first Korean American who has become a congressman (now for three terms). The third term is not even completed and he is going to run for the Senate!”

If elected, Kim would be the first Asian American from the East Coast to be in the upper house. And, at 42, he is among the youngest lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Kim dwelt on New Jersey’s strengths in infrastructure, manufacturing and STEM education etc., and indicated that progress in New Jersey went beyond the state’s border, and even beyond America.

“It is also about partnering with some of our strongest allies and partners globally. I believe that America’s greatest strength is coalition-building and I think that India is at the top of the list there in terms of addressing what it is that we can do to create a stronger partnership with some of the greatest economies in the world.”
Kim, who is a member of a Select Committee that focuses on US and China’s Communist Party, talked of the many conflicts around the world, but added that to handle issues, it was important not to create “saber-rattling for a new Cold War,” and that is where India comes into the picture.

“I do think that greater partnership between the US and India could play a strategic role in counterbalancing some of the concerns that we have with rising China, in the same way that we see investments with South Korea and Japan creating greater plurality in Asia in terms of the diversity of the economies that are out there,” Kim said. He also said, “I have done a lot with the Indian government about cyber security issues and other things. There are great places that we can partner in.”

Commissioner Chivukula led a round of applause for Rep. Kim. He also introduced Mayor Kramer, who praised the Korean- American Congressman’s achievements, and life of public service – a Rhodes Scholar, a diplomat, member of the White House National Security Council.During his 3 terms in Office, Kramer said, Kim “works hard for cost of living for families, drug costs and fighting corruption in our government. Boy, do we need you now for that.”

The Q&A session focused on what Kim would do if elected as a Senator, especially on immigration.

Rep. King noted how US was built by immigrants, but that “right now it has become this radioactive issue that is tearing our country apart actually causing so much of the toxicity.”

The casualty were legal immigrants whose situation was sidelined with this focus on illegal entrants.

On the massive backlog of H-1B visa holders wanting permanent residence (Green Cards), Kim said, “We have been trying to take practical pragmatic steps in a bipartisan way. We have been trying to invest more in the processing, making sure that those that are going through legal avenues are not being put on the back burner. Because everyone is getting lumped together, things are taking so long,” Kim said, an argument Indian immigrants and Indian Americans have been making for a long time.

The disagreements on the southern border “should not hold up the totality of our immigration system,” Kim asserted.

“There is a lot more that we should be doing to increase the number of high skilled labor visas like H-1B to be able to make sure that there is greater path for them to be able to stay, become residents, going forward,” he added.