Sheela Murthy On The Migrant Crisis, And Her Own Journey

President Joe Biden enjoys an approval rating of more than 60%. But in a poll released two weeks ago by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 42% of Americans approve of Mr. Biden’s handling of immigration. Last Friday, the Biden administration announced it will limit the number of refugees allowed into the United States this year to the historically low levels of the Trump years, walking back a promise to welcome more than 60,000 refugees fleeing desperate conditions, a decision that drew the ire of longtime allies. That pressure led the White House to announce that a new number of allowable refugees will be announced next month, although White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the 60,000 + number is, quote, “unlikely.” The administration has proposed an ambitious overhaul of the immigration system, but it has already stalled in Congress. Tom's next guest today is an immigration lawyer whose firm - The Murthy Law Firm - is based in Owings Mills, with satellite offices in Hyderabad and Mumbai, India. Sheela Murthy grew up in Bangalore, India, the daughter of a Colonel in the Indian Army. She holds a law degree from Harvard. She is the subject of a new biography, written by Adithi Rao, called Being Sheela: The Life Journey of an Immigration Lawyer. Sheela Murthy joins us on Zoom.Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.