Neil Makhija, Executive Director | IMPACT , has issued a statement on the confirmation of Vanita Gupta as US Associate Attorney General.

"Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Vanita Gupta to Associate Attorney General. She becomes the first Indian American and first woman of color to hold the third-highest ranking position in the U.S. Department of Justice.

"This historic moment has been decades in the making. A daughter of Indian immigrants who was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Vanita has had an illustrious career of fighting for civil rights. At 28 years old, she started her career at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund where she successfully overturned the wrongful drug convictions of 38 Black Americans in Tulia, Texas. At the ACLU, she fought to end mass incarceration and secured a landmark settlement against ICE on behalf of immigrant children that led to the end of family detention at the facility. 

"From 2014 to 2017, Ms. Gupta served as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under President Obama, where she advanced criminal justice reform, prosecuted hate crimes, protected voting rights and fought against discrimination.

"At a time of rampant voter suppression, unprecedented attacks on our rights and democracy, and increased hate crimes against AAPI communities, Vanita Gupta is exactly the champion of justice and civil rights our country needs. 

This is a momentous occasion for our community and our country. IMPACT wholeheartedly congratulates Vanita on her historic appointment", the statement concluded.