Aparna Puri has an extensive history of service in the immigration sector and has been a volunteer with the Lafayette Urban Ministry Immigration Clinic since 2017 where she has received hands-on training in immigration law and assisted in numerous immigration proceedings. Aparna holds a PhD in French Literature, an MA in French Translation and Interpretation, and a BA in French Language, Culture, and Civilization. She has taught at Purdue University and Indiana University Kokomo. Aside from being fluent in French, she is also fluent in Hindi, and is intermediately proficient in Punjabi.

How did you get involved with the Young Center initially?

In 2016, I became a pro bono immigration services provider through the Catholic Charities network. I found helping undocumented immigrants navigate the complex legal system to find a pathway to a legal status immensely rewarding and important. As an immigrant myself, it was the stories, shared with vulnerability and courage, of those who gave up so much, in hope of a new beginning, that resonated with me the most. Undocumented immigrants are the unsung heroes who come to this country to escape from untold dangers with the hope of moving their families towards a better social and economic future. 

When a friend and former Young Center Board Member Beatriz Martorello asked me to join the Board, I knew I would be joining an organization that is committed to advocating for children's best interests and influencing change in immigration policy.

Why is fighting for the rights of children important to you? Should it be important to everyone? 

Children face innumerable challenges during transit and at the border, especially when separated from their families. They are often escaping from systemic violence, gang warfare, deep-rooted poverty, and corruption. They are at a heightened risk of exploitation, abuse, violence, forced child labor, and human trafficking. This takes a heavy physical and mental toll on them, putting them at risk of long-term psychological trauma.

Children at the border separated from their parents are among the most vulnerable residents of the United States. It should be everyone’s responsibility to recognize them as children first and protect their rights from being violated at the border. Unaccompanied children cannot alone protect themselves, and don’t always get government appointed legal counsel. It falls upon the pro bono legal service providers and Child Advocates to ensure that children get their due process, and their stories are heard, and to protect their wellbeing while in custody and work towards reuniting them with their families in a timely manner. Anyone who has been on this journey to protect children’s rights is forever transformed.  

What is one thing you’d like everyone to know about the Young Center’s work?

Once a child crosses the border and is apprehended without a parent or guardian, the process can involve a number of government agencies without any one of them being completely accountable. The sheer range of responsibilities and roles that the Young Center’s advocates handle on behalf of the children as they navigate complex and often adversarial immigration proceedings is astounding. Navigating that system takes an awful lot of knowledge, expertise, compassion, and energy every step of the way.

What’s your dream for immigrant children? 

That the best interest that we expect for our children should become the gold standard impacting every decision behind every immigrant child in America. That their dreams stay alive, their future becomes brighter, their voices are heard, and that they do not live in fear. Immigrant children deserve a childhood where they feel safe and happy, and where their basic needs such as caring adults, health, and education are met.