Debu
Gandhi

Senior Director, Immigration Policy

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Debu Gandhi

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Debu Gandhi is the senior director of Immigration Policy at American Progress. In this role, he leads the organization’s efforts to fix the badly broken immigration system.

Before joining American Progress, Gandhi served as chief counsel for immigration for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He provided guidance to Senate Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) and the Democratic caucus on immigration law, legislative strategy, vote recommendations, and messaging. He also conducted bipartisan legislative negotiations and served as the lead staffer for hearings on the American Dream and Promise Act and Farm Workforce Modernization Act. He previously served as a Judiciary Committee counsel and associate counsel to Sen. Durbin, the then minority whip and ranking member of the Immigration Subcommittee. In addition to leading multiple legislative efforts, Gandhi led oversight initiatives on federal agency immigration policies and drafted questions for the nomination hearings of Supreme Court justices, attorneys general, and other nominees.

Earlier in his career, he worked as a federal legislative analyst for six Native American tribes, as an immigration attorney representing individuals and businesses, and as a state legislative aide. Gandhi holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, a master’s in political science from Illinois State University, and a bachelor’s in politics from Willamette University.

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Regaining America’s Trust on Immigration In the News

Regaining America’s Trust on Immigration

In a new article published in Democracy Journal, Debu Gandhi discusses how progressives should modify their messaging on immigration in the wake of this year’s general election.

Democracy Journal

Debu Gandhi

To Resolve the Humanitarian and Administrative Border Crisis, the U.S. Must Fix the Broken Asylum System, Help Stabilize the Western Hemisphere, and Provide Robust, Orderly Migration Pathways Article
Sunlight his the U.S. Capitol dome.

To Resolve the Humanitarian and Administrative Border Crisis, the U.S. Must Fix the Broken Asylum System, Help Stabilize the Western Hemisphere, and Provide Robust, Orderly Migration Pathways

The just-released Senate border deal is a sincere, bipartisan attempt to create much needed order at the U.S.-Mexico border; release pressure on the broken asylum system, resource agencies, and communities; and provide other targeted solutions across the immigration system. However, to achieve and sustain order at the border, Congress must more boldly address what drives migration in the region and must create accessible lawful pathways that are an alternative to asylum.

Executive Summary: A Whole-of-Government, Society-Wide Approach to Tackling the Opioid Crisis Fact Sheet

Executive Summary: A Whole-of-Government, Society-Wide Approach to Tackling the Opioid Crisis

This fact sheet summarizes a recent Center for American Progress report outlining the need for a whole-of-government, society-wide approach to addressing the complex challenges posed by the opioid overdose epidemic.

Trinh Q. Truong, Debu Gandhi, Jill Rosenthal, 5 More Marquisha Johns, Mariam Rashid, Dan Restrepo, Akua Amaning, Cleo Bluthenthal

Tackling the Opioid Crisis Requires a Whole-of-Government, Society-Wide Approach Report
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents sift through packages in search of fentanyl.

Tackling the Opioid Crisis Requires a Whole-of-Government, Society-Wide Approach

The opioid epidemic is a complex public health crisis that can be ameliorated by addressing root causes of drug use; expanding access to treatment and harm reduction strategies; and reducing the supply of illicit opioids entering the United States.

Trinh Q. Truong, Debu Gandhi, Jill Rosenthal, 5 More Marquisha Johns, Mariam Rashid, Dan Restrepo, Akua Amaning, Cleo Bluthenthal

DACA Boosts Recipients’ Well-Being and Economic Contributions: 2022 Survey Results Article
People gather for a rally to celebrate the 10th anniversary of DACA.

DACA Boosts Recipients’ Well-Being and Economic Contributions: 2022 Survey Results

The eighth annual survey of DACA recipients shows, yet again, DACA recipients’ many contributions to their communities and the U.S. economy more broadly while highlighting the need for a pathway to citizenship.

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