ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
AAG Dhillon links parents’ migration to India’s 1970s policies
Dhillon highlighted her immigrant journey during the Sea to Shining Sea gala held on Ellis Island.
-
Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 04, May 2026
- 03:45 EDT
- 28
Harmeet Dhillon / X/ Harmeet Dhillon
The U.S. Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, Harmeet Dhillon, on May 2 claimed that her parents left India because India was a “Russian client.”
During her address at a Moms for Liberty Foundation event on Ellis Island, New York, Dhillon went on to describe her parents’ move to the United States and her subsequently acquiring American citizenship at the age of 10 as the “greatest gift” her parents gave her.
Dhillon spoke about her immigration story and highlighted how her parents moved to the United States in the 1970s, landing at JFK Airport, after America experienced a shortage of doctors during the Vietnam War.
Dhillon’s father, an orthopedic surgeon, along with her mother, moved to the United States because, according to Dhillon, India was a “Russian client.” Dhillon continued, “They (India) had a dictated two-children policy and a planned economy. And mom and dad didn't want to raise their kids in that kind of an environment.”
During the ’70s, then-Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi launched an aggressive and controversial population control campaign. The campaign strongly promoted sterilization after two children. This, however, took an ugly turn after allegations of forced sterilization emerged during a National Emergency declared in India between 1975 and 1977.
ALSO READ: Dhillon announces lawsuit to protect women athletes
Potentially referring to these instances and long-held United States allegations against India over siding with Russia post-independence, a claim denied by India, Dhillon highlighted the factors behind her parents’ move.
Highlighting the American Dream that she experienced, she noted, “My dad was very proud of me. He passed away about 15 months ago. He got to see his daughter become the lawyer for the former and the future president of the United States.”
She continued, “My mom and my brother got to sit behind me during my Senate confirmation hearing and see me shoot down a lot of very dumb and obnoxious questions from a number of Democrat senators.”
Dhillon described her life as an “American success story” and highlighted how she had become a well-known advocate for “moms, kids and American citizens.”
“Besides life, the greatest gift that mom and dad gave me was bringing me here to America.”
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) May 3, 2026
“My dad got to see his daughter become the lawyer to the former and future President of the United States… THIS is an American success story.”@AAGDhillon pic.twitter.com/n8d37CuxJo
Dhillon went on to highlight her work and claimed that she stood for “young girls who (from whom) the state and the doctors tried to take away their womanhood” and for parents who were being “denied the right to control their children's education,” against “the tyranny of the state all over the United States.”
She also noted that she was called by U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi because of her past work.
Moms for Liberty hosted its “Sea to Shining Sea” gala on Ellis Island on May 2, 2026, as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations and the group’s fifth anniversary.
The exclusive evening featured fine dining, historic exhibits, live entertainment, fireworks and patriotic speeches honoring legal immigration, the American Dream and liberty.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login