From a young age, Vichal Kumar witnessed his Indian immigrant parents, owners of a convenience store in New Jersey, being on “the wrong side of a lawsuit.” They lacked adequate legal representation.
“I didn’t understand why the legal system, of all places, was not fair or just, where facts didn’t matter,” Kumar said. “Really, it was the size of your wallet that ultimately made decisions.”
Kumar’s ultimate decision was to become a public defender and now a candidate in the Democratic primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District.
Kumar spoke with Epicenter NYC’s S. Mitra Kalita about why opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions is a key part of defending communities against what he describes as a vast surveillance system targeting immigrants and U.S. citizens:
“ICE was created after 9/11 to target communities that look like us,” he said. “You have to stop ICE, because it’s not just about what ICE is actually doing, but it’s also the spirit of what ICE is doing. When you sow this amount of fear and terror in communities, it’s not just about the people being put into detention centers and deported. It’s also the fact that you’re forcing more and more people behind boundaries, forcing them into the shadows.”
Epicenter NYC and TBN24 invited several incumbents and challengers in key primary and midterm races across New York City to participate in the Candidate Conversations series. Interviews with Claire Valdez, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and others will be scheduled and published ahead of the June 23 primary.
Are you running? Drop us a line at hello@epicenter-nyc.com
