Tony Thurmond: “I rise to introduce a private relief bill that would provide permanent legal resident status for Hitesh Tolani and his…”

“I rise to introduce a private relief bill that would provide permanent legal resident status for Hitesh Tolani and his mother, Jaya Tolani, who face voluntary removal from this country. I feel that the Tolanis' case presents a compelling need for legislative action. Hitesh Tolani, who is a scholarship student at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC, came to the United States with his mother, Jaya, and father, Gulab, in 1984. When Hitesh arrived in this country, he was a toddler. Hitesh has a younger brother, Ravi, who was born here and is a United States citizen. The Tolanis' efforts to become United States citizens was beset by tragedy. Gulab's brother, who served as a sponsor, died during the family's efforts to become legal permanent residents. Furthermore, just days before Gulab was to interview in New York in hopes of gaining legal permanent resident status for himself and his family, he passed away. Jaya was left with no way to legalize her or Hitesh's status. In the same year in which Gulab died, Jaya was also diagnosed with breast cancer. In the midst of these difficulties, Jaya was left with very few alternatives. When Hitesh learned of his illegal status, he made the decision to turn himself into the authorities.”