Kuchibhotla was killed and his friend Alok Madasani was injured when a former Navyman Adam Purinton allegedly fired on them in February 2017 outside a restaurant in Kansas while shouting, “Get out of my country.” Purinton is awaiting trial on charges of murder and committing a hate crime.

Yoder is the sponsor of a bill aimed at cutting the delays for professional Indian applicants for green cards which gives them permanent immigration status. The wait time now is over 11 years and is likely to grow longer. The bill, “Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017”, seeks to do away with national quotas for issuing green cards which leads to long waits for Indians because of the large numbers of professionals from the country—many already in the US on H1-B visas—who qualify for immigration.

The Indian Association of Kansas City thanked Yoder for inviting Dumala to the presidential address and said: “This further strengthens our belief and confidence in the American system and its constitution that everyone is respected, loved and is welcome.”