BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — Lay Patel and his sister, Khushi, have been living in Indiana since they were kids.
"I've grown up in Indiana. I love it. Lebanon is my home," said 18-year-old Khushi.
They both attend Indiana University in Bloomington.
"We were on E-2 dependent visas growing up and on these E-2 dependent visas, we're not allowed to work. We're just dependent on our parents' visas," said Khushi.
Their dependency could soon come to an end.
"During my junior year (in college) it really hit me that I'll have to figure something out or else I won't be able to remain here after I graduate," said 22-year-old Lay.
After the Patels graduate, they will have no legal status in America due to aging out of their parents' visa.
They join more than 200,000 children of long-term visa holders raised in America who face aging out of the system at 21. They are known as "Documented Dreamers." They face self-deportation from the only home they've ever known.
"But then 10,000 of those kids leave every single year. Ten-thousand self-deport every year," said Khushi.
"Once I graduate, the only way I can remain in this country is if a company hires me. So my entire status in the place I live is based on some private organization. That doesn't really make sense. It's something tough to even think about," Lay said.
Lay is a senior studying economics and media production with a minor in finance. He hopes to own his own media company some day.
His sister said she scored in the 98th percentile on her Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, and wants to become a dermatologist.
"I want to be a doctor, and I can't go and get the clinical experience. I can't do the things I want to do, not because I'm not qualified, just because I don't have the paper. It's heartbreaking when you work so hard and you can't get anything out of it," said Khushi.
Their future is in limbo.
They found others like them and joined "Improve the Dream," a student-led advocacy group.
"For the longest time, we didn't know there were kids out there like us, but finding a community and finding people that will support you is like the biggest relief," Lay said.
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The Patels are part of a group of 40 Dreamers who took their concerns to Washington.
"We got the chance to meet with many Republican senators, so people like Senator Todd Young, Mike Braun, they were both very interested in this bill," Lay said.
The Patels said senators were welcoming and open to hearing their stories.
"Braun is a big advocate for legal immigration and so when we told him about this act, he immediately said this is something he should sign onto, but after meeting him in person, there hasn't been much response from him or their offices," said Patel.
The Patels said the Republicans they met "wanted us to remain in the country and many of them even said that we see you guys as Americans."
"We just need to keep pushing and hopefully it can get to the floor and pass," Lay said.
"Our fight doesn't stop. It's my brother's birthday today. He's 22, so that time for us is always ticking," Khushi added.