By Staff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Maya Gurung said, “I’m from Nepal. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) gave my family a second chance. We’ve built our roots all these years. Now we have to just leave?” She and nearly 150 Black and AAPI immigrants gathered on Capitol Hill for a day of action on immigration.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Close to 150 immigrants and advocates from Black and Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities came together in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, for a day of action on immigration. Together, the two groups, often unheard in the debate about immigration policy, joined forces to call for a clean DREAM Act and a permanent solution for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders.
Led by UndocuBlack and the AAPI Immigrant Rights Organizing Table, the day featured a news conference with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Rep. Judy Chu, (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky, (D-Ill.), and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)
“As an undocumented immigrant, woman of color, and a DREAMer, I can attest to the fact that this bill will determine the future of 11 million human lives,” said Angie Kim, who participated in the news conference on behalf of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. “This bill is not just a policy. This bill is not an amnesty. This bill is about true American value, American history, humanity, and justice.”
“DACA changed my life. It allowed me to go to and finish school, get a good job and support my family. A clean DREAM Act must pass before Christmas,” said Jung Woo Kim speaking on behalf of the Korean Resource Center and the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC). “We, young immigrant Americans, are an important part of the future of this nation. What kind of government would throw away its young people?”
Immediately following the news conference, the groups delivered a petition with 400,000 signatures in support of DREAMers and TPS holders to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump dismantled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that provided over 800,000 young undocumented immigrants with work permits and deportation relief.