A campaign launched jointly by the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice and 18MillionRising.org on February 28 is calling on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population to let their voices be heard in the debate on immigration reform. 

In a press release, the campaign highlighted how AAPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the nation and are made up of nearly two-thirds immigrants, with almost 1.3 million undocumented. The press release also asks that AAPIs sign a petition asking Congress to create a clear path to citizenship, end separation of families, reform past immiration laws that led to deportations, and grant equal immigration rights to the LGBTIQ community. The petition can be found by clicking here.

The full text of the press release provided by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) is included below:

ASIAN AMERICAN CENTER FOR ADVANCING JUSTICE AND18MILLIONRISING.ORG LAUNCH NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

LOS ANGELES – Today, the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice and 18MillionRising.org launched “18 Million Hearts: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Immigration Reform.” This collaborative and innovative effort lifts up the voices of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the current national discussion on immigration. The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice is comprised of the Asian American Justice Center (Washington, D.C.), Asian American Institute (Chicago), Asian Law Caucus (San Francisco), and Asian Pacific American Legal Center (Los Angeles).

“The time has come for us to mobilize and let other Americans know how the broken immigration system is separating and hurting Asian American and Pacific Islander families and communities,” said Betty Hung, policy director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “Any reform of the immigration laws must fully incorporate our shared American values of family unity, fairness, and equality.”

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are growing in strength, in number and in political power and with this campaign, we plan to flex our political muscles,” said C. M. Samala, director of 18MillionRising.org. “AAPIs are nearly two-thirds immigrant and the fastest growing racial group in the nation, including in swing states like Nevada and Virginia. In the 2012 election, AAPI voters helped to tip the balance for President Obama, for whom 73% of Asian American voters cast their ballots.”

“The 18 Million Hearts campaign will highlight our stories as immigrants and as descendants of immigrants to build America’s future together,” said Chris Punongbayan, deputy director of the Asian Law Caucus. “Asian American immigrants are an integral part of America – we are workers, neighbors, and small business owners who revitalize communities and contribute to the economy.”

The 18 Million Hearts campaign (http://bit.ly/apalc_ir) urges AAPIs to weigh in with their members of Congress by signing a petition that calls for:

• Creating a clear and reasonable roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants who are committed to our country and want to become Americans;
• Ending the separation of families waiting years and even decades to be reunited with loved ones waiting overseas;
• Reforming 1996 immigration laws that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of unfair deportations and negatively impacted Southeast Asian refugees and Pacific Islanders; and
• Granting equal immigration rights for our LGBTIQ brothers and sisters.

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community wants immigration reform that reunites families. Approximately 1.3 million AAPIs are undocumented,” said Erin Oshiro, senior staff attorney with the Asian American Justice Center. “Nearly two million AAPIs are waiting for their family visas so that they can be reunited with their families, and numerous AAPIs who are LGBTIQ are separated from their loved ones due to discriminatory immigration laws. Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders are deported at a rate three times higher than immigrants as a whole due to regressive immigration laws passed in 1996.”

“We launched this campaign to ensure that Asian American and Pacific Islander policy priorities and issues are included in immigration reform legislation and to promote a fair, vital, and sustainable immigration system for all,” said Reema Ahmad, campaigns & civic engagement manager at the Asian American Institute. “Today, we add our voices to the call for just and fair immigration reform.”

This online petition and campaign coincides with a comprehensive list of principles supported by approximately 80 AAPI national, state and local organizations throughout the nation that outline AAPI legislative priorities for immigration reform. The petition is hosted at http://bit.ly/apalc_ir and being promoted with the use of #18millionhearts on social media. The principles are accessible at: http://tinyurl.com/ImmigrationReform-AAPI.

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The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, is the nation’s largest Asian American legal and civil rights organization and serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year.  Founded in 1983, APALC advocates for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society.  Through direct legal services, impact litigation, policy analysis and advocacy, leadership development and capacity building, APALC seeks to serve the most vulnerable members of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities while also building a strong Asian American and NHPI voice for civil rights and social justice.

18MillionRising.org (18MR) promotes Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) civic engagement by leveraging the power of technology and social media. 18MR collaborates with a wide range of partners -- from community based organizations and print magazines to popular Asian American blogs and YouTube channels -- to create new, engaging, and effective ways to build power and community.

CONTACT: Betty Hung (bhung@apalc.org); Chris Punongbayan (chrisp@asianlawcaucus.org); C. M. Samala (samala@18millionrising.org)

Learn more about 18 Million Rising, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice by visiting their official websites.

18 Million Rising: http://18millionrising.org/
Asian Pacific American Legal Center: http://www.apalc.org/
Asian American Center for Advancing Justice: http://www.advancingjustice.org/