"RiseUp!" LGBT Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islanders Demand Immigrants Rights in National Week of Action
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance ( NQAPIA ) is launching "RiseUp!" a National Week of Action on Immigrants' Rights from April 12-18, 2015. NQAPIA will activate over a dozen LGBTQ Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islanders organizations around the nation to highlight the needs and demands of immigrants. Communities from New Orleans and Philadelphia to New York and San Francisco will host programs to:
- Promote the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program;
- Defend and demand implementation of President Obama's Immigration Executive
Actions which expanded DACA and created a new Deferred Action for Parental
Accountability ( DAPA ) but was halted by a federal judge in Texas;
- Increase awareness on the connections of immigration to the broader impact and need
to end racial and religious profiling; and
- End the detention of vulnerable communities including the LGBT communities
- End deportations under the Cambodian Repatriation Act and to all countries until the
U.S. implements human and civil rights for all communities.
Immigration enforcement has targeted so called "dangerous" or "terrorist" immigrants under the veil of profiling. Vulnerable LGBT communities have faced horrific circumstances in detention. Our communities, including Cambodian refugees, have faced on-going deportation to countries from which they took refuge. According to Glenn D. Magpantay, NQAPIA Executive Director, "LGBT AAPIs are rising up to demand an end to racial and religious profiling, detention of vulnerable communities and end deportations." During the Week of Action, NQAPIA will highlight the stories of LGBT people, such as:
- Maya Jafer, a transgender woman who was profiled and apprehended by TSA when
- Linda Khoy whose sister is a legal permanent resident and in deportation proceedings
to Cambodia for simply holding ecstasy pills as a teenager for her friends.
- Noel Bordador, a Christian Minister who was undocumented and benefited from the
last federal legalization program in 1986 and now serves people with AIDS/HIV.
- Tony Choi, a young person who participated in DACA and is now an LGBT activist.
Their stories, and others can be found at NQAPIA's website, at http://www.nqapia.org/wpp/programs-campaigns/uncovering-our-stories/
Press conferences will be held in :
New Orleans, Louisiana : Tuesday, April 14, VAYLA is hosting a press conference at the Federal Courthouse to protest Gov. Jindal's support of the lawsuit to stop Obama's Immigration Executive Actions.
New York City, NY Thursday APRIL16, NQAPIA is hosting a press conference at the
Federal Court of Appeals to protest racial and religious profiling, detention, and the
Texas lawsuit challenging Executive Action.
Across the nation, NQAPIA members and partners will Rise Up for immigrant rights in:
California
- San Francisco: API Equality-Northern California is hosting Story Corp recordings of LGBT AAPI immigrants.
- San Francisco: Trikone is hosting a conversation on immigration including the sharing of stories from the APIE-NC Story Corp recording.
- Los Angeles: Satrang is hosting a speaker on DACA/DAPA at their annual Kadai.
Georgia ( Atlanta )
- NQAPIA with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is hosting a conversation on the immigration movement and current state of queer activism in The South.
Illinois ( Chicago )
- I2I's educational forum will review immigration changes since Executive Action.
- Trikone is hosting a conversation on colorism and immigration.
Louisiana ( New Orleans )
- YouthQuest at VAYLA is hosting a two-day workshop. Day 1 will help young people understand immigration issues and deportation policies with story circles. Day 2 will connect their personal experiences to immigration and deportation.
Massachusetts ( Boston )
- QAPA is screening the movie "Documented" with an educational panel at MIT.
Pennsylvania ( Philadelphia )
- HotPot!, NQAPIA and 1LoveMovement is screening "Documented" with a educational panel at LeeWay Foundation where the exhibit "Release" featuring art from those incarcerated will connect immigration to issues criminal justice.
Rhode Island ( Providence )
- PrYSM is hosting a conversation with Southeast Asian Youth on the effects of deportation.
Washington D.C.
- AQUA, Khush, APIQ Sisters, Gabriela USA and NQAPIA are hosting two phone banks to build awareness on DACA/DAPA.
Wisconsin ( Madison )
- AAPIs for Black Lives Matter are hosting a discussion on colorism and immigration to support trainings for their local campaigns.
Pabitra Benjamin, NQAPIA Organizing Director, said "Now is a critical time. Congress' actions have only hurt immigrant families and the President's actions have been delayed while communities continue to be targeted under harsh enforcement. NQAPIA is working with our members around the country to continue fighting for relief while we protect the most vulnerable of our communities from racial and religious profiling, detention and deportations."
