Tag Archives: Petition

Advocating for a Pathway to Citizenship for All

Sign the petition: Vice President Kamala Harris and Congressional Democrats can and must provide a pathway to citizenship immediately – We won’t take no for an answer. This is the year we will win citizenship for millions. Sign the petition: Vice President Kamala Harris and Congressional Democrats can and must provide a pathway to citizenship immediately.

Adhikaar along with Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) releases the following statement urging the Senate to disregard the Parliamentarian and provide green cards to millions. “This third rejection by the Parliamentarian clearly shows that she has no intention of approving any form of immigration relief to be included in the Build Back Better Act, despite very clear and significant budgetary impact. Senators must not allow a non-elected Senate staffer to subvert the will of the people via a purely advisory opinion. Senators must fulfill their duties to our communities and legislate what is right.  The only way to do this is by including permanent residency in the Build Back Better Act.” Read their full statement here:

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) Joint Statement: Southeast Asian Americans Unite in Solidarity and Demand Justice for Soobleej Kaub Hawj

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) has issued a joint statement to demand justice for the murder of Soobleej Kaub Hawj on June 28, 2021, at the hands of officers while fleeing the Lava Fire in California. Moreover, we demand that Siskiyou County officials and the Board of Supervisors end their discriminatory water ordinance and invest in resources to build meaningful relationships with Hmong and SEA communities. Read the full joint statement that was signed by 11 community partners and TAKE ACTION!

Demand That President Biden and DHS Lift Sanctions on Laos and Cambodia

Learn more and sign here: http://bit.ly/2021VisaSanctionsPetition

“In order to #StopAsianHate, we have to hold to account the way the government enacts anti-Asian violence through deportation. Anti-Asian violence isn’t just between individuals, it’s ingrained in how our country is governed. #seafreedom #stopseadeportation.”

Join the Coalition of Asian American Leaders and their partners with the Southeast Asian Deportation Defense Network (SEADDN) in calling for urgent action to end the deportation of Southeast Asian families by signing this petition demanding that visa sanctions against Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos be removed. Sign this petition to demand that President Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas lift all visa sanctions:

There is currently one immigration ban still in effect from the Trump Administration – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) visa sanctions against Laos that prevent all forms of immigration to the United States from that country. The DHS sanctions keep war torn families apart and perpetuate violence against refugees and immigrants. Between 2016 and 2019, DHS placed visa sanctions on Laos, Cambodia, Eritrea, and Burundi, and other primarily Southeast Asian and African countries because they refused to bow to pressure from the Trump Administration to fully accept deportations.

Over 2,000 Southeast Asian refugees have been deported from the United States since 1998. After Donald Trump’s election, deportations of Southeast Asians drastically increased, with Cambodian removals seeing a 279% increase between 2017 and 2018. The removals are the direct result of visa sanctions placed on these countries by the Department of Homeland Security. Despite the change in presidency, these harmful sanctions are still being implemented by the State Department on the behest of DHS. This has devastated communities who have survived U.S. backed wars, violence, and genocide and face poverty, incarceration, and now, deportation while living in this country.

Despite public requests for the Biden Administration to lift the sanctions, they remain in place. These Trump era bullying tactics and efforts to deport refugees and immigrants  must be stopped, and President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas must not continue to implement Trumpian policies that perpetuate violence against our communities.

Join us and demand President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas lift all DHS visa sanctions, end harm against refugees and immigrants through these sanctions, and allow Laotian families to reunite. Sign the petition today and demand an end to this injustice.

 

ADHIKAAR – Sign This Petition: Redesignate Nepal for Temporary Protected Status!

READ AND SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Adhikaar – Nepal remains unsafe for return due to the continuing effects of the 2015 earthquake along with the current impacts of COVID-19 and recent flooding. There are approximately 10,160 Nepali TPS holders, but currently, TPS only applies to those who have been in the United States until June 24, 2015.

This is why we request for redesignation of TPS for Nepal. The Department of Homeland Security must redesignate Nepal, which could allow anyone who has fled conditions back home in Nepal and come to the United States until now, to apply for TPS (meaning 36,795+ additional people could be eligible for TPS if we win redesignation).

Not only is Nepal unsafe for return due to the continuing effects of a devastating earthquake, the ongoing political instability, and catastrophic flooding in 2017 have widened the cracks in Nepal’s infrastructure, leaving the country vulnerable to economic, political, and societal shocks.

After nearly 10 years of political turmoil after the overthrow of absolute monarchy, Nepal had finally managed to adopt a new constitution in 2015; however, Nepal has seen four different governments in the six years since then, and the instability continues – just on July 12, 2021, the Supreme Court of Nepal has ordered the reinstatement of the parliament and the change of government after months of infighting between various political parties.

Just this May, while some countries were on their way to COVID-19 recovery, Nepal hit its peak infection rate. The lack of health resources like beds and oxygen tanks has further exacerbated the issue. Health officials reported an incredible daily positivity rate of 50 percent, with infections rising from 150 people per day to over 9,300 per day in one month. Additionally, more recent flooding extreme monsoon rains and landslides across the country have displaced entire communities.

Redesignation would not just benefit TPS holders, it would also benefit U.S. citizens and the United States as a whole. Extending TPS to thousands of Nepalis also protects thousands of U.S.-citizen children of Nepali TPS holders and prevents family separation. Current Nepali TPS holders have worked on the frontlines during the pandemic as doctors, nurses, health aides, grocery store clerks, restaurant workers, and package delivery personnel, keeping our country running, safe and healthy.

The humanitarian crisis in Nepal persists, and there is no possibility for these hardworking, essential Nepali immigrants to safely return at this time. Nepal is in no condition to receive the return of over 36,000 Nepalis and their families living in the United States. DHS Secretary Mayorkas must redesignate Nepal for TPS and extend vital humanitarian protection to those who need it.

In addition to Nepal, we encourage DHS to conduct a review for redesignation of all other countries currently with TPS protections.

 

Organizing to Protect Immigrants, Refugees, and TPS Holders

Our network partners have been advocating for immigrant and refugee rights and protections as they call for pathways for citizenship, organize against ICE, defend asylum, advocate to end deportations and incarceration in our communities, and work to free our community members from immigration jails, prisons, and detention facilities. Here are some of the most recent campaigns that you can take part in to protect our communities from these incidents of anti-Asian violence. 

Adhikaar has previously called upon Congress to act now to protect Nepali TPS holders and affirm immigrants by creating a concrete pathway to citizenship and permanent residency through legislation. Adhikaar is launching a TPS redesignation campaign and needs your help! Nepal remains unsafe for return due to the continuing effects of the 2015 earthquake, ongoing and recent political instability, and the current impacts of COVID-19. This is why we are launching our campaign to urge the Department of Homeland Security to redesignate Nepal for TPS, which could allow for 35k+ additional Nepalis to become eligible for TPS. Watch this video to understand why redesignation is so important and what you can do. Take action today by signing the petition to call Secretary Mayorkas to redesignate Nepal for TPS! 

Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) – “In order to #StopAsianHate, we have to hold to account the way the government enacts anti-Asian violence through deportation. Anti-Asian violence isn’t just between individuals, it’s ingrained in how our country is governed. #seafreedom #stopseadeportation.” Join the Coalition of Asian American Leaders and their partners with the Southeast Asian Deportation Defense Network (SEADDN) in calling for urgent action to end the deportation of Southeast Asian families by signing this petition demanding that visa sanctions against Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos be removed. Sign this petition to demand that President Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas lift all visa sanctions. 

Freedom Inc – Deportation impacts the whole family and community. Freedom, Inc has been fighting against the deportation of Southeast Asians for the last 20 years and has been centering the voices of women, children, and those who identify as LGBTQI+. Southeast Asian Freedom Network – SEAFN has worked to lift up the stories of community members who were targeted unjustly by the immigration legal system. Detention and deportation is anti-Asian violence. The Southeast Asian immigrants facing deportation have families, communities, lives ahead of them. They do not deserve to have their lives upended by an unjust immigration system. Join these organizations and pledge to support the end of Southeast Asian Deportation: http://bit.ly/seafreedom. You can also share their toolkit: https://bit.ly/seafreedomtoolkit. We cannot stop until deportations are ended entirely for Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees.

 

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SEAFN: Tell VICE and Matt Loughrey to STOP

These are our demands for VICE News, Loughrey, and McPhail:

  • Matt Loughrey must immediately stop this project, discontinue all plans to exhibit them, and remove all images from digital media.
  • Matt Loughrey and his business must give all proceeds and profits made from the photos to historical preservation efforts in Cambodia like the Tuol Sleng Museum, the Document Center of Cambodia, and the Bophana Center.
  • VICE News must not only take down the article, but issue an apology to the public and to the Cambodian people.
  • VICE News must work with community organizations to publish a series of articles and videos about issues directly impacting our communities – such as Southeast Asian deportations and detentions, all the ways our communities are building community and power in our healing, and more.

We request a meeting with the editors of VICE to address more of our concerns.

Sign on to this petition to demand VICE News, Loughrey and McPhail end their anti-Asian violence now.

“No one gets to tell us we are human. We were human before you waged war on our countries. We don’t need white supremacy to humanize us, we need them to hold their governments accountable for their atrocities in Southeast Asia and many other countries around the world. We continue to be displaced, we continue to be separated by deportation. They don’t get to kill us and then re-traumatize us over and over again. This is anti Asian violence and it is cruel. And this stops now.” – Chhaya Chhoum, SEAFN co-founder and Mekong NYC director.