Asian asylum seekers imprisoned in Oregon federal facility

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Rep. Earl Blumenauer tears up telling about his visit to a facility housing asylum seekers.

ASAM NEWS

AN ORGANIZATION dedicated to serving Asian Pacific Americans in Oregon says East Indians and Chinese are among the 123 immigrants seeking asylum have been detained in Sheridan federal prison in the state’s Yamhill County.

The civil rights group APANO says the majority of these asylum seekers are South Asian who speak Hindi and Punjabi. A few more are Chinese. The Oregonian reports Rep. Earl Blumenauer was one of four from Oregon’s congressional delegation who has visited the detainees.

“This is a shameful hour in U.S. history,” said Blumenauer. “I don’t care what your stance on immigration is, no one should favor ripping children out of their parents’ arms ….”

Concerned citizens have put out a call for bilingual volunteers for language assistance.

Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants has been extended to asylum seekers. Many in this group identify as Sikh and Christian who are escaping religious prosecution from the Hindu majority, according to the Oregonian.

Aerial view of Sheridan Federal Correctional faciliy in Oregon.

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