Legislators, community react to Trump's proposed ban on immigration from the Philippines

GOP Presidential candiate Donald Trump stirred up a nest of hornets when he announced last week a plan to ban immigration from the Philippines because he perceived it to be a place where terrorists have taken root.

DONALD TRUMP's proposed ban on immigration from the Philippines continues to reverberate through the Asian/American community drawing sharp reactions from members of Congress and the Filipino/American community.

The following is reposted from the AAPI for Hillary website.

Several members of Congress issued the following statementsl:

Congressman Mike Honda (D-Silicon Valley):

Build a wall. Ban Muslims. Now: ban Filipinos. It’s another ignorant idea from the racist bully who claims he’ll make America great again. America is already gr…eat without your ideas.

During World War Two, Filipino soldiers answered President Roosevelt’s call to action, and fought bravely, and without hesitation, beside our U.S. servicemen, and under the U.S. flag. Clearly, this kind of bravery is inconceivable to this ignoramus. I’ve been fighting for decades for these Filipino veterans to get their due respect, to be reunited with their U.S. family members, and to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Their sacrifice and service, like everyone of our servicemen, must be revered, not renounced.

Our nation thrives on diversity, community and respect, not division, fear and intolerance. This hateful rhetoric is what led my family and I to be interned. It takes political courage to stand up to fear, and this latest idea exemplifies the ultimate political cowardice.

Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA):

Donald Trump has now expanded his bigoted attacks to include Asian Pacific Americans. Trump announced at a rally in Maine that he is increasing his ban on Muslims to include legal immigrants from “terrorist nations.” Some of the examples he cites include legal immigrants from the Philippines and Pakistan.

As an immigrant from the Asia Pacific region, I find Trump’s newly expanded proposal even more offensive. But it is more than just offensive, it is dangerous. Trump’s racist thinking—“there’s no way of vetting” legal immigrants—is exactly the thinking that caused one of the darkest periods in American history: the internment of over 100,000 Americans because they happened to be of Japanese descent. (And for the record, Trump has stated he might have supported the internment).

Trump’s expanded xenophobic proposal also weakens US national security. America is strong because of our diversity not in spite of it. Having served on active duty, I know that our military is the greatest in the world because we don’t care what color you are, who you love, or what religion you practice. We just care if you can do your duty to our nation with excellence.

Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims dishonored America. By now doubling down and expanding that proposal to include Asian Pacific Americans, Trump again shows that he is unfit to hold the highest office in our land. Trump should have apologized to Muslim Americans long ago. Now he needs to also apologize to Asian Pacific Americans.

RELATED: 

• Trump says he would limit immigration from the Philippines  
• Filipino American anger mounts vs. Trump 

Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam)

Today, I issued the following statement strongly condemning remarks by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump in which he renewed his call for a ban on Muslims entering the country and suggested imposing immigration restrictions on several countries, including the Philippines.

I strongly condemn the most recent reckless comments from Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. In a speech the other day in Maine, he renewed his call for a ban on Muslims and immigration restrictions from a number of countries across the globe, including the Philippines. His comment about banning immigration from the Philippines is reckless and yet another example of why he is not qualified to be our next President. He simply does not understand international relations, or basic facts, nor does he have the temperament to be President.

The Filipino community has made and continues to make contributions to our island and the United States, and serve honorably in the military. Moreover, the Philippines has been a strong partner in counterterrorism operations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. In fact, many experts have pointed to the joint US-Philippine counterterrorism efforts as a model for how to conduct other counterterrorism efforts worldwide. These comments could certainly undermine and jeopardize ongoing US-Philippines counterterrorism efforts. Apparently Presidential candidate Donald Trump wasn’t briefed, or didn’t care to learn, basic facts or any of these salient details. While I have criticized his comments in the past as not being consistent with our culture, these comments go too far. Filipinos are an integral part of our community, and I denounce these recent ridiculous comments. We cannot and we will not ban immigration from the Philippines, a long-time ally and important partner in combating global terrorism. It won’t make us safer and his proposal is simply un-American.

Sadly, Republican leaders on Guam remain silent on this issue. They have refused to denounce their Presidential candidate especially in light of his comments about the Philippines and the broader Filipino community. They should take the lead of other Republicans across the country like Rep. Richard Hanna of New York and Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado in denouncing Donald Trump or going so far as to support Hillary Clinton. I join Senator Nerissa Underwood and urge Guam Republicans to unendorsed Donald Trump and stand with our broader Guam community against these reckless comments.

Statements and reactions from Filipino Americans for Hillary National Leadership Council Leaders:

Rolando Lavarro, Council President, City of Jersey City

First, Donald Trump lied that there were thousands of Muslims dancing on rooftops in Jersey City on 9/11. He promises to build a wall to keep out Mexicans whom he referred to as criminals, drug dealers, and rapists. He wants to stop refugees yearning to breathe free from coming to our teeming shores. He tramples on the grave of Army Capt. Humayun Khan and insults the hero’s family when he calls for a ban on all Muslims. Now, he suggests we should ban immigration from the Philippines. There is simply no end to Trump’s inanities.

As the son of Filipino immigrants, and on behalf of my elders, my manongs and manangs, I am appalled by the outrageous comments of this racist bully. He disregards the countless contributions that Filipino Americans have made to the United States of America, particularly Filipino World War II veterans who fought and died bravely to preserve our freedom and American way of life. He ignores the families and loved ones of those veterans who are applying for citizenship via the current parole program. Once again, Trump puts an exclamation point on his ignorance as he disregards over a century of relations between the U.S. and the Philippines, a country that has been and continues to be one of our nation’s closest allies in that region.

Trump’s temperament and bigotry is not befitting of a President. These latest comments are an insult to the 17,000 Filipino Americans residing in Jersey City, 110,000 living in New Jersey, and over 2.6 million across the country. All good people should be outraged by Trump’s hateful and divisive rhetoric.

We should channel our outrage positively and reject Trump’s prejudiced and erratic way of governing when we vote for the next leader of the greatest nation in the world. On Tuesday, November 8, elect Hillary Clinton, a leader with a world view that appreciates diversity and knows we are stronger when we’re together.

Aries Dela Cruz, Filipino Americans for Hillary National Leadership Council – New York:

Donald Trump’s call for the United States to ban immigrants from the Philippines should disturb Filipino Americans and Asian Americans who are thinking of voting for him. His reckless statements do not embody our values as New Yorkers and as Americans, and shows our community that we must stand together to make sure that he does not become president. Filipinos, who make up the second largest Asian American population in this country, have always been in America, long before this nation was established. We contribute significantly to this country’s healthcare, military and education systems, among many other notable and historic accomplishments. While Donald Trump and the GOP attack Filipinos with divisive and harmful rhetoric, the Democratic Party has enshrined and honored us in their party’s platform with the inclusion of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong among the warriors for social and economic justice. Our choice in November could not be more clear: We need to elect Hillary Clinton to be our president and commander-in-chief.”

Margie Llorente Gonzales, Filipino Americans for Hillary National Leadership Council – Nevada

Trump blamed an intern for feeding him wrong info about the Philippines. It only proved even further that he does not know anything about the Philippines and Filipinos. He does not care about us at all. Attention, Fil-Am voters!

Kevin M. Acebo, Filipino Americans for Hillary National Leadership Council – California:

The Trump agenda reminds me what the great Pilipino American author, Carlos Bulosan, wrote about during the struggles of our Manongs in the agriculture fields my Golden State in the 1930’s: “I came to know that in many ways it was a crime to be Filipino in California…I feel like a criminal running away from a crime I did not commit. And this crime is that I am a Filipino in America.” What Trump is blind to see as Bulosan also writes: “America is also the nameless foreigner, the homeless refugee, the hungry boy begging for a job and the black body dangling on a tree. America is the illiterate immigrant who is ashamed that the world of books and intellectual opportunities are closed to him. We are all that nameless foreigner, that homeless refugee, that hungry boy, that illiterate immigrant and that lynched black body. All of us, from the first Adams to the last Filipino, native born or alien, educated or illiterate -We are America!

America, all of us, united for the common good are stronger together, like our Pilipino American families from the day we are born to the day we die, we, together, are able to face whatever comes out way, rising to the occasion. You see that’s the America I know…the America my great grandfather, grandfather and uncles who served our country to protect our freedom in WWI, WWII, the Korean conflict and Vietnam, the America that my parents who worked hard, played by the rules, built their house and sent five children to college never allowing us to forget where we came from serving as a foundation for the future, the America where my kids now see on TV people who look like them, sing like them, paint like them, dance like them, the America where our people are leaders in both labor and business, guardians of young minds of in elementary high school classrooms and healers in our hospital, the America where brilliant, beautiful Pilipino sisters and brothers are only an algorithm away from breathtaking new discoveries in science and technology, and the America a new generation Pilipino American’s committed to pubic service in Washington, D.C., fighting for decency, and the halls of state capitols, county and city governments.

We are stronger together towards a common good…like pamilya — and that my kababayans come November is how we defeat Trump.

CALL TO ACTION

California, Assemblymember Rob Bonta, has put a call to action to #BanTrump and share videos/pictures of our fellow kababayans with a sign that states: “#BawalSiTrump” on social media.

“Trump wants to ban Muslims, ban babies, and now ban Filipinos! Friends, how do YOU say 'Ban Trump'? ‪#BanTrump ‪#BawalSiTrump” – Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland)

E-mail (FilAmsforHillary@gmail.com) your video or tag them on Facebook or Twitter and they will re-post your video on their social media.

DNC: Day 3 - Diary of a Hillary vounteer; remembering Joe Montano

Volunteers at the AAPI Media Team pause for a moment of silence in memory of Joe Montana.

By Nick Lee
Reprinted from AsAm News

THE DEMOCRATIC National Convention (DNC) is a place where you wake up early to work, push it to your physical and intellectual limit all day and then stay up all night watching speeches, going to parties, or sometimes both. Every night you go to sleep late and wake up tired. It is exhausting, yet eye-opening all at once.

Though our team is close to twenty people, the work is close and collaborative. Each day, our irrepressibly cheerful leader Toby Chadhuri works hard to make sure that even though we all have a lot of work to do, we share a detail about our day, our night, or our personal lives. His motto is, “if you have to work with each other, you have to know one another.” He lives by this motto by taking the time to answer our questions no matter how big or small, a kindness rarely seen in any work space and least of all in the fast-paced world of politics.

This lesson has already proved to be incredibly valuable, particularly when we learned we lost a colleague that was supposed to work the Convention with us. Joe Montano, a veteran of many great campaigns and efforts to effect positive change in our society, passed away suddenly over the weekend. Though he had fought fiercely throughout his life for the Democrats, he had never experienced a Democratic National Convention before in his life. Philadelphia was set to be his first one.

RELATED: Diary of a Clinton Volunteer - Day 1,  

RELATED: Day 2 -Diary of a Clinton Volunteer - Message to Sanders supporters

Joe Montano

Though I was not close to Joe, he was one of the first people who truly welcomed me to DC. I met him at a networking event for AAPIs and he agreed to meet at a local restaurant. There he answered all the boring, silly questions that many recent college grads in DC have about getting a job, getting involved in politics, and how to move from an internship into full-time employment. Even though he was much older than me, he spoke with youthful enthusiasm about his work bringing people together on campaigns, moving from battleground state to battleground state to fight for the Democratic cause. Every now and then, there was a glimmer in his eyes that paired with his frequent grin showed the raw energy and passion that fueled his work.

Like many 22-year olds, I took this opportunity for granted and we fell out of touch until we reconnected volunteering for Hillary a few months ago. I remember he exclaimed to me as he rushed out the door to another event, “we need to get out there and do more than phone bank, we have to knock doors and meet people so she can win Virginia!”

RELATED: AAPI passionately participating at the DNC

RELATED: Asian Americans help shape Democratic Party platform

The news of Joe’s passing weighed heavily on all of the Media Team when we found out Monday morning. Just two weeks ago we had met at the DNC headquarters in DC and performed an exercise to get to know each other. The exercise consisted of writing down the ten lenses through which we see the world through on a piece of chart paper, and explaining why they were important to us. I learned that Joe grew up as a Navy brat, that he was very close with his siblings, and that he felt strongly about being a Virginian. These small details, no matter how insignificant in the moment mean so much to me now that I know he is gone.

Last night, Hillary made history. I rooted around the floor of the convention for half an hour looking for one of the few and precious signs passed around labeled “History” so I could cherish the moment. However, I do all this with the knowledge that history was only made because of the work of fighters like Joe. Individuals that rise to the challenge of creating the environment necessary to successfully nominate the first ever woman candidate of a major party for President of the United States. To know them is a gift, and to fight to complete their life’s work is a gift to their memory.

(Nick Lee of Chinese Americans for Hillary, will be sharing his thoughts all week with AsAmNews readers.)

DNC NOTEBOOK: AAPI participants passionately involve in the political process

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

REP. TULSI GABBARD (Hawaii) did get her moment at the Democratic National Convention when she nominated Sen. Bernie Sanders for President.

RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard thrust into the spotlight

Gibbered was vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and butted heads with chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who was forced to resign because of the hacked emails sealed by Wikileaks showed that she was not neutral during the primary campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Gabbard resigned her DNC position last February so that she could work on the Sanders campaign and was instrumental in making inroads in the AAPI community on behalf of her candidate.

TODAY, WEDNESDAY

Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Rep. Judy Chu (Calif.) , is is slated to speak Wednesday, iin the 4 p.m.-6 p.m. EST time period.

In addition, there are meetings, caucuses and networking among the AAPI in attendance in the morning.

HISTORY MAKING 
MAKING Hillary Clinton the presidential nominee was historic and that needs to be celebrated, no matter what your political persuasion.

Another historic event occurred that none of the mainstream media has covered. In the preamble of the Democratic Party's platform, Filipino/American labor organizer Larry Itliong got mentioned. Is this the first time an Asian/American was mentioned in any party's platform?

Written into the preamble:

"And we know that our nation’s long struggle with race is far from over. More than half a century after Rosa Parks sat and Dr. King marched and John Lewis bled, more than half a century after César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong organized, race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind. We must face that reality and we must fix it."

“There is no question that this platform is the most inclusive of the AAPI community in history,” said Christopher Kang, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans national director.

RELATED: GOP's new Southern Strategy with immigrants in the Willie Horton role

292 AAPI DELEGATES

Diversity was not the official theme during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, but one can't help but notice how many more people of color are in attendance in comparison to the Republican convention held last week.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign told Fusion that 292 of the 4,766 DNC delegates are Asian American; 2,887- or over half of this year’s delegates are women. African/American men and women account for 1,182 delegates (compared to 18 at the RNC) while 747 are Latinos and 633 are LGBTQ-identified people.

RELATED: Diary of a Clinton Volunteer - Day 1,  

RELATED: Day 2 -Diary of a Clinton Volunteer - Message to Sanders supporters

HEROIC SURVIVOR

IMA MATUL gave a moving presentation of her story of being lured from Indonesia with offers of a job but instead she became a victim of sex trafficking. She credited Hillary Clinton for making human trafficking an issue for the United States. She survived her ordeal and is now an advocated helping other victims of human trafficking.

RELATED: AAPI delegates, electeds, celebrities meet at the DNC

LOBBYING
MEMBERS of KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress have been in Philadelphia to advocate for “progressive solutions to issues affecting the community” before party organizations, leaders and elected officials attending the convention.

These issues include improving the lives of Filipino World War II veterans, comprehensive and humane immigration reform, affordable health care for all, access to high-quality education and protection of civil rights.

In May, KAYA endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president because of her “commitment to the Filipino American community, particularly in her support for equity for Filipino World War II veterans and comprehensive immigration reform,” the group’s press statement said.

“We believe that America can only be stronger together,” said Romeo Ymalay, KAYA national co-chair. “The future of our country will be much brighter if we treat each other with respect, ensure that we lift each other instead of tearing each other down, and give all Americans a seat at the table.”

 MEDIA

Elaine Quijano hosted a CBS segment at the Democratic National Convention.

IT WAS good to see Elaine Quijano given a spot on the CBS schedule. Prior to joining CBS, Quijano was a general assignment reporter for CNN, based in Washington, D.C. where she covered stories involving the White House, the Pentagon, and the Supreme Court. 

Back in 2006, she was CNN's White House correspondent during the George W. Bush administration. The Filipina/American journalist also worked for CNN Newsource, the network's affiliate service, and was part of the round-the-clock coverage of the September 11th terrorist attacks. She subsequently reported from Kuwait City in 2003 before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Before joining CNN, she was a general assignment reporter for WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida. She also worked as a reporter for WCIA-TV in Champaign, Illinois. 

Quijano has a degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

REPRESENTING

I LOVE the roll call vote during which each delegation gets a moment to brag about their state. One of my favorites was the 11-member delegation from the NortherN Marianas. They were decked out in flowered crowns and leis. Nine votes went to Sanders and two went to Clinton.

DNC: Day 2 of a Diary of a Clinton volunteer - A message to Sanders supporters

Actress Constance Wu of 'Fresh Off The Boat' spoke to the AAPI people at the Democratic National Convention.

By Nick Lee
Reprinted from AsAm News

AS A VOLUNTEER, I knew we would hit the ground running the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), but I was not entirely prepared for exactly how fast. We started work at 9 am and after a short meeting we headed straight downstairs to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus, essentially a rally for the AAPI Democrats in attendance at convention. Armed with an iPhone and the Periscope app, my job was to get as close as possible to the stage and livestream the event without my arm giving up on me. This gave me a front row view to the speakers and their messages to the AAPI community.

The best way to describe the atmosphere at the AAPI Caucus was one of excitement, excitement at the prospect of a new day for AAPI visibility in this election. For many of the local delegates and volunteers from around the country, seeing so many AAPIs in one room that are equally passionate about politics must have been an uncommon occurrence. Congresswoman Judy Chu’s favorite line that “we are going from being marginalized, to becoming the margin of victory,” was received with cheers and applause from the collection of delegates and supporters who gathered around.

RELATED: Diary of a Clinton Volunteer - Day 1

Congressman Mike Honda also delivered powerful remarks that celebrated how far the party and our community had come by speaking directly to AAPI historical experiences. He proclaimed, “If we had a [Democratic] party like we have today, I would have never been sent to [the internment] camp. If we had this Democratic Party back in the 1880s we would not have had the Chinese Exclusion Act. If we had parties like this, with our sentiment, Native Americans would have a better break, Native Hawaiians would have a better break.”

Nick Lee

Constance Wu also spoke out about the growing power of AAPI choice from her perspective as an actress on the hit sitcom Fresh Off The Boat . She attributed the rise of new shows prominently featuring Asian Americans as a product of increasing Asian American power. “This shows that Asian American voting and attention matter,” she explained. “They would have never picked up those other shows if our show hadn’t garnered a large audience that was really hungry for that content.”

Being in that room, surrounded by dozens of other AAPIs who were equally excited about a Democratic victory in 2016 helped lend credence to the theme of the Caucus: “Our Time Is Now”. There is a hunger in the AAPI political community to be legitimized in the eyes of the media, government, and larger political sphere. In the words of Congressman Ami Bera, “We’re a rising electorate. This is a coming of age election for the AAPI community. Let’s make 2016 our year.”

Later on that night, I received credentials to see some of the brightest superstars of the Democratic Party speak. Even though I have called DC home for two years and hardly blink when I see a Congressman, I was left mesmerized by the power that they brought to the arena. Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Michelle Obama all laid out powerful progressive visions of an inclusive society formed on tolerance, justice, and fairness; a vision that appealed to my liberal instincts and did not shy or back away from issues.

RELATED: AAPI delegates, guests & elected meet at the DNC

However, what spoke to me most powerfully from the evening was seeing a crying Bernie supporter on the Jumbotron, as her candidate spoke fervently about the need to support Hillary in November. In that moment, I saw myself in her eyes and realized how hard all of the Sanders supporters present must have worked to try and get their candidate the nomination, and also how incredibly disappointing it must be to never reach your highest ambition. I thought back to those late nights spent making phone calls to strangers and striving to get Hillary the nomination, and remembered that they must have done much of the same.

Even though I still strongly believe Hillary would be the best president, I sympathized with the Bernie camp and their struggle to try and enact their vision of progressive change in America. Today reinforced the notion that the goals and ambitions of a Clinton presidency are far more similar than they are different from Bernie’s. Bernie’s campaign slogan “A Future to Believe In” spoke to me, because I felt that last night was an important step in healing the differences of the past and uniting in a common goal. I am looking forward to working with Bernie supporters going into November, where we need their passion and hard work to ensure that there is a future that we can all believe in.(Nick Lee of Chinese Americans for Hillary will be sharing his thoughts all week with AsAmNews readers.)

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Candidates battle for Asian/American vote in California's primary

Hillary for America

Hillary Clinton his all the right buttons with her AAPI California supporters.

ASIAN/AMERICANS are used to being on the fringe, inconsequential, ignored or rendered invisible. It's not a position that we like -- it's just the way it is. That's why I named this blog "Views From the Edge."

What's exciting, though, is that we may be in the throes of a change that may alter the way the AAPI community is viewed by political insiders. Nowhere is the shift into the spotlight more evident than in the California primary, which is happening June 7 and will continue through the November elections.

On the eve of the California primary, polls show Hillary Clinton leading Democratic rival Bernie Sanders by a mere 2 percentage points - statistically, a dead heat. One poll shows Sanders ahead by one percentage point.

Donald Trump has his supporters among the AAPI community as well but a report from Asian Americans Advancing Justice found that most AAPI voters have moved from the "declined to state" category - a growing segment of the Asian/American voters - towards the Democrats during this presidential campaign because of the hateful anti-immigrant - and frankly, racist- rhetoric coming from Trump, the GOP's presumptive nominee.

RELATED: Hateful rhetoric drives AAPI voters to the Democrats

An April survey by the non-partisan Asian-American Pacific Islander DATA of all Democratic and Republican candidates found Clinton the first choice of 33 percent of likely Asian voters in California and Sanders second at 21 percent. 

RELATED: AAPI voters lean towards Democrats

"If Hillary Clinton barely wins California, the Asian/American community will be critical to that victory," said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor of politics at UC Riverside who helped oversee the poll.

California has the most Asian/Americans of any state in the country - a little over 6.1 milliion. AAPI make up between 12 to 15 percent of the electorate depending on which polls you're reading.

“With our growing numbers, our political influence correspondingly increases, but it is up to our community to show the political establishment that we can deliver at the ballot box,” California state treasurer John Chiang said in the statement sent to The Daily Caller.

Days before the primary, Hillary Clinton received the endorsements of two key Asian/American organizations: the fledgling AAPI Victory Fund and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Leadership PAC, the latter including representatives from California.

RELATED: AAPI Congress members support Clinton

In a press release, the AAPI Victory Fund announced its rejection of the xenophobia and anti-Muslim rhetoric embraced by the presumptive Republican nominee.

This is the Victory Fund’s first endorsement and it will ensure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters play a pivotal role in securing Secretary Clinton’s victory in the California presidential primary.

“We repudiate the racial, ethnic and religious prejudices espoused by the presumptive Republican nominee. By mobilizing the AAPI electorate across the state on June 7th, we will ensure Secretary’s Clinton victory in California,”  said Dilawar Syed, co-founder and vice chair of the AAPI Victory Fund.

AsAm News photo

Bernie Sanders answers questions from a panel in an AAPI gathering in Palo Alto, California.

The two latest endorsements join a growing list of AAPI political organizations – including CAPA21, America’s Opportunity Fund, and KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress – that have endorsed Hillary Clinton for President.

The issue of immigration seems to be the No. 1 issue pulling AAPI voters away from the edge of invisibility. There are more Asians immigrating to the U.S. than people coming from Latin America, including Mexico. Immigration and the birthrate will push the AAPI community past the African/American community by 2065. The number of eligible voters will double by 2040.

But the growing influence and prominence of AAPI can't wait another 20 years to gain attention of the political power brokers. Many AAPI organizations are busy registering their neighbors to vote to have an impact now - tomorrow (June 7) and in November.

Clinton's campaign began wooing the AAPI vote by attending the launch of AAPI for Hillary last year.  Besides the congressional representatives backing, the campaign locked up the endorsements of most of California's AAPI local elected officials while Sanders was focusing on the early primaries. The campaign launched PSA's in various Asian languages recognizing the diversity of the AAPI community.

RELATED: Clinton targeting AAPI voters

But the last two weeks, Sanders has been relentless in his campaigning in California showing that he too has AAPI support, especially among Millennials. He still draws huge passionate crowds -- from the Central Valley to the urban centers on the coast. He emphasizes his family's immigrant roots and his usual talking points -- free college, punish the 1 Percent -- are appealing to younger Asians.

Sanders aggressive campaigning might be working. A University of Southern California/Los Angeles Times poll released on June 3 showed Sanders with a one-percentage-point lead over Clinton in the state, 44 to 43 percent, a swing from March when Clinton held a nine-point edge.

“We (National Nurses United) are for Bernie because Bernie is for the real people, the 99 percent," said Zenei Cortez, a member of the National Nurses United union and a Bernie Sanders delegate for California Congressional District 14.  At the Palo Alto forum, she said, "Bernie shares the same values as the nurses. We are all about caring, compassion, and community, just like what Bernie is doing.”

Clinton supporters may be nervous at Sanders apparent success in siphoning of some of Clinton's  lead in minority communities. “If Clinton’s internal numbers were strong, she would likely spend more time interacting with donors and holding fewer, bigger rallies in preparation for the general election against Trump,” said Jennifer Walsh, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Azusa Pacific University.

“However, her efforts in recent days to connect with voters in much smaller, more rural areas suggest that she needs a large Democratic turnout next week,” said Walsh, “and is doing all that she can to rally voters.”

A Bill Clinton appearance in Los Angeles last month paid homage to Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. On Saturday (June 4), he visited Inglewood and Compton, both cities with majority-minority populations. Hillary Clinton campaigned in Oakland and East Los Angeles Sunday. The day before the primary, Hillary and Bill Clinton have nine events in northern and southern California in Long Beach, Hayward, Antioch, Richmond, Long Beach, all communities with heavy minority populations.

In addition, the Clinton campaign has held events at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles and Garden Grove, home to a large Vietnamese/American community.

Marcia Godwin, a professor of public administration at the University of La Verne, said Clinton “seems to be targeting communities that are both diverse and more working class, where there are large numbers of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters who vote more occasionally.”

Sanders, meanwhile, is depending on a series of free concerts to draw tens of thousands of people. He will culminate his California campaigning Monday (June 6) with a free concert expected to draw thousands to Chrissy Field in San Francisco.  Guests include Dave Matthews, Fantastic Negrito, Fish, Danny Glover and Dr. Cornel West. The concert is supposed to start around 3:30 p.m. RSVPs are strongly encouraged. 

RELATED: Celebrities urge AAPI voters to go to the polls

Besides the major political parties, a host of AAPI organizations - partisan and nonpartisan - are out in the streets registering AAPI voters. That voter drive will continue until the November elections.

"The 2016 election cycle will be the largest mobilization of AAPIs in civic engagement," wrote Christine Chen and Carolyn DeWitt in for NBC. Chen is the executive director of APIAVote and Carolyn DeWitt is COO of Rock the Vote. 

"An unprecedented number of AAPI organizations and community leaders are coming together to ensure we effectively register and engage AAPI voters. We look not to the distant future for this community to grow, but to today and tomorrow — AAPIs are taking action, are organizing, and are prepared for the now."

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Hawaii's voters join Washington & Alaska in feeling the 'Bern'

Sanders Campaign photo

Hawaii's Rep. Tulsi Gabbard campaigned for Bernie Sanders in her home state.

HAWAIIAN VOTERS went for Bernie Sanders in a big way last Saturday (March 26) as he won 70% of the vote in the Democratic Caucus, 

In a statement issued after the preliminary results showed a lopsided victory, Sanders said, “I want to thank the people of Hawaii for their strong support and for turning out in huge numbers for Saturday’s caucuses. Nobody should have any doubt that this campaign has extraordinary momentum and that we have a path toward victory. In state after state, our grassroots effort has taken on the entire political establishment.”

Although neither candidate campaigned in the island state, Sanders outspent Hillary Clinton almost 5 to 1 and it paid off, offsetting the endorsements Clinton received from establishment Democrats, including Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, Rep. K. Mark Takai, and a number of state legislators and former governors.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, however, endorsed Sanders after she left her post with the Democratic National Committee last month.

RELATED: Gabbard resigns from top Democratic post

“We need a commander in chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment and who understands the need for a robust foreign policy which defends the safety and security of the American people,” said Gabbard, a veteran. “And who will not waste precious lives and money on interventionist wars of regime change.”

That message went over well in a state that has a heavy military presence.

Hawaii, the bluest of blue states and the only state that has an AAPI majority of registered voters, followed pollsters predictions saying Asian/Americans tended to favor the Vermont senator. African/American and Latino/American voters tended to favor Clinton but in Hawaii, they represented a smaller portion of the Democratic electorate.

RELATED: AAPI voters lean towards Democrats, Sanders

Ernie Hong, 62, a retired clerical worker, said he thinks Clinton would do a better job negotiating and making peace with different factions in politics.

"I know she's not my perfect candidate that will represent everything that I would like, but she represents quite a few things that I do vote for in a candidate, which is experience, know-how, how to work with Congress, how to work with the system, and especially the ability to find common ground with our parties," Hong told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Aaron Toyama, 28,  showed up at Highlands Intermediate School in Pearl City to vote for Sanders because he supported Sanders' social policies. Toyama, a machinist and Pearl City resident, added that Sanders fights for the middle class.“He’s been for the people since he started in office.”

The win in Hawaii made it a perfect trifecta for Sanders, who also won handily in Washington and Alaska caucuses last Saturday. Generally speaking, Sanders has performed better than Clinton in the states having caucuses and Clinton doing better in primary states.

The trio of victories did little to dent Clinton's advantage in the delegate math as the former secretary of State now has 1,243 delegates compared to 975 for Sanders. Once superdelegates are taken into account, Clinton's lead grows to 1,712 to 1,004, according to the Associated Press.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Clinton campaign names new AAPI outreach director

(March 24, 2016)

THE CAMPAIGN for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced today  that it is appointing Jason Tengco to serve as its new Asian American Pacific Islander outreach director, the campaign said in a press release.

Jason Tengco

Tengco, who served as deputy director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, replaces Lisa Changadveja, who left the role last week to take on a position with the Democratic Party in Colorado. Changadveja became Clinton's AAPI outreach director in August.

 RELATED: Clinton's AAPI outreach director resigns

"Jason is passionate about engaging AAPIs in the political process, building a pipeline for youth empowerment, and ensuring that the AAPI community's diverse issues are heard and addressed," a said a statement from the Clinton campaign.

Tengco, whose parents are from the Philippines, served as the initiative's liaison in the White House Office of Public Engagement and managed the first-ever White House Summit on AAPIs. 

He has also worked for the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and was an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies fellow for U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA).

RELATED: GOP makes a push for AAPI voters 

News of Tengco's appointment comes a little more than two months after Clinton's campaign announced the formation of an AAPI leadership council, comprised of more than 150 elected officials and community leaders who will help Clinton organize support for her campaign in AAPI communities ahead of caucuses and primaries.

Members of the council include Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Gregorio Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands.

RELATED: AAPI voters help Clinton in Nevada

Both Democrats and Republicans have made great efforts in this year's presidential race to court AAPI voters, an electorate that by 2040 is expected to double, rising to 12.2 million, according to a 2015 report from the UCLA Center for the Study of Inequality and Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

AAPI voters could play a key role in upcoming primaries and caucuses in states with sizeable AAPI communities, including Washington, New York and California. Asian Americans make up 5.4 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census.

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