Looming battles: Immigration and affirmative action

Family reunification is a priority for immigrants from Asia.

(UPDATED: Aug. 3, 10:15 a.m. to include comments from AAAJ.)

DON'T PUT away your anti-Trump posters yet. Don't erase the email addresses and hashtags of your Congressional representatives. Don't put away your pink pussy hats. You'll need them for the upcoming battles on immigration and affirmative action.

We barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief at thwarting the GOP attempts to kill the Affordable Care Act when the Donald Trump administration threw more incendiary fuel on the fire.

In the last two days, Trump has set its sights on affirmative action and immigration, two volatile issues that have the potential to divide The Resistance along racial and ethnic lines and at the same time shore up Trump's support among the alt-right and the disaffected whites who flocked to his message of the poor white victim under attack by people of color.

Cutting immigration in half

"This proposal to slash our current legal immigration system by 50% and to create a bureaucratic ‘points’ system will disproportionately impact the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community," said Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

Under the RAISE act preference would be given to highly skilled and English-speaking people who want to immigrate to the U.S. The authors, Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia, won't admit this but clearly the policies are aimed at slowing immigration from Latin America but also affecting most immigrants coming from 
Asia, especially China, which has had the highest immigration rate in the last five years.

The policy "discriminates against immigrants who do not have access to high quality education or English language skills," said the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans.
I suspect that the policy is also intended to give an advantage to immigrants from the English-speaking countries of Australia, Canada and Great Britain. However, I wonder if the authors unwittingly gave an edge to immigrants coming from South Asia and the Philippines, which coincidentally, also provides a great number of workers in the health and high-tech industries.

In the last few years, the immigration rates from South Asian and the Philippines (along with China and other Asian countries) have surpassed the immigration rates from Latin America and Mexico.

One need only look at the past five years to see how this trend is taking form. According to a study by PEW, of immigrants who've been in the United States for no more than five years, more have come from Asia (2.5 million) than from Central and South America (1.7 million).

Although AAPIs comprise 6 percent of the total U.S. population, they account for over 40 percent of the 4.3 million individuals languishing in our current family immigration visa backlogs, often waiting decades to reunite with their loved ones.

In the last few years, the immigration rates from South Asian and the Philippines (along with China and other Asian countries) have surpassed the immigration rates from Latin America and Mexico.

One need only look at the past five years to see how this trend is taking form. According to a study by PEW, pf immigrants who've been in the United States for no more than five years, more have come from Asia (2.5 million) than from Central and South America (1.7 million).

By giving preference to needed job skills, the proposal would shift away from the emphasis on family reunification under the current system. Trump is selling this proposal based on his false assumption that non-English speakers are taking low-skill jobs away from poor Americans which will further alienate immigrants from Trump backers.


The vast majority of Asian immigrants have come to the U.S. through the family-based 
immigration system, and many Asian immigrants that come on employment-based visas also use the family-based system to reunite with family members.

"Our immigration system should continue to value families," said the Asian Americans Advancing Justice in a statement. "Instead, the RAISE Act proposes to decimate the family-based immigration system, keeping families separated and preventing immigrant communities from taking root.

"The RAISE Act is part of a larger strategy to scapegoat immigrants and further marginalize people of color. Contrary to the xenophobic and misguided stereotypes that belie the RAISE Act, immigrants contribute immensely to our economy, create jobs for all Americans, and increase safety in our communities," concluded the statement. 

One of the goals of affirmative action is to provide a diverse environment on campus

On affirmative action, Asian Americans used as a wedge 

The other proposal that is going under the radar (because of all the hoopla around Russia) 
is the quiet and almost 180-degree shift taking place in the Department of Justice taking aim at affirmative action policies employed by schools and work places.

Reports from the New York Times, uncovered a memo circulated in the DOJ asking for lawyers who would like to work on the new initiative that would explore discrimination against whites in college admissions.

The document uses not-so-specific language, saying the new project will focus on “intentional race-based discrimination,” which obscures the magnitude of the shift involved and the impact it would have on the beneficiaries of affirmative action, many of whom are 
students of color.

The Justice Department said the stories were much ado about nothing, saying a job posting “sought volunteers to investigate one administrative complaint filed by a coalition of 64 Asian/American associations in May 2015 that the prior Administration left unresolved.” A spokeswoman added, “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting all Americans from all forms of illegal race-based discrimination.”

The case being referred to is a complaint against some Ivy League colleges filed by  relatively new Asian American immigrants and groups formed after affirmative action became a policy in an effort to open the doors to underrepresented minorities. Some of the groups have aligned with conservative organizations that have filed lawsuits claiming reverse discrimination.

The majority of Asian/Americans and established AAPI civil rights organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League and the Organization of Chinese Americans support affirmative action. 

RELATED:

• A closer look at Asian Americans' complaint vs. Ivy League
• Asian American applicants to Harvard fight to keep affirmative action

“The announcement today that [the Justice Department] is now actively seeking to challenge efforts that colleges and universities have undertaken to expand educational opportunity is an affront to our values as a country and the very mission of the Civil Rights Division,” Vanita Gupta, the former head of the division under Barack Obama and president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement.

The memo was circulated among lawyers in the Civil Rights Division once headed by Gupta. According to the Washington Post, those career employees, experts in education, “refused to work on the project out of concerns it was contrary to the office’s long-running approach to civil rights in education opportunities.”

Like the RAISE act, this move against affirmative action, is red meat for Trump's base. According to polls taken after the election, a majority of Trump's white supporters felt that they were victims of discrimination.

Both issues will will be major tests for The Resistance because immigration and affirmative action affect people of color, will the white protestors who marched and attended town halls, join in the fight against these policies? Will white women and environmentalists march and protest as vigorously for affirmative action and against the RAISE act as they have since Trump's inauguration?

The issues could also separate immigrant communities of Asians and Latinos from the African/American community, natural allies on other issues. In particular, Asian/Americans and the model minority myth can be used as a wedge to build resentment against AAPI people by Latinos and African/Americans seeking greater admission rates to college.

By raising affirmative action and immigration at this time, the Trump and his people may be hoping to counter the negative news surrounding this administration, which hasn't passed a major piece of legislation in the seven months it has been in power.

In a statement, the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a coalition of five legal aid agencies, warned against Trump's and the Republican's strategy of divide and conquer:

"Since the new administration has been in office, it has been moving very deliberately to operationalize its nativist agenda with policies like this one. Instead of attacking affirmative action programs, the Trump administration should use its platform to increase opportunities for all students while continuing to address the persistent equity gaps for low-income students and students of color. We support affirmative action and refuse to allow Asian Americans to be used as a wedge between communities of color.”

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TGIF FEATURE: Remembering the Chinese Exclusion Act is more important today than ever

Rally for Inclusion planned in San Francisco's Chinatown

By Louis Chan
ASAM NEWS

135 years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a rally will be held this Saturday in the heart of San Francisco Chinatown to say no more exclusion.

A coalition of community groups and activists has organized a Rally for Inclusion fearing what happened 135 years ago is being repeated against Muslims and immigrants today.

“On the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, those of us who know too well the tragic consequences of Exclusion must stand in defense and solidarity with Muslims, immigrants, and refugees who are being targeted today,” said author and historian Judy Yung to AsAmNews. “Excluding immigrants on the basis of race, national origin, or religion was wrong then and it’s wrong now.”

The Exclusion Act was the first law in the country to ban immigration on the basis of race. It was extended numerous times and not officially rescinded until 1943, 61 years after it was first passed. By then, the country’s xenophobia had switched from the Chinese to the Japanese.

Some 45 diverse groups are sponsoring the event ranging from the Chinatown YMCA and Wu Yee Children’s Services to Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Organization of Chinese Americans. More than a dozen individual activists, religious leaders and educators are also listed as sponsors.

The executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center and Parish Associate for the Presbyterian Church explained. “Learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act has helped me to better understand what my parents went through in their lives. I often wondered why my father hardly ever talked about Angel Island (that he had to go through)and the discrimination he face during the time of the Exclusion Act. More importantly, it should remind us to stand up and speak out when other immigrant communities begin to face what we have faced.”

The group is sponsoring a resolution calling on the city of San Francisco and other cities throughout the country to join them in marking the passage of the anniversary and drawing parallels between what happened in 1882 and what is happening today.

“(President) Trump has used false assumptions and public prejudices to pander to his support base and to justify his anti-immigration policies,” said Yung. “Chinese laborers were stereotyped as coolies, heathens, criminals, and unassimilable aliens. Trump claims that all Muslims are potential terrorists and all undocumented immigrants are “bad hombres” and criminals—justifying his call for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country and increased border enforcement to stop, detain, and deport all unauthorized immigrants.”

Resist Exclusion! was produced to help publicize the May 6, 2017 Rally for Inclusion to be held in Portsmouth Square, San Francisco Chinatown from 12 pm to 1:30 pm. Details about the rally and how to join our effort can be found at www.nomorexclusion.org.

Yung said that the President’s proposed ban on refugees from entering the country based on security concerns is unnecessary because extreme vetting already occurs.

Syrian refugees, according to USA Today, wait an average of 18 to 24 months before being approved for entry. They are screened by the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Further background checks are conducted before they can be granted a green card and later become naturalized U.S. citizens.

“My home church, where I serve as a Parish Associate, our church opened up the first medical clinic because the Chinese were excluded from entering hospitals, schools, jobs… Without remembering, we will forget about our core values of human compassion and social justice. So speak out everyone,” urged Fong.

“As a people who know too well the tragic consequences of Exclusion, Chinese Americans must stick their necks out on behalf of Muslims, immigrants, and refugees who are being targeted today,” added Yung. “As a country that has benefitted greatly from the contributions of immigrants, it is the responsibility of all Americans to help fulfill the promise of our Constitution for a more perfect union.”

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AAPI organizations rise up, uniting for May 1 march

Demonstrators against Trump policies marched in March

IN A WAY, Donald Trump was right when he said he would unite the country. In his first 100 days in office, opposition to his policies and his attempt to turn back the clock when power and influence in America was totally Euro-centric and opposed to science, education and the Golden Rule.

On May 1, in commemoration of May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, a consortiium of AAPI organizations of will gather an Asian American and Pacific Islander contingent in Washington DC to take in part in the International Workers Day march and rally.

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), and National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) are joining together to demand justice for immigrants, refugees, and Muslims; to protect the right to collectively bargain and organize a union; to fight against mass deportations, a Muslim ban, and the criminalization of people of color; and to defend the Earth and its resources. 

APALA Executive Director Gregory A. Cendana stated: “We are keeping true on our commitment to resisting, organizing, and fighting back. Just in the past 100 days of the administration, attacks on our communities have instilled fear and anxiety to new levels, and we refuse to make this racist and xenophobic agenda the new norm for our country." 

Organizers are asking AAPI participants will gather at McPherson Square at 2 p.m. 

A short program will include leaders who will speak on the contributions of AAPI working people and the important role AAPI communities have in fighting for a better world for all working families. At the conclusion of the program, event participants will march together to the White House to join the thousands of working people at the #RiseUP March & Rally to oppose the hateful rhetoric, policies and actions of the current administration.

 “The movement for reproductive justice is stronger and more powerful when we acknowledge and elevate how our different identities shape the rights and agency of AAPIs and all workers," said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF Interim Executive Director. "We are committed to a social and political transformation that ensures gender and racial equality each member of the AAPI community and other communities of color—and that means resisting anti-immigrant policies and economic inequity.”

Join APALA, NAPAWF, and NAKASEC to show the world that we will not be afraid to rise in solidarity with working people across the globe! Join us and tell the world that we are #NotYourModelMinority. RSVP before or join us on May 1. 

WHAT:          May Day/International Workers’ Day AAPI Contingent Meet Up

              

WHO:           The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO

                     The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)          

                     The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

WHEN:          May 1, 2017, 2:00-3:00PM

WHERE:       McPherson Square, 15^th St. NW & K St. NW 
                     (for an event near you, click here.)

RSVP:             bit.ly/AAPIMayDayRSVP

ALL DAY — Beyond The Moment: May Day – National Day Of Action
Beyond the Moment: Uniting Movements from April 4th to May Day (BTM) is a national campaign intended to expand and strengthen multi-racial, multi-sector and local long-term organizing capacity around the fight for justice, freedom and the right to live fully, with dignity and respect for all people. From small vigils to mass mobilizations we will take collective and cross-movement. Our aim is to build a mighty movement of all people dedicated to freedom. That means we don’t deny our differences, we embrace them and build a movement bold, broad and big enough to include our many realities. Join Beyond The Moment. Find a May Day Action in your city at: Click here to learn more

ALL DAY — National Day of Action for Immigrants
On May 1st, immigrants and allies all over the country will rise up in resistance to demonstrate the power, resilience and strength of immigrants in America. On May 1st in cities, towns and communities across the country immigrant leaders of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) will Rise Up! in resistance to demonstrate the power, resilience and strength of immigrant communities in America. 

They will partner with organizations to lead marches, rallies, protests and town halls that resist Trump’s deportation machine, oppose the current administration’s scapegoating of immigrant communities and build a united front to support a vibrant and diverse future for our country. 

The #RiseUP movement is growing by the hour, 42 organizations with the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) will be leading in cities with marches, rallies, and community events to shut down the hate in our communities! Find a May Day Action in your city at: Click here to learn more

ALL DAY — A Day Without ImmigrantsOn May 1st, we will not go to work, we will not go to school and we will not buy. We are going to make it clear that this country cannot function without immigrants. This is only the beginning of our fight toward permanent protection, dignity and respect. Find a May Day Action in your city at: Click here to learn more

"This fight is a shared struggle uniting our diverse AAPI community and people of color more broadly to the struggles of all working people and families in the United States and across the globe. Sustainable jobs with fair wages; access to healthcare; living and working in places with dignity and free from fear, discrimination, or criminalization – these are the basic tenets driving us together.” said Cendana

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This May, we celebrate ... and resist

ASIAN American Pacific Islander Heritage Month will have a more serious tenor this year.

May is traditionally a month we take time to learn and celebrate our history and heritage, try out some of the old family recipies, young people learn the traditional dances and songs, but this year there is a sense of urgency that had been missing from previous observances of AAPI Heritage Month.

A website has been created to help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to express their opposition to the direction the country is moving. it was created by #AAPIsResist. 

#AAPIsResist is a coalition of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) national, local, and student organizations committed to strengthening our organizing and advocacy in resistance to the administration’s hateful, discriminatory, and harmful actions and its broader effects on our communities.

"During this year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) in May, we are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) resistance, both past and present, in order to strengthen our commitment to achieving broader racial, environmental, economic, and social justice," states the website with suggestions and "how-to" advice on how to take your resistance to the next level.

From the incarceration of Japanese/Americans to the deportations of Southeast Asians to the uptick of hate violence against Muslim and perceived-to-be Muslim communities, we center APAHM as an important political moment to reflect on our communities’ ongoing resistance.

Much of the rise in hate incidents parallels the rise in white nationalism emboldened by the new administration in Washington which wants to turn back the clock on the progress made since the Franklin Roosvelt presidency. That includes discarding environmental protections, equal rights for communities of color, women and the LGBTQ issues and, some say, attacks to come on social security and Medicare.

"We are calling on AAPI organizations and individuals to take part in the #AAPIsResist Month of Action throughout APAHM to show that we are not afraid to stand up and speak out and that AAPIs are #NotYourModelMinority."