Obama makes it more difficult for Trump's proposed Muslim registry

Protestors voiced their opposition to Donald Trump's proposal for a Muslim registry.

By Louis Chan
ASAM NEWS

ASIAN/AMERICANS are praising a move by President Obama that would make it more difficult for President-elect Trump to set up a Muslim registry.

“We stand ready to oppose any policies that target or profile AMEMSA (Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian) communities, which the new Administration may put in place, said Elica Vafaie, Staff Attorney, National Security and Civil Rights, Asian Americans Advancing Justice. 

“Regardless of how such policies are packaged, their discriminatory anti-Muslim intent has been well-established by the President-elect’s campaign rhetoric, that was intended to undermine our bedrock Constitutional commitment to religious pluralism and divide us as a nation.”

President Obama has ordered the dismantling of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration Systems (NSEERS) program beginning today. The program was set up after 9/11 as a way to keep track of travelers to and from mostly Muslim countries. President Obama discontinued the program in 2011 arguing it failed to snag a single terrorist. The framework for the program, however, remained in place.

By taking it apart, President Obama is forcing Trump to begin the entire lengthy rule making process all over again. Congress would have to have hearings and debates on the issue during which the stakeholders could air their views.

“I am incredibly relieved that President Obama has taken this step to dismantle NSEERS and make a Muslim registry that much harder to implement,” said Rep Judy Chu (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. This is a program that was deemed so flawed that it was ultimately canceled for isolating the Muslim community while failing to make our country more secure. It should not remain on our books.”

Many Asian Americans have expressed fears a Muslim Registry is a step towards opening up incarceration camps similar to those that imprisoned Japanese Americans during World War II. President-elect Trump made such a registry a cornerstone of his campaign.

###

President Obama becomes first President to light diya for Diwali

President Obama lights the die in the Oval Office with some White House staff.

By Louis Chan
REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA on Sunday (Oct. 30) became the first president ever to light a diya in the Oval Office.

The President joined Indian/American staff members in the White House for a small celebration.

“I wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness on this Diwali,” said the President in a message sent out on social media.

The post and picture generated 4,400 comments, 209,000 likes and 48,000 shares on Facebook.

Sreejith Vignesh wrote “Not sure the other U.S. presidents will honor us like this. On behalf of each and every Indian, I record here my sincere thanks.”

Nisha Graves said, “As an Indian-born American, I am truly honored! Thank you for acknowledging Diwali - you are a class act! Thank you for acknowledging diversity! Happy Diwali to you!”

Nana Thompson said “This is who we are, Americans! Respect and honor diversity, embrace the good in all faiths, all cultures, and shine the light!”

Obama became the first President ever to celebrate Diwali in 2009, but did not light a diya.

“We recognize that this holiday rejoices in the triumph of good over evil and knowledge over ignorance,” wrote the President in his Facebook post. 

“It also speaks to a broader truth about our shared American experience. It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we see beyond the differences that too often divide us. It’s a reflection of the hopes and dreams that bind us together. And it’s a time to renew our collective obligation to deepen those bonds, to stand in each other’s shoes and see the world through each other’s eyes, and to embrace each other as brothers and sisters – and as fellow Americans.”

###

Burma is the largest source of refugees to the U.S.

Burmese emissary Aung San Suu Kyi met with President Obama last week.

NEARLY HALF of all refugees entering the U.S. are Muslim, according to a Pew report.

With most of the media attention and campaign rhetoric focused on the refugees coming from war-torn Syria, the country that actually sending the greatest number of refugees to the United States is going unnoticed.

The Obama administration has informed Congress it wants to increase the number of refugees accepted to the U.S. next year from 85,000 to 110,000.

But it's not Syria, or Iraq or the gang violence-ridden country of Guatemala, that is sending the most refugees here at the moment.

It's Burma.

Burma, also known as Myanmar, sent 18,386 refugees to the U.S. in 2015. Let's hope that Donald Trump doesn't get wind of this news.

In fact, in 2015 that southeast Asian country made up over a quarter of all refugees entering the U.S., almost a 130 percent increase from 2014.

As of mid-August this year, the U.S. has received more than 63,000 refugees, about 22,000 short of the 85,000 ceiling set by the Obama administration at the beginning of fiscal 2016. 

According to a Pew study, Burma (Myanmar) still tops the list with 10,464 refugees, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 10,417; Syria, 8,569; and Iraq, 7,479; are the top origin countries of refugees arriving thus far in 2016. Together, refugees from these four nations represent more almost 60 percent of all refugees admitted to the U.S. this fiscal year.

Pew notes that the number of refugees admitted to the United States has typically been contingent on the state of conflict around the world. The Balkan wars of the 1990s helped drive the flow of resettlement in that period; it reached a peak of 142,000 refugees resettled in the U.S. in 1993.

The primary reason for the exodus from Burma are long-standing fighting between ethnic groups. Thousands of ethnic Karen and Karenni have fled persecution from the former military regime that ran the country for a half-century. Most of them ended up in refugee camps in Thailand and have been resettled in countries around the world, including the United States.

"They've been there for generations, and for some all they've ever known are the refugee camps," said Derek Mitchell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Burma from 2012 until earlier this year. "This is an ethnic conflict that is going on 70 years and drives this country."

The refugee issue was brought up in the talks between President Obama and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi Sept. 14 where they also agreed to the lifting of sanctions against the government of Burma. Both leaders stressed that this does not mean letting the Burmese government off the hook for corruption and human rights abuses.

Suu Kyi said that her top priority now is reconciliation between the countries' various ethnic groups. She has been criticized in the past for not being vocal about the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority, which has long been denied citizenship in the Buddhist-majority nation.

The plight of the Rohingyas has been monitored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations,, a U.S.-based human rights advocacy group, which has opposed the lifting of sanctions. “In your meetings with Minister Suu Kyi, CAIR requests that you raise the issue of Rohingya refugees as well as ask her to lift the ban on aid allowing all international relief organizations to freely operate in the Burmese state of Rakhinya," read a CAIR statement issued before Obama's meeting with Suu Kyi.

"We are sincere in trying to bring together the different communities," Suu Kyi told the press, saying that citizenship should be extended to everyone who is entitled to it.

Asian/Americans react to President Obama's SCOTUS nominee (with Updates)

President Obama applauds Judge Merrick Garland, his nominee for the Supreme Court.

TODAY, President Obama named Merrick Garland as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to fill the seat made vacant when Justice Antonin Scalia passed away.

For the first time, an Asian/American was among the finalists for the United States' highest court. Judge Sri Srinivasan of the Washington D.C. Circuit Court was among the top considerations for SCOTUS.

RELATED: White House vetting an Asian American for SCOTUS

Obama's final choice, Judge Garland, is the Chief Judge of D.C. Circuit Court. 

During the vetting process, the AAPI community and its organizations lobbied for a nominee that an AAPI be selected. The White House even had a conference call meeting with leaders within that community to explain the vetting process. Shortly thereafter, it became known that Srinivasan was among the final candidates.

RELATED: More reactions at AsAm News

Following are some of the quick reactions from the AAPI community.

National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

National Director Christopher Kang

"The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans supports President Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to serve as the next Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Chief Judge Garland’s qualifications and experience are unquestioned: his record as a judge for nearly two decades demonstrates that he understands the proper role of the court, and he also led the successful prosecutions of two major terrorism cases, “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski and the bombers of the federal building in Oklahoma City.

"It is clear why, just a few years ago, a senior Republican Senator said Chief Judge Garland would be a “consensus nominee” to the Supreme Court. The same is true today.

"NCAPA also would like to acknowledge that President Obama reportedly considered Judge Sri Srinivasan as a finalist for this Supreme Court nomination—the first time in history that an Asian American has reached the final round of consideration to serve on our nation’s highest court. This is a reflection of President Obama’s commitment to and success in furthering a judiciary that resembles the nation it serves, and in particular his tremendous strides in appointing more Asian American federal judges than all previous presidents in history combined.

"While we are disappointed that President Obama did not nominate an Asian American today, we stand behind his nominee and are confident that when future Supreme Court vacancies occur, Asian Americans will continue to receive this highest level of consideration and that there will soon be an Asian American Supreme Court Justice.

"Today, President Obama has fulfilled his constitutional responsibility. Now, United States Senators must do their job by meeting with Chief Judge Garland, conducting a hearing, and casting their votes."

Rep. Mike Honda, D-Silicon Valley
Lead Democrat on the House appropriations subcommittee concerning justice issues, issued a statement, following President Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court:

“President Obama has taken a great deal of effort to ensure that the Supreme Court will add another extremely qualified legal scholar to the bench,” said Honda. “Chief Judge Merrick Garland has already been considered for a seat on the Supreme Court because of his long history of excellent work on the DC Circuit. The President has chosen a man with amazing credentials, a mastery of the law and a history of independent legal thought.

“This nation is built on a system of checks and balances: Executive, Legislative and the Courts. For us to be the best nation possible, we must have a full Supreme Court, ready to hear cases that will determine our future as a nation. Republican leadership in the Senate must adhere to a strict reading of the Constitution, advise the President on the nomination and vote on their consent to him/her joining the Court. It is time for us to put away politics and do our jobs. Americans should accept no less.”


Rep. Judy Chu, D, Pasadena
Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

“Nominating justices to the Supreme Court is one of the primary duties of the President. In naming Judge Merrick Garland, a seasoned jurist with a commendable record, President Obama has fulfilled that constitutional duty. Now it is time for the Senate to fulfill theirs. Refusing to even meet with a nominee, as Senate Republicans are doing, is an unprecedented level of partisan dysfunction. A well and fully functioning Court is essential for our entire judicial system. With important cases on critical issues like the President’s authority to set deportation priorities, access to abortion, and climate change still to be decided, we cannot afford to leave a seat vacant for another year.

“Unfortunately, from refusing hearings on his Supreme Court nominee or his budget priorities to filing lawsuits against the use of executive power, Congressional Republicans have made obstructing the actions of this Administration a priority. That is misguided and only serves to erode trust in government. I urge Senate Republicans to change course and hold a hearing on Judge Garland, his experience, his views, and his qualifications. Cooperation and dialogue, not obstruction and partisanship, are the only ways forward.”

Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Mee Moua, President and Executive Director

“Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC applauds President Obama for today announcing the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the United States Supreme Court.

"It is now incumbent on us – the American people – to urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold their hearings and cast their votes on the nomination of Judge Garland. We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to exercise its constitutional responsibilities with due diligence and act upon Judge Garland’s nomination.”

Statement from the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

"Chief Judge (Merrick) Garland is remarkably qualified to serve as the next Supreme Court Justice. ... While SALDEF called on President Obama to nominate the first Asian American Supreme Court Justice, we realize the profound statement Sri Srinivasan made as the first Asian American in history to make it to a President’s 'short list.' SALDEF wholeheartedly supports President Obama’s nomination of Chief Judge Garland, we are encouraged by the consideration of Judge Srinivasan, and we eagerly await the first Asian American Supreme Court Justice.

"SALDEF implores the United States Senate to fulfill their constitutional responsibility and swiftly hold hearings and confirm Merrick Garland as the next Supreme Court Justice. While Senate Republicans have a history of judicial obstruction—there are currently 77 vacancies for federal judgeships compared to 43 when the Republicans regained control of the Senate—it is out of line for Republicans to drag the Supreme Court into partisan politics.

"The Supreme Court is too critical to allow a long-term vacancy. The court has monumental cases on abortion, immigration, affirmative action, and voting rights this term—all issues that have significant consequences for Sikh Americans, Asian Americans, and the country as a whole. More than 60% of the nation believes that the Senate “should hold hearings” on the Supreme Court nominee—with a majority of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans agreeing on the issue.

"Without knowing the nominee, Senate Republicans took an obstructionist stance on the Supreme Court confirmation process. Merrick Garland not only deserves a Senate hearing, but he also deserves to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. SALDEF joins many national Asian American organizations in applauding President Obama for nominating Chief Judge Garland, and in calling for the Senate to fulfill their constitutional duty and swiftly hold hearings and confirm him as the next Supreme Court Justice."

UPDATED March 17, 2016

AAPI Victory Fund
Snekar Narashimhan, chairman and founder

“The AAPI community wants a seat at the table in every venue and truly believes the bench of qualified AAPI candidates deserve consideration for the very next vacancy.”

“Today, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community must come together and work to ensure the Senate holds a fair hearing and a timely vote on the president's nominee. Obstructionist senators must be held accountable for their actions. The Asian American and Pacific Islander community needs to be more of a political force moving forward, and the AAPI Victory Fund will continue to mobilize its presidential elections outreach in 6 states — Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia — to empower the more than 18 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in this country."

South Asian Bar Association of North America

“If confirmed, he will bring this experience from what is considered the second most important court in the U.S. and a reputation as a centrist to the Supreme Court,” adding: “Even as we congratulate Judge Garland, we are proud that one of our members is so highly regarded as to be considered a ‘likely candidate,’ and know that the depth and experience of our members will only continue to grow so that we stand ready next time the Supreme Court calls.”