National Council of Asian Pacific Americans Welcomes Supreme Court’s Decision to Take Immigration Executive Action Case

As a coalition working to advance immigration policies and immigrant rights, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision today to take up the case challenging the legality of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The Court is expected to hear the case in April and issue a decision by June 2016.

NCAPA was disappointed by a lower court ruling in November that has blocked the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the establishment of Deferred Action for Parents of American and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). These immigration executive actions would protect an estimated five million people from deportation and allow them to obtain work permits, including nearly half a million Asian Americans.

“We are encouraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to review the executive immigration action, as our communities have long been waiting for relief,” said National Director Christopher Kang. “These policies would help families who have lived in their communities and contributed to our nation for many years, by allowing them to lawfully work and continue to provide care for their children without fear of separation. We urge the Supreme Court to recognize the high importance and clear constitutionality of these executive actions.”

This is far from the first time a president has ordered an executive action on immigration. All 11 presidents since President Eisenhower have used their executive authority, deferred to them by Congress, to protect immigrants.

On Friday, NCAPA member National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) marched and gathered at the Supreme Court with immigrant rights movement partners to show the importance of the court’s decision to take on the case. In particular, NAKASEC has shared the stories of individuals impacted by the President’s actions.

NCAPA has also supported the President’s immigration actions in joining an amicus brief and marking the one-year anniversary of the executive action announcement in November.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.