AAPI Groups Defend Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in front of White House

Becky Belcore, Co-Director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), kicks off an AAPI-led press conference in support of DACA on Aug. 31. (NCAPA Photo)

Leaders from national Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations gathered in support of immigrants Thursday morning in front of the White House to urge President Trump to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The president has threatened to end the program, which would put approximately 800,000 young people at risk of deportation, losing their ability to get an education, work and contribute to their communities.

Korean American DACA beneficiaries spoke about how DACA has allowed them to go to school and navigate day-to-day life without fear and leaders from eight NCAPA member organizations emphasized the importance of the program. Leaders were joined by Hanseul Kang, the state superintendent of education for the District of Columbia, who shared her experience of once being an undocumented youth.

The press conference happened on the 17th day of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)’s  Dream Action, a 24-hour, 22-day action in front of the White House happening since Aug. 15 until Sept. 5, the deadline given by the ten attorneys general to President Trump to end DACA.

Members of Congress who are part of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) submitted written statements in support of DACA and immigrants, and many of these statements were read by speakers during the press conference.

Speakers were DACA Beneficiaries Jung Woo Kim and Min Su Kang; Becky Belcore, Co-Director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC); Quyen Dinh, NCAPA Chair and Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; Kham Moua, NCAPA Immigration Committee Co-Chair and Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates; Alvina Yeh, Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA); David Inoue, Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL); Jason Tengco, Executive Director, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA); Lakshmi Sridaran, Director of National Policy & Advocacy, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

Read statements of support from members of Congress here.

Watch the full press conference on NAKASEC’s Facebook page.

For photos, visit the NCAPA Facebook album.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 34 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.