TPS FOR THE PHILIPPINES COMMUNITY CALL FOR ACTION SET FOR MARCH 27

Rodel Rodis

(SAN FRANCISCO) -Thursday, March 27 has been designated as the Community Call to Action Day urging members of the Filipino community in the United States to call the US State Department (202-647-6575) and urge US Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Philippines to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The March 27 Call for Action was agreed to by a coalition of Filipino American community groups in a national telephone conference call held on March 18 to discuss the status of the campaign to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the Philippines, a move that may benefit approximately 200,000 Filipinos in the United States who are currently out of status.

Arnedo Valera of the Migrant Heritage Commission, the Washington D.C. group which initiated the call for TPS for the Philippines last November, reported that Philippine Desk Officer David Arulanantham at the US Department of State confirmed that the favorable recommendation for TPS for the Philippines is now on the desk of Secretary John Kerry, awaiting his review and signature.

“This positive development is the result of our community’s unified campaign to lobby the State Department,” said Loida Nicolas-Lewis, national chair of US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), who moderated the March 18 national conference call.

“We must not let up now. We're close but we're not there yet. We need to continue to lobby the US government until TPS is finally approved for the Philippines,” added Jon Melegrito, spokesman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

Under US immigration law, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, upon the recommendation of the Secretary of State, may designate a country, or portions of a country, for TPS when conditions exist - such as an ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster in the country - that temporarily prevents the country’s nationals in the US from returning safely.

Once a country receives TPS designation, nationals of that country residing in the U.S. would not be deportable and may receive temporary legal status that allows them to  receive employment authorization and even permission to travel abroad.

Community groups represented at the conference call were urged to ask everyone they know, even non-Filipinos, regardless of their immigration status in the US, to call the US State Department Comment Line at 202-647-6575  on Thursday, March 27. People can call that message board even before March 27 but an extra effort should be made to call in on March 27.

After a voice message is heard, press: 4 for operator, then ask for the comment line, and then leave the following suggested message: “Temporary Protected Status for the Philippines must be designated. I urge Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend to the Department of Homeland Security that TPS be designated for the Philippines. My name is (say name) from (say city and state).”

When Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010, the US government granted TPS to Haitian citizens in the US extending them temporary legal status in the US for a period of 18 months. This has been extended several times since because Haiti has still not recovered from the damage of the earthquake.

Last year, the US government extended TPS to Syria because of the civil war that is raging there. Aside from Syria, Sudan and South Sudan were also granted TPS in 2013. Other countries that have also received TPS designation in past years include El Salvador, Nicaragua, Somalia and Honduras as a resulting of devastating natural calamities that have occurred in those countries.

A bipartisan group of 20 US senators led by New York Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) sent a letter to Pres. Barack Obama urging him to grant TPS to the Philippines. “Typhoon Haiyan has wrought unparalleled destruction and tragic loss of life in the Philippines,” declared the senators in their letter to Pres. Obama.

“Victims of Typhoon Haiyan clearly meet the eligibility requirements for TPS, and we urge you to extend this designation as soon as possible. The United States has demonstrated its commitment to assisting the Philippines with the recovery effort through foreign aid, military assistance and relief supplies,” the letter added.

"There are officially at least 200,000 Filipinos in the US who are out of status and would greatly benefit from TPS designation of the Philippines," said J.T. Mallonga. spokesman of the Filipino American Legal Defense & Education Fund (FALDEF) based in New York.

"Their hopes that the Philippines would be granted TPS are buoyed by the fact that Pres. Obama has supported immigration reform that would legalize the status of 11 million people in the US and that he will be visiting the Philippines in April of 2014 and could present the Philippines with a special gift," Mallonga added.

“Granting TPS to the Philippines would allow hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the US to send billions of dollars of their income to the Philippines to aid an economy that was devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda,” said Dr. Celia Lamkin, a TPS advocate from Saipan who participated in the March 18 conference call

“For the sake of our mother country, we urge all Filipinos in the US to save the date and make the time to call the State Department on March 27,” said Loida Nicolas-Lewis.

COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION 

                                THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014                        

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is attainable. We need to press the US State Department to support TPS now. Please call the US State Department Comment Line at 202-647-6575.  Press: 4 for operator, then ask for comment line. After message press # and then 2 to make priority and then # to send. Leave this message: “Temporary Protected Status for the Philippines must be designated. I urge Secretary of State John Kerry to recommend to the Department of Homeland Security that TPS be designated for the Philippines. My name is (say name) from (say city and state).”

Rodel Rodis
US PINOYS FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
2429 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94127(415) 334-7800
rodel50@aol.com

MEMORANDUM OF LAW IN SUPPORT OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR FILIPINO NATIONALS IN THE WAKE OF TYPHOON HAIYAN

Patricia Astorga, Esq.

Licelle Cobrador, Esq.

JT Mallonga, Esq.

FILIPINO AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND

4 West 43rd St, Suite 505
New York, NY 10036
(212) 221-1888

 

I         BACKGROUND

Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, decimated many areas and displaced a large segment of the population. Typhoon experts concluded that Haiyan was one of the biggest and most powerful of its kind to date.  In its wake, Haiyan left more than 3 million Filipinos without access to food, water, medical attention, shelter, and other critical supplies. In addition to the millions who lost their homes, an over 5,000 Filipinos are believed to have died in the typhoon and the chaos that resulted afterward, with an additional 23,500 that are injured and more than 1,600 that are still reported missing.

In the wake of Haiyan’s devastation, the Department of Homeland Security should grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Filipino nationals in the United States.  A grant of TPS for Filipino nationals is warranted under the Immigration and Nationality Act (the “INA”)  in light of the extent of the damaged caused by the environmental disaster as well as the “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that currently exist within the Philippines.  Moreover, humanitarian principles and the history and purpose of TPS overwhelmingly justify TPS status for Filipino nationals.

II      A GRANT OF TPS IS WARRANTED UNDER SECTION 244 OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT

TPS is one of the key humanitarian programs enacted to assist individuals in need of shelter or aid from disasters, oppression, emergency medical issues and other urgent circumstances.  As outlined in Section 244 of the INA, §244, 8 U.S.C. §1254(b), TPS is warranted where:

(B) the Attorney General finds that-

(i) there has been an earthquake, flood, drought, epidemic, or other environmental disaster in the state resulting in a substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions in the area affected,

(ii) the foreign state is unable, temporarily, to handle adequately the return to the state of aliens who are nationals of the state, and

(iii) the foreign state officially has requested designation under this subparagraph; or

(C) the Attorney General finds that there exist extraordinary and temporary conditions in the foreign state that prevent aliens who are nationals of the state from returning to the state in safety, unless the Attorney General finds that permitting the aliens to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.

Here, the current situation in the Philippines squarely meets the criteria enumerated in §244, 8 U.S.C. §1254(b)(1)(B).  Specifically, Haiyan has resulted in a substantial, but temporary disruption of living in several regions in the Philippines.  Recent estimates show that Haiyan’s damage spanned three times that of Hurricane Katrina in the United States and nearly 300 miles more than that of Hurricane Sandy.[1]  The United Nations estimates that over 600,000 people have been displaced.[2]  A total of 16 million people are estimated to be affected by the disaster.[3]  The damage includes $112 million in demolished crops, $100 million in damage to livestock and fisheries, and along with other assessments comes to a total of $288 million. [4]  Arsenio Balisacan, the Philippines’ economic planning secretary, estimated that the total cost of reconstruction could reach $5.8 billion.[5]  Furthermore, given the significant delay of relief efforts and a lack of resources, the country is unable to handle adequately the return to the Philippines of its nationals living abroad.  Finally, the Philippines, through President Aquino, has officially requested designation under §1254(b)(1)(B). 

In addition, extraordinary and temporary conditions in the Philippines in the wake of Haiyan prevent nationals from returning to the country safely.  Specifically, many areas of the Philippines are still undergoing rehabilitation and the process, although temporary, is slow and has resulted in life-threatening conditions to residents of affected areas.  The Philippines lacks the infrastructure and resources to repatriate nationals currently living in the United States and doing so would impose an insurmountable burden on an already devastated country.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) 

Related Links:
GMA News: Fil-Am Leaders Meet with US State Dept's Officials on TPS for PH
Inquirer.net : Grant of TPS Depends On Letters To Kerry

 

USCIS Extends Relief Measures for Filipino Typhoon Victims

Release Date: January 14, 2014 USCIS.gov      WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds those affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013, of agency efforts to provide relief to victims of the typhoon. Filipino nationals in the United States should visit www.uscis.gov to learn about a series of existing relief measures that may be available to them if requested. These relief measures include: A change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired; An extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS; An extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests; Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship; Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens; Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration or travel documents, such as Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards). USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office. In addition, USCIS has proactively identified and is expediting pending  I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, forms that have been filed by U.S. citizens for their Filipino immediate relatives. Our standard security checks remain in place. Form I-130 petitioners may check their case status online at www.uscis.gov or contact the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TDD assistance). In addition, a petitioner can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by email as the case is processed. If a Form I-130 petitioner receives a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, the petitioner’s response must be addressed to the same USCIS Service Center which sent the notice. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Facebook (/uscis), Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

NJ Assembly Democrats News Release: Assembly Panel Approves Bill To Urge TPS for Filipinos

FOR RELEASE                                                                   CONTACT 12/17/2013                                                                              Press office                                                                                          (609) 847-3500

Assembly Panel Approves Johnson, Eustace & Chivukula Bill to Urge Temporary Protected Status for Filipino Nationals in Wake of Typhoon Haiyan (TRENTON) - An Assembly panel recently approved a measure sponsored by Assembly Democrats Gordon M. Johnson, Timothy Eustace and Upendra J. Chivukula to urge the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant temporary protected status to visitors from the Philippines following the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. On Friday, November 8th, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land, hit the Philippines, bringing sustained winds of 147 mph and waves as high as 45 ft. An estimated 6.9 million people have been affected by the storm, and the death toll is estimated to be in the thousands while the number of people displaced by the massive storm rises into the hundreds of thousands. "Typhoon Haiyan has left most of the Philippines ravaged," said Johnson (D-Bergen). "This indeed is a situation that would warrant a suspension of deportation for Philippine nationals." "Many residents in Bergen have been directly affected by what has happened in the Philippines," said Eustace (D-Bergen, Passaic). "With family and friends still there, many Filipinos desire to help their country by remaining here to work. Temporary protected status for Philippine nationals is an important humanitarian gesture that should be granted by the U.S." "Many Filipinos have lost everything," said Chivukula (Middlesex, Somerset). "Deportation possibly puts more lives at risk. The United States prides itself through its humanitarian work all over the world and temporarily ceasing the process would be of great help to some citizens of the Philippines." The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may designate a country, or portions of a country, for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) when conditions exist such as an ongoing armed conflict or an environmental disaster in the country that temporarily prevents the country's nationals from returning safely. The measure (AR-207) respectfully urges the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant TPS to the Philippines in order to allow nationals residing in the United States temporary relief from possible deportation or removal proceedings. If the United States grants the request, the Philippines will join El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras that were placed under TPS after experiencing similar natural disasters. The Assembly resolution was released by the Assembly State Government Committee on December 16.

Department of Foreign Affairs : Philippines asks U.S. to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status

Statement from the DFA: PH asks U.S. to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status

Published: December 16, 2013. Latest update: December 16..., 2013 4:35 pm.
Statement of Assistant Secretary Raul S. Hernandez: On the Temporary Protected Status issue

The Philippines has formally requested the United States Government on Friday, December 13, to designate the country under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario said that placing the Philippines under TPS will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the US in order for them to assist in the country’s continuing recovery efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated Central Visayas last month, killing more than 6,000 people and affecting more than 16 million.

The request will be evaluated first by US authorities and may take some time. If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.

If this request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries – El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras – that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural disasters.

The said request was officially conveyed by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to the Department of Homeland Security through a Note Verbale sent to the US Department of State.

http://www.gov.ph/2013/12/16/statement-the-dfa-spokesperson-on-the-temporary-protected-status-tps-issue/

--- WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Philippines has formally requested Washington for additional immigration relief measures to allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the United States so they could support the country’s long-term post-typhoon recovery efforts, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Monday, 16 December.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario said the request to designate the Philippines under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was officially conveyed on Friday, 13 December, by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. to the Department of Homeland Security through a note verbale to the Department of State.

“Recognizing the intense desire of the Filipino-American Community to more effectively assist victims, we would like to formally request that eligible Filipino nationals in the US be granted Temporary Protected Status under Section 244 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act,” said the letter signed by Ambassador Cuisia and addressed to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers.

The request was made in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000  people; displaced more than 4 million and affected more than 12 million during its violent rampage across the Central Philippines last month.

More than 200 Filipino-American organizations across the US, backed by members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, the Catholic Church and other NGOs have requested for the additional immigration relief measures that a TPS designation would be able to provide to Filipinos.

Secretary Del Rosario said if the request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural catastrophes. These are El Salvador and Haiti after these were devastated by earthquakes in 2001 and 2010 respectively and Nicaragua and Honduras after they were affected by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Ambassador Cuisia said the Embassy has also been in discussions with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State and the DFA in Manila since the TPS was first brought to his attention a few days after Haiyan struck the country.

Ambassador Cuisia said the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Consulates General in

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu and Agana made the recommendation to Secretary Del Rosario during their annual conference in Washington, D.C. last week and after extensive consultations with leaders of the Filipino Community in their respective jurisdictions.

Ambassador Cuisia explained that a TPS designation for the Philippines would allow eligible Filipinos currently in the US to support the long-term relief and rehabilitation efforts in the country because they could be given temporary authorization to stay and work for a limited period.

He said the request will have to first be evaluated by US authorities and may take some time. If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications, which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.

He said that in addition to TPS, Filipinos already in the US can also take advantage of the immigration breaks announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service on 15 November of which some Filipinos have already availed themselves.

Source: Embassy of the Philippines

 

PH Seeks Protected Status For Filipinos in the US due to Yolanda

PH seeks protected status for Filipinos in the US due to Yolanda

By: Eric Apolonio, InterAksyon.com
December 16, 2013 5:12 PM

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - Following the deaths and destruction caused by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippines formally requested the U.S. government to place the country under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday. 

The TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to foreigners in the U.S. who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.

If a country is placed under TPS, its eligible citizens may stay and work in the U.S.

A TPS does not, however, lead to a beneficiary’s permanent resident status. If the U.S. government terminates the TPS, beneficiaries would revert to the same immigration status they had before TPS.

Placing the Philippines under TPS will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the U.S. "in order for them to assist in the country's continuing recovery efforts," following the typhoon killing over 6,000 and affecting 16 million Filipinos, the DFA said. 

The request will be evaluated first by US authorities. "If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications which will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis, the DFA said. 

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. conveyed the request on December 13 to the Department of Homeland Security through a note verbale sent to the U.S. Department of State.     

If the request is granted, the Philippines will join four other countries - El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Honduras – that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural disasters.

Spearheading the drive for the Philippines to be placed under TPS are Filipino community leaders based in New York headed by lawyer JT Mallonga of the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc. and Ed Navarra, chairman of National Federation of Filipino-American Association. 

Earlier Mallonga told newsman that” while we are prepared to exhaust all means to get this to the attention of the President; time is certainly of the essence."  

"(T)his is neither a legal nor a political issue, but a humanitarian one and we hope that our President will act swiftly on this request from literally almost a million Filipinos in the U.S.," added Mallonga. 

 

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/76927/ph-seeks-protected-status-for-filipinos-in-the-us-due-to-yolanda

UNTV Interview: Temporary Protected Status for Filipino Americans

NaFFAA Calls on DHS to Grant Temporary Protected Status to Filipinos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      Contact:    Bing Cardenas Branigin

Nov. 22, 2013                                                                               bing.branigin@naffaa-national.org

                                                                                                   Tel. 202-361-1024

                                               

                                                                                                  Jon Melegrito

                                                                                                  jon.melegrito@naffaa-national.org

                                                                                                   Tel: 202-361-0296

                   

FilAm Organizations Urged to Endorse

Extension of TPS

 

 

Washington, D.C.  The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) is calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate the Philippines as a country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

 

Currently allowed under immigration laws for countries impacted by a natural disaster resulting in a “substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions,” TPS will provide temporary immigration relief to undocumented Filipino immigrants presently residing in the U.S.

 

In a letter to DHS Acting Secretary Rand Beers, Navarra  wrote that “this benefit will alleviate their fears of deportation to a devastated country and allow them to work and stay in the US temporarily. With this authorization, Filipino nationals can continue providing material and financial support to the homeland, especially at a time when they are in dire need of help.”

 

J.T. Mallonga, NaFFAA National Vice Chair and President of the Filipino American Legal and Defense Fund (FALDEF), explains that there are precedents where the U.S. administration acted on similar requests. “Following the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti two years ago, the U.S designated TPS to Haitian nationals, allowing them to continue living and working in the country for 18 months,” Mallonga said. “The same should be done to Filipinos, and it must be done soon.” Other nationals from countries devastated by natural disasters, such as Honduras, Sudan and El Salvador, have also been granted TPS before.

 

Mallonga further explains that “while TPS provides temporary legal status for Filipinos already in the US, it will not necessarily lead to permanent residency. Also, TPS does not provide humanitarian aid or legal status for people not already here.  TPS may only be granted for 18 months. Beneficiaries will be granted a temporary employment authorization document as proof of authorized stay in the US for that period.  Qualified TPS applicants will then be allowed to remain in the US with a work permit.  This is only meant to be a temporary immigration benefit.”
          

When the Obama administration announced the designation of TPS for Haitian nationals in 2011, Mallonga notes that the 100,000 - 200,000 Haitian immigrants estimated by the Department of Homeland Security to be in the U.S. without authorization were not subject to deportation. The estimated 270,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants will similarly be given the same benefit if TPS is granted.

 

USCIS Reminds Filipino Nationals Impacted by Typhoon Haiyan of Available Immigration Relief Measures

Source: USCIS
Release Date: November 15, 2013
    

In light of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (named “Yolanda” by Philippine authorities), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would like to remind Filipino nationals that they may be eligible for certain immigration relief measures if requested.

USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status in the United States. Therefore, Filipino nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan may be eligible to benefit from the following immigration relief measures:

• Change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;
• Extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS;
• Extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expedited processing of advance parole requests;
• Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);
• Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and
• Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without immigration or travel documents, such as Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards). USCIS and the Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Asian Americans, legislators call for immigration policy reform

Immigrants share stories of being undocumented, separation, detention and abuse

 

 

 

by the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

 

WASHINGTON—Hours before the “Citizenship for 11 Million” rally on April 10th, Asian Americans gathered together to call for changes to our country’s broken immigration system. Asian American immigrants shared stories and experiences and urged lawmakers to put forth policy solutions that will improve the lives of all Americans.

 

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), a  coalition  of  30  national  Asian Pacific American organizations, organized the media briefing, which also featured members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, including Reps. Judy Chu, Mike Honda and Sen. Mazie K. Hirono.

 

“I am one of the over 1 million Asian Americans who is undocumented in this country,” said Kevin HyunKyu Lee, a 22-year-old undocumented immigrant (DREAMer) and immigrant rights organizer at the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles. “I want legislators to know that DREAMERs like me want a chance to go to school, work, and give back to America, which is the only home we know.”

 

Filipino American Ian Cainglet, a teacher who came here under the H-1B visa program, detailed abuse he endured as a temporary worker. He and 350 other Filipino teachers had to pay more than $5 million to a fraudulent recruiter, who threatened to send them home. Last month, a federal judge gave Cainglet and other teachers a $4.5 million judgment in a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Teachers and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

 

Cainglet, who now lives in New Mexico, called for improved worker protections for all workers. “I wish for every worker in this country that same basic path to dignity and self respect,” he said.

 

The briefing also highlighted stories of family separation and detention.

 

Bithi Roy,  a US citizen living in New York City,  said she had waiting  several years  for  her siblings in Bangladesh to join her in the U.S. In fact, 4.3 million people are  stuck  in  the worldwide family backlog as of November 2012, and nearly half are relatives of Asian Americans.

 

“There are so many families who are experiencing extraordinarily long waiting times to bring

their families into this country,” she said. “Immigrants like myself have a  better  chance  of success and giving back to the economy by developing their careers if they have family support networks in this country.”

 

Lundy Khoy, 32, a legal resident making her home in Washington, D.C., shared her concern about the possibility of being deported to Cambodia because of a drug possession conviction from her time in college. “America is my home and my country,” Khoy said. “We need immigration policies that put an end to such arbitrary detention and deportation measures. We all deserve to not live in fear.”

 

NCAPA has set forth a set of principles to guide immigration policy reform on issues ranging from enforcement to family reunification to worker rights to legalization.

 

“As these stories illustrate, Asian  Americans  are  looking  forward  to  inclusive  and  fair immigration policies that will address many of the challenges that immigrants currently face. On this historic occasion, we stand together to raise our voices in support of immigration policy reform,” said Deepa Iyer,  chair of  NCAPA and executive director  of  South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

 

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), founded in 1996, is a coalition of thirty national Asian Pacific American organizations. Based in Washington D.C, NCAPA serves to represent the interests of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) community and to provide a national voice on policy issues and priorities.

 

 

 

Contact: Rachanee Srisavasdi,

(949) 892-0305;

rsrisavasdi@veng-group.com


Click HERE to watch the CSPAN coverage of the "National Rally for Citizenship" on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Various community leaders lobbied members of Congress for Immigration Reform.