Category: Press Release

We condemn the House of Representative’s vote to pass HR 3003 and HR 3004 amidst strong concerns from immigrant communities, law enforcement, elected officials, and many others. The two bills are clearly motivated by the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda and cause considerable harm by eroding the trust between local law enforcement and communities of color, including immigrant communities.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice strongly opposes H.R. 3003 (the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act), H.R. 3004 (known as Kate’s Law), and the passage of any immigration enforcement legislation that would increase indiscriminate enforcement, further the criminalization of immigrants, and instill more fear in already terrified communities.

“Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, and right here in Illinois we are showing that our community’s growth has also resulted in a growth in power,” said Tuyet Le, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago. “The wins achieved in yesterday’s election add to the already historic number of Asian American elected officials representing Illinois from local offices to the U.S. Senate.”

Today, a Federal court in Hawaii blocked a second attempt by President Trump to ban Muslims from entering the country.

“We applaud the court for recognizing the blatant discriminatory intent behind the executive order,” said Elica Vafaie, Staff Attorney and Program Manager at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus. “If this is implemented, it will have devastating consequences for our communities.”

LOS ANGELES – Today, President Trump issued a new executive order which is essentially a “Muslim Ban 2.0” in that it reiterates key components of its prior ban on immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The new order, issued less than a month after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit halted the original ban based on a preliminary finding that it violates the Constitution, continues to target immigrants and visitors from Muslim majority countries. While Iraq has been dropped from the list, the other targeted countries remain: Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Iran, Syria, and Sudan. It also continues to suspend the refugee program, which has provided humanitarian relief to large numbers of people fleeing political strife in the banned Muslim countries and elsewhere.