FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-, FEBRUARY 7, 2026

CONTACT: Grace Pai – gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org, 224-289-5291

SKOKIE, IL (February 7, 2026) –

On February 7, the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition hosted an educational, nonpartisan candidate forum for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, providing community members an opportunity to hear directly from candidates on key policy issues affecting Asian American and immigrant communities.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Illinois, with 70,000 Asian American residents in IL-09 alone. Comprised of 19 Asian American advocacy and direct-service organizations across Chicagoland, the PAVE Coalition works to empower Asian American communities through civic engagement and policy change.

The forum featured seven candidates running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat. All candidates who raised at least $500,000 were invited to participate. Candidates in attendance included: Kat Abughazaleh, School District 73.5 Board Member Bushra Amiwala, Phil Andrew, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Jeff Cohen, state Senator Laura Fine, and state Representative Hoan Huynh.

Questions were posed by five community members representing HANA Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Muslim Civic Coalition, Chinese Mutual Aid Association, and South Asian Policy and Research Institute. Candidates addressed community-focused priorities, including:

1. Federal immigration policy
2. Medicaid and Medicare access
3. Language access in federal programs and services
4. Addressing anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment
5. Protecting and strengthening safety net benefits

More than 200 community members attended the forum. To ensure language access and broad participation, live interpretation was provided in four different languages: Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, and Korean.

“Asian Americans are not an apolitical community. However, systemic barriers, like language access, have stopped elections from being accessible to all. The PAVE Coalition’s goal is to empower Asian Americans and immigrants to make their voices heard through civic engagement and advocacy efforts.” – Anooshka Gupta, Organizing Manager at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and IL-09 resident

With Congresswoman Schakowsky’s retirement, the PAVE Coalition saw an opportunity to have candidates directly engage with our communities and hear about the issues most important to Asian Americans in the district.

“Coming from a Korean immigrant family, I know how difficult it can be for our community’s elders to access accurate information and U.S. political processes without language support! There are almost 8,000 Korean American voters in IL-09, so the forum was a great opportunity for our community to listen, learn, and have a voice in our district.” – Hannah Jon, Civic Engagement Coordinator at HANA Center and resident of IL-09

“Except for Native Americans, everyone has an immigrant story from recent years to hundreds of years ago. Our ancestors and families came to the United States in search of better lives, opportunity, and democracy. PAVE demonstrates our united spirit and collective power in wanting to see candidates who truly represent our diverse populations across the region. We want to see forward thinking, thoughtful and effective officials represent us in all levels of government.” – Rhea Yap, Executive Director, Chinese Mutual Aid Association

The PAVE Coalition will continue to provide nonpartisan voter education and language-accessible resources ahead of the upcoming primaries on March 17, 2026. Eligible voters are encouraged to check their registration status or register to vote by February 17. In both Chicago and Cook County, all early voting sites open on March 3. On Election Day, you can vote at any of these early voting sites or your assigned precinct. For more information, visit Cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections for suburban Cook County residents and Chicagoelections.gov for Chicago residents.

Please see photos attached and below (photo credit: Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition). For additional and/or high definition photos, please reach out to Grace Pai at gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org or 224-289-5291.

PAVE Coalition Members:

Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment

Apna Ghar

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Cambodian Association of Illinois

Chinese American Service League

Chinese Mutual Aid Association

Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community

Hamdard Health Alliance

HANA Center

Hanul Family Alliance

Indo-American Center

Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago

Japanese American Service Committee

KAN-WIN

Lao American Organization of Elgin

Muslim Civic Coalition

Rizal Center/Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago

South Asian American Policy and Research Institute

Vietnamese Association of Illinois

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Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and grassroots organizing to achieve racial equity. Our work centers immigrant justice, education equity, and community-led democracy. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-, March 17, 2026

CONTACT: Grace Pai – gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org, 224-289-5291

CHICAGO, IL (March 17, 2026) – Today, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (“Advancing Justice | Chicago”) dispatched 33 nonpartisan poll watchers to 215 voting locations across Chicago and suburban Cook County, ensuring widespread monitoring of language access across the region. Poll watchers overwhelmingly reported smooth and uneventful election operations, although challenges persist with bilingual election judge recruitment, particularly in suburban Cook County.

Advancing Justice | Chicago’s poll watching program primarily focuses on language access in elections. Historically, immigrant and limited English proficient voters have faced many barriers to exercising their right to vote, including lack of translated information, discriminatory voting restrictions, such as literacy tests, and outright intimidation or harassment.

This year, poll watchers observed 100% of Asian “designated language precincts,” which are precincts where election authorities are required to provide translation and interpretation resources under the federal Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) or the Cook County Voting Opportunity and Translation Equity Ordinance (“VOTE Ordinance”). The following Asian language groups are covered under the VRA and/or the VOTE Ordinance: Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese), South Asian (including Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu), Korean, and Tagalog.

“Thanks to our poll watchers, we can identify issues in real time and help ensure timely resolutions, rather than only reporting on areas for improvement after the fact,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Advancing Justice | Chicago.

In one instance, Advancing Justice | Chicago worked with the Chicago Board of Elections to quickly assign a Chinese bilingual election judge to a precinct in the 11th Ward that lacked one. This level of coverage and responsiveness demonstrates the critical role of community-based, nonpartisan election protection programs in ensuring compliance with the Voting Rights Act and local ordinances.

However, not all issues are resolved on Election Day. Preliminary data show that nearly 62% of designated Asian language precincts in suburban Cook County lacked at least one required bilingual election judge. Improving suburban bilingual judge recruitment will be critical for future election cycles. In Chicago, one poll watcher spoke with election judges who spent all day calling the Election Central hotline for Cantonese interpretation because a replacement bilingual election judge could not be dispatched to their precinct. These examples demonstrate continued room for improvement to ensure language accessibility for all voters.

Due to the Asian American community’s diverse language needs, Advancing Justice | Chicago advocates year-round for expanded language access in elections. This advocacy has resulted in concrete changes, such as new polling place signage in Chicago that rolled out in 2024, and increased collaboration between community organizations and local election authorities.

Over the next couple of months, Advancing Justice | Chicago will compile observations from Election Day into a report and provide recommendations for improvement to the Chicago Board of Elections and the Cook County Clerk. We look forward to partnering to strengthen our democracy and ensure all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote.

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Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org. 

In the lead up to each election, Advancing Justice | Chicago collaborates with a number of organizations on language access advocacy, including the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, HANA Center, Indo-American Center, Latino Policy Forum, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-, October 24, 2025 —

CHICAGO, IL —Today, Friday, October 24th, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, and Edgewater experienced a rampage of immigration enforcement activities carried out by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Uptown/Edgewater Rapid Response Team witnessed the confirmed abduction of at least 9 individuals and the attempted abduction of at least 2 individuals across Lincoln Park, Uptown, Edgewater, and Albany Park. In addition, federal agents deployed tear gas on a crowd of 50 bystanders on a residential street with almost no warning. 

The Rapid Response Team – ONE Northside, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago – issued the following joint statement:

“We strongly condemn the escalated tactics and violence displayed by federal agents across the North Side of Chicago today. Unfortunately, this is part of a broader trend across Chicago and surrounding suburbs. ICE and CBP continue to terrorize our neighbors and make people afraid to go about their daily lives.

“Despite the widespread fear and increased risk of exposure to chemical agents, we are inspired by the everyday people who continue to come together to respond to ICE sightings, document abductions, and provide Know Your Rights resources. 

“Thanks to the quick mobilization of the Uptown/Edgewater Rapid Response Team, community members were able to alert nearby residents of the presence of immigration agents and ensure targeted individuals were aware of their rights. Together we continue to demand ICE out of Chicago and out of Illinois.

“We encourage all community members to know your rights: you have the right to record law enforcement activity in a public space, the right to remain silent, the right to ask for an attorney, and the right to refuse to sign anything. If you see immigration enforcement activity in your neighborhood or if someone in your family has been taken, please call the ICIRR Family Support Hotline at 855-435-7693.”

Contact: Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org 

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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and grassroots organizing to achieve racial equity. Our work centers immigrant justice, education equity, and community-led democracy. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) organizes the Jewish communities of Chicagoland to pursue justice. JCUA trains, mobilizes, and connects Jewish individuals and institutions to combat injustice, in close partnership with our neighbors across Chicago and Illinois. Learn more at jcua.org

ONE Northside is a mixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational non-profit organization that builds collective power in Chicago’s North Side neighborhoods to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing. Learn more at www.onenorthside.org 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-, October 6, 2025 —

CHICAGO, IL — Following President Trump’s announcement of a National Guard deployment to Chicago amid rising tensions between federal and local officials, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago issued the following statement.  

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago strongly condemns the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. The decision to invade our city violates the principles of local governance and is a gross overreach of the president’s authority. It is a blatant political power grab. This is not about keeping Chicago safe — it’s about silencing dissent and instilling fear. 

“Our neighborhoods are not battlegrounds,” said Grace Pai, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago. “Deploying troops isn’t about protection—it’s about intimidation. As immigrant rights advocates, we refuse to be silenced.” 

Chicago’s Asian American communities in Uptown, Chinatown, and West Ridge are home to thousands of immigrant and mixed-status families who already face heightened risks due to the ramp-up in federal immigration enforcement. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in Chicago, now making up 7% of the city’s population, and about two-thirds are immigrants. Deploying armed troops into immigrant communities will deepen trauma, destabilize small businesses, and escalate the violence that federal agents have already instigated. 

“As rapid responders, we see that our neighbors are scared. Our team has seen a flood of requests to help provide support at school pick-ups and drop-offs and to monitor community events and celebrations,” said Ellen Zhou, community organizer and lead of the Uptown/Edgewater rapid response team. “Recent escalations in immigration enforcement have terrorized our neighbors and made people afraid to go about their daily lives. Deploying the National Guard will only create more panic and fear.” 

We urge all Chicagoans to stand with immigrant communities and reject the politics of fear. We applaud Governor Pritzker for suing the Trump Administration for federalizing the Illinois National Guard and we call on President Trump to withdraw this reckless deployment immediately. Chicago doesn’t need soldiers on its streets. We need federal resources for our schools, hospitals, and the critical violence intervention and social services that President Trump just cut. That is what will actually make our neighborhoods safer. 

Contact: Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org 

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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and grassroots organizing to achieve racial equity. Our work centers immigrant justice, education equity, and community-led democracy. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–[CHICAGO, IL], JUNE 24, 2025 — Asian Americans Advancing Justice – the nation’s largest affiliation of independent Asian American civil rights organizations – strongly condemns the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the Massachusetts District Court’s order that was safeguarding immigrants from deportation to third-party countries without due process. This ruling empowers the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to unconstitutionally remove immigrants to third countries where they hold no nationality or prior personal ties – without notice or a meaningful opportunity to contest the removal orders. This will further expose immigrants to risks of persecution, torture, and death.    

These third-country removals are part of a cruel and calculated policy designed to bypass the refusal of countries of origin to accept deportees. Instead of receiving due process, these vulnerable immigrants are being sent to subhuman detention conditions near the Darien Gap, at Guantanamo Bay and the CECOT prison in El Salvador, and shipping containers on a military base in Djibouti. The actions by the President and DHS are about avoiding legal responsibility and usurping the rule of law. 

As Justice Sotomayor powerfully noted in her dissent in the Supreme Court’s decision, this ruling is an incomprehensible abuse of power and effectively “rewards lawlessness” by allowing the government to bypass legal safeguards designed to prevent torture and persecution.  The ruling undermines the fundamental principle that all people – regardless of immigration status or history – are entitled to due process and protection under the law. 

As organizations working closely with Asian Americans, we are acutely aware of the devastating legacy of exclusionary immigration policies. We stand in unwavering solidarity with all the vibrant immigrant communities affected by this ruling. This decision is not only indefensible; it is profoundly immoral. It erodes essential due process protections and consigns vulnerable human beings to inhumane, life-threatening conditions. 

We refuse to stand by as these life-threatening policies are quietly carried out. We call on members of Congress to hold DHS accountable and support efforts to defend against these heinous deportations, including those aiding Southeast Asian and other communities. 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice is a national affiliation of four leading Asian American civil rights organizations committed to advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and building a more just society for all. The independent organizations are in Atlanta, Chicago, Southern California, and Washington, D.C. 

Contact:

Aleisha Flores, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Liana Liang, lliang@ajsocal.org
James Woo, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Grace Pai, gpai@advancingjustice-chicago.org

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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and grassroots organizing to achieve racial equity. Our work centers immigrant justice, education equity, and community-led democracy. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org