|
Issues Home | Immigration Home | Factsheets
From the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to the currently tightened immigration protocol as a result of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, unfair and discriminatory immigration practices continue today to hurt already disenfranchised communities of color. While everyone is affected by unfair immigration rules and regulations, Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) are disproportionately affected by unfair immigration laws since almost 70% are foreign-born.
OCA believes that now is the time to push for comprehensive immigration reform of our currently broken system. Issues that adversely affect APAs in particular include the family immigration laws, workplace raids, deportation and detention, and the treatment of unauthorized immigrants. In order to address these inhumane practices, OCA supports efforts to  decrease the extensive backlog of family-based immigration; stop workplace raids, which become scare tactics to terrorize local communities; establish safer and more humane deportation and detention procedures; and create a path to legalize law-abiding, unauthorized immigrants.
OCA is a member of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans’ (NCAPA) immigration committee, and has also signed on to the Campaign to Reform Immigration For America, a united national effort that brings together individuals and grassroots organizations with the mission to build support for workable comprehensive immigration reform.
Current Updates
Reuniting Families Act
Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) have a long history of immigration and contribution to the United States, and rely heavily on family-sponsored immigration to keep their families together. Unfortunately, the family-based immigration system is broken and outdated, and keeps
families separated for years. Millions of close family members of U.S. citizens and green card holders are caught in the visa backlog, and for some APA families the wait is longer than 20 years. OCA supports The Reuniting Families Act in both the Senate and the House, which seeks to shorten the wait times for family members seeking visas. View OCA’s press releases here (Senate version) and here (House version).
Read personal stories of how family immigration has impacted the lives of those around you:
Jasmine's Story
Dream Act
DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for ALien Minors Act: introduced by Senators Richard Dubin of Illinois and Richard Lugar of Indiana and Rep. Howard Berman of California and Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida. It is an act to solve the growing problem of making a conditional path to citizenship in exchange for a mandatory two years in high education or military service eligible to undocumented young people. To find out more about Dream Act, click here
10 Things You Can Do for the DREAM Act
Holding DHS Accountable
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has created a climate of fear in our communities by failing to protect human rights. The agency must be held accountable for its use of widespread and untargeted raids which have torn apart families and jailed people in inhumane conditions without taking into account our rights to due process. These practices undermine values of due process and human rights and do not make America safer. Now more than ever, as we face this economic crisis, DHS cannot continue to misues its resources on sweeping enforcement practices that lack priorities and the necessary standards to measure the agency's effectiveness. To find out more about Holding DHS Accountable, click here
|
The US Senate Committee on the Judiciary was created in 1816 and has expanded to consider legislation related to criminal justice, terrorism, human rights, immigration law, intellectual property rights, antitrust law, and internet privacy. These meetings are open to the public, and allow listeners to hear both sides of the argument on certain legislation so that they can make an informed opinion and decision.
here
Latest News | Press Releases