National AAPI Civil Rights Organizations Stand with the Southern Poverty Law Center
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2026
Media Contact:
Socheata Sun, Senior Communications Associate
socheata.sun@ocanational.org
Washington, D.C. — On April 21st, the U.S. The Department of Justice continued its assault on the Civil Rights Movement by targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for its work in opposing white supremacy and hate in the United States. The SPLC was indicted on federal fraud charges for using funds to infiltrate and monitor extremist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.
The National Council of Asian Pacific American (NCAPA) and its member organizations stand united in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and condemn the administration’s abuse of power as part of a broader attack on civil rights and communities across the United States.
NCAPA National Director Gregg Orton:
“Since day one, this administration has launched a coordinated assault on our communities and civil rights organizations while normalizing racism, hate, and embracing right-wing extremists.
Hate gets a pass when you pardon criminals who attack the Capitol. It thrives when the DOJ deletes its own report documenting right-wing extremism as a primary driver of domestic terrorism. It gains momentum when there is an endless stream of racism coming from the President on social media. And now, it can run unchecked as the Trump Administration continues its assault on community and civil rights organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
Thu Nguyen, NCAPA Executive Committee Chair and Executive Director of OCA:
“We condemn this administration’s attempt to normalize hate and push our diverse communities to the margins,” said. “In the 250th year of America, we are united in our commitment to create a world where AAPIs and all communities can thrive in dignity, regardless of their zip code, skin color, where they pray, or how they live. We will continue to stand up for democracy and fight for our freedoms. Our organizations and advocates will not be silenced.”
Harman Singh, Executive Director, The Sikh Coalition:
“We stand with SPLC, which has led the way for decades on researching and advocating against the very groups and ideologies that undergird violent, targeted hatred in America. The Sikh community should remember that SPLC fought alongside us to get anti-Sikh hate crimes tracked by the FBI after Oak Creek, has elevated our work against the bias-based bullying of Sikh children, and researched Hindu Supremacy in the United States.”
Christine Chen, Executive Director of Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote:
“For over 50 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been on the front lines of fighting hate and protecting vulnerable communities. This indictment is deeply troubling and an unjustified use of government power, one that raises serious concerns about political retaliation and the targeting of civil rights organizations. We stand in solidarity with SPLC and with all organizations working to protect our communities, and we will not be silenced.”
John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC:
“Every person deserves to live free from hate and violence. We condemn the Trump Administration’s escalating pattern of intimidation and retaliation against organizations working to promote civil rights, prevent hate, extremism, and political violence. “We stand in solidarity with the SPLC, which has played a central role in exposing hate groups, disrupting violent extremist networks, and advancing civil rights for more than five decades. When those working to prevent hate are silenced, violence follows—especially for historically targeted groups, including Asian American communities—undermining both public safety and our democratic values.”
Quyen Dinh, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center:
“The indictment of the SPLC is part of this Administration’s broader effort to dismantle hard-won civil rights protections and eliminate organizations that defend communities from discrimination and hate. For immigrant and refugee communities, including Southeast Asian Americans, the SPLC’s work has been critical to advancing our rights, defending our freedom, and recognizing our dignity. Southeast Asian American communities know what it means to live under governments that silence dissent and punish those who stand up for human rights. Many of our families are here today after fleeing that reality. That experience has left a lasting imprint, and SEARAC will continue to stand firm alongside the civil rights movement. We will keep speaking out and showing up for our communities, stronger because we move forward together.”
Joshua Acervo Ang Price, NaFFAA National Executive Director:
“The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) stands in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and civil rights organizations that have long defended our communities and our democracy. Civic engagement and civil rights are central to our mission and a core pillar of NaFFAA’s work. The SPLC has stood with Filipino Americans, including leading a landmark case on behalf of more than 350 Filipino guest-worker teachers exploited under the H-1B visa program. That victory expanded the reach of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, establishing that human trafficking protections can apply to entire groups, not just individuals. Guided by kapwa (our shared humanity), we stand together in this moment and remain committed to unity, advocacy, and protecting our communities and our collective future.”
Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director, SALDEF:
“The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) stands in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and civil rights organizations across the country following the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment of SPLC. Civil rights organizations ensure that all people can live, work, vote, and be themselves free from hate and discrimination, yet we are witnessing efforts to undermine these protections, target organizations doing this critical work, and rewrite the meaning of civil rights. For more than 50 years, SPLC has documented hate, challenged extremism, and defended vulnerable communities – including the Sikh American community and actions like this raise serious concerns about efforts to weaken civil rights and silence those who speak out. These attacks have real consequences: civil rights organizations protect the right to vote and protest, fight discrimination, and support communities in need, and undermining them threatens the daily lives and safety of millions. SALDEF remains committed to defending civil rights and standing with our partners in the fight for justice.”
Seema Agnani, CEO, National CAPACD:
“National CAPACD strongly condemns the actions taken by the Administration to intimidate and silence the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). For over 50 years, the SPLC has fought to protect communities that have faced discrimination from hate groups seeking to deny them dignity, freedom, and equal protection under the 14th Amendment. We stand in solidarity with the SPLC and all organizations working to uphold civil rights and resist the weaponization of power.”
Linda Akutagawa, President and CEO, LEAP:
“True leadership requires the courage to protect the voices that advocate for our most vulnerable. LEAP stands firmly in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and its decades-long mission to dismantle hate and advocate for the dignity of all people. For the Asian and Pacific Islander community, protecting the organizations that defend our civil rights is essential to ensuring a safe, inclusive, and just society and for the continued growth of leaders who represent the full diversity of our nation. We call on all leaders to reject the targeting of civil rights advocates and safeguard the essential work of building a future where everyone can thrive in safety and dignity.”
Huy Pham, Executive Director, Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (APIAHiP):
“APIAHiP works at the intersection of community memory, cultural identity, and the legal frameworks that protect them. Civil rights organizations have been essential partners in that work, including the SPLC, whose research and advocacy on hate and extremism has directly informed protections for APIA communities. We are concerned by the pattern of federal action targeting organizations that document discrimination and defend communities from hate. Whatever the legal proceedings determine, the chilling effect on civil rights work is real, and the consequences for communities like ours are real. APIAHiP stands for the right of organizations to do this work without political interference.”
Christina Baal-Owens, Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum:
“The Justice Department’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is part of a broad and dangerous pattern of weaponizing government institutions to target civil rights organizations and silence those who speak out against hate and violence. AAPI communities know what is at stake when systems meant to protect us instead create fear in our communities—deepening harm for those already navigating racism, misogyny, and other forms of discrimination. We stand in solidarity with the SPLC, whose work to expose and challenge hate is critical at this moment. We will not back down from defending the fundamental freedoms that make a just multiracial democracy possible.”
Monica Khant, Executive Director, Asian Pacific Institute for Gender Based Violence:
“SPLC is a non-profit organization with a mission that leans towards protecting human rights for all and has helped the most vulnerable people in the most rural areas. Their impact is far and wide, and I personally know of clients whose lives are saved due to the work of SPLC. We must continue to support non-profits who do the most difficult of work and protect the rights of individuals and communities who do not have a voice.”
Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum:
“This moment comes at a time when nonprofits are facing increasing pressure, and we must stand firm in support. Across the United States, nonprofits play a vital role in protecting our freedoms and upholding the principles that define us as a nation. We stand in solidarity with SPLC and the many people across the country deeply committed to public service. We must protect these organizations and recognize that a strong, independent nonprofit sector is part of what keeps our democracy resilient.”
Cynthia Choi, Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action:
“We are deeply disturbed by the federal government’s decision to target the Southern Poverty Law Center and promote a distorted narrative about the organization’s work. This is part of a broader pattern by Trump’s DOJ to intimidate, defame, and undermine nonprofits like SPLC that advocate for racial justice and civil rights. Politically motivated attacks like this are designed to weaken nonprofits working to expose extremism, improve community safety, and hold the government accountable. We remain in solidarity with SPLC and join our nonprofit partners in calling for fairness and protection for organizations that speak truth to power.”
Becky Belcore, Co-Director of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC):
“We stand in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center. This attack on the SPLC is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to attack American organizations that work to keep our country safe. It’s a blatant threat to organizations and individuals that says: If you do not agree with me, I will come after you. This attack comes amidst Trump’s ongoing attacks on civil rights and anyone who works against extremism, racism, and hate. We denounce these authoritarian efforts and implore organizations and individuals across the country to recognize this as a strong-arm tactic from the White House to force compliance.”
Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director of Hindus for Human Rights:
“The targeting of the Southern Poverty Law Center is part of a broader effort to punish those who expose white supremacy, defend civil rights, and hold power accountable. When the state turns its force against institutions that monitor hate and protect vulnerable communities, it sends a chilling message about whose freedoms are protected and whose safety can be cast aside. At a moment when so many are being asked to accept cruelty, exclusion, and intimidation as ordinary, we are reminded of the moral duty to defend human dignity and resist injustice in all its forms. Hindus for Human Rights stands in solidarity with SPLC and with all those resisting racism, extremism, and authoritarianism. We will continue to work for a multiracial democracy in which people of every faith, caste, race, and background can live with dignity, safety, and freedom.”
Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng, President of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE):
“For more than 50 years, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been a steadfast defender of civil rights, confronting hate, discrimination, and injustice wherever they arise. Asian and Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) stands in unwavering solidarity with the SPLC and strongly condemns the current Administration’s targeted attacks on its work and mission.”
Efforts to dismantle, defund, and discredit organizations that safeguard our communities and uphold our freedoms, rights, and human dignity are deeply troubling and unacceptable. At a time when division is being amplified, we must remain united and guided by our shared commitment to equity and justice. These attacks on civil rights, free expression, and access to accurate histories and knowledge do not occur in isolation—they reverberate across every level of education. As educators and leaders, we have a responsibility to stand together, speak out, and protect the integrity of our institutions and the communities we serve.”
Dr. Angelica Cortez, Founder & CEO, LEAD Filipino:
“This moment is not just about one organization, but instead seeks to create a chilling effect to silence and suppress our movement community. It’s about whether institutions that challenge hate can operate without political retaliation. Filipino Americans understand the consequences when power is used to quash dissent, both here and in the Philippines.
At LEAD Filipino, we work to build the civic infrastructure that allows communities to organize, address inequities, and hold systems accountable. The federal actions targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center raise urgent concerns about the erosion of protections for civil society organizations. Undermining this work weakens the very conditions that make democratic participation possible.”
Saki Mori, Interim Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL):
“The Japanese American Citizens League stands with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is facing unprecedented attacks by the federal government. The malicious prosecution brought forth by the Department of Justice is not just an attack on SPLC, but an attack on all civil rights work being done in our nation, and an attack on all those willing to stand up to injustice. The Japanese American community knows what it looks like when the government weaponizes its power against its own people. We demand that the administration immediately cease targeting the SPLC. We reaffirm our commitment to stand in defense of SPLC and the wider civil society community.”
Sue Ann Hong-Whitaker, President & CEO, CAPAW:
“This is about treating people with dignity, respect, and supporting basic human rights. Standing with racism and domestic terror is unacceptable. The safety and security of our AANHPI communities and all communities are essential.”
Krystle Canare, Interim Executive Director of the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA):
“As an organization dedicated to promoting the mental health and well-being of our communities, we stand in solidarity with SPLC, who has fought for civil rights protections for people of color, immigrants, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, women, workers, people with disabilities, and Arab, Muslim, Central Asian, and South Asian communities for over the last 50 years. To indict an organization on the frontlines combatting hate, discrimination, and violence is an attack on the entire movement. We will not be silenced and will continue to serve alongside the civil rights movement to protect the safety and well-being of our communities.”
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About OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates
Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the sociopolitical and holistic well-being of all Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.