Dear APAPA Members and Friends,

Please see below for the latest update on immigration reform courtesy of Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) San Francisco.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Two weeks ago, a group of Senators released a bill that seeks to fix our broken immigration system. If passed and signed into law, our country's policies as well as its values and principles will be impacted for generations to come. It is critical that immigration reform legislation be based on the principles of fairness and inclusion. In CAA's view, there are some positive aspects of the bill. These include:

A pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The bill provides a minimum 13-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants through a new category called Registered Provisional Immigrant status.

A plan to clear the massive visa backlogs. The bill will clear the current backlog of 4.4 million visa applications currently choking the system and separating families from their loved ones for years, if not decades.

An expedited road to citizenship for DREAMers. The bill provides a faster process for eligible DREAMers (young people who have entered the U.S. before the age of 16) who are, by all common sense definitions, already American.

At the same time the bill has very serious problems. Among them:

Weakening of values that make immigration most meaningful. The bill replaces the current family and employment-based foundation of immigration with something that is labeled "merit". Instead of welcoming families with the promise of equal opportunity, this new approach explicitly privileges a select few based primarily on their economic utility.

Elimination of the sibling category. The bill restricts how families are defined in a manner that is inconsistent with what makes communities, including the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, vibrant and strong. In addition to eliminating the sibling category, the bill also arbitrarily limits the age of married children of citizens who can be eligible for immigration.

No recognition of same-sex binational couples. The bill unfairly denies lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families equal rights.

Excessive requirements for those seeking citizenship. The "RPI" status facing undocumented immigrants before eligibility for citizenship is unnecessarily long, and contains a host of excessively harsh requirements.

For a more detailed explanation of the Senate proposal, CAA recommends this document by the National Immigration Law Center: http://www.nilc.org/s744summary1.html

On April 19, 2013, My Sister's House (MSH) announced Maeley Tom, APAPA's Special Advisor, as one of the newest cast members for their 12th Anniversary Gala on May 20, 2013 in Sacramento. Cast members will perform on stage in a Broadway-style show and funds raised from the event will help provide shelter and supportive programs to Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women and children who are victims of domestic violence. For more information, please visit http://www.my-sisters-house.org/.

APAPA is proud to support the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education as a Community Sponsor for the upcoming Fred Korematsu Day Heroes Celebration. On January 27th, 16 American civil rights heroes will be honored and recognized at this special event at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. For more information, please email info@korematsuinstitute.org or call (415) 848-7737. More details can also be found on their website at www.FredKorematsuDayHeroes.org.

My Sister's House (MSH), APAPA, and other local community organizations will be hosting a Sacramento Asian Pacific Islander (API) Massage Parlor Forum on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 from 5:30-7:30pm at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Central Station to discuss human trafficking of API women in local massage parlors and brothels. To RSVP or for more information, please call My Sister's House at (916) 930-0626 or email L. "Rico" Ozaki at ricoomsh@gmail.com.

Download PDF flyer: api_human_trafficking_forum_012313.pdf (55.10 kb)

A Life of Service

by Andrew Chang

It is with great sadness that we announce that Senator Daniel Inouye passed away on December 17, 2012 at the age of 88. Senator Inouye embodied APAPA’s goals of active participation and leadership by API Americans in civic and public affairs throughout his life. Born in Hawaii in 1924 as a son of working-class Japanese immigrants, Senator Inouye spent his life serving his country. 

During World War II when Japanese Americans were declared to be ‘enemy aliens’ and placed in internment camps enclosed by barbed wire and machine gun towers, Daniel Inouye enlisted in the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team along with other patriotic Japanese Americans at the age of 18. His military service earned him numerous medals and citations including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor-which is the highest award for military valor.

Despite being subjected to racial discrimination upon his return from military service, his commitment to our country did not waiver. In 1959, he became the first Japanese-American elected to the US Congress. He then went on to become the second-longest serving senator in US history, serving on committees including the Intelligence Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee, the Commerce Committee, the Appropriations Committee, and the investigation committees for both Watergate and Iran-Contra. Senator Inouye was also a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) which was formed to promote the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Since 2010, Senator Inouye has been the Senate’s president pro tempore, which made him third in the line of succession to the presidency. 

In his unwavering commitment to serving our country, Daniel Inouye paved a path for other API Americans to follow into public office. His life is a reminder to all of us that active participation and leadership in civic and public affairs is both a duty and a privilege.

APAPA congratulates and welcomes the following new API members to office: Rob Bonta - CA State Assembly, District 18; Phil Ting - CA State Assembly, District 19; Ed Chau - CA State Assembly, District 49; Al Muratsuchi - CA State Assembly, District 66.

APAPA also congratulates the following API members on their re-election: Mariko Yamada - CA State Assembly, District 4; Richard Pan - CA State Assembly, District 9; Paul Fong - CA State Assembly, District 28; Das Williams - CA State Assembly, District 37.

For live election results or for more information, please visit:

http://www.elections.saccounty.net/ElectionInformation/SAC_VRE_DF_left

http://www.sacbee.com/electionresults/

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/

APAPA-CEF 2013 Internship & Scholarship program applications are now available on our website at www.apapa.org. All API college students in good academic standing are encouraged to apply. For more information, please contact Lucy Oback at 916-928-9988 ext. 102 or email to lucyoback@apapa.org.

For immediate release                          CONTACT: Maeley Tom, APAPA Special Advisor

October 4, 2012                                                        (916) 928-9988, office@apapa.org

APAPA Statewide Voters Forum Targets U.S. Fastest Growing Racial Group That Can Make A Difference In Key Elections In The State

According to the Los Angeles Times, “Asian Americans are now the nation’s fastest –growing racial group, overtaking Latinos in recent years as the largest stream of new immigrant arriving annually in the United States.”  “Geographically nearly half of all U.S. Asians live in the Western states, California, the traditional gateway for Asian immigrants, has by far the largest number, almost 6 million.”

The APAPA organization’s goal and mission focuses on these new API immigrant groups to help them understand the importance of civic and political engagement in this country in order for them to have a voice as a part of America.

The 11^th Annual APAPA Voters Forum in Sacramento attracted close to 1,000 attendees and participants to hear candidates seeking regional state and congressional seats debate as well as hear pros and cons about the most controversial ballot initiatives facing voters today. 

State Constitutional officers Debra Bowen, Secretary of State, Dave Jones, Insurance Commissioner, Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson addressed the importance of API voters today. Dan Walters, nationally recognized McClatchy political columnist along with a panel of respected journalists, Sandy Close of New America Media, Lonnie Wong of local channel 40 and Larry Lee of the Observer led the discussion among the candidates.

Voters Forum article in the Sacramento Bee:

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/01/4869017/influence-of-asian-american-pacific.html

APAPA Forum Photo Gallery: http://apapa.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=6040

Dear Friends,