
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 2, 2016) — The Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), and South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) on Tuesday joined immigrant and refugee advocates, families, and community members in front of the White House to deliver a petition with more than 130,000 signatures to condemn raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to urge the administration to provide Central American children and families who came seeking protection from life-threatening violence in their home countries with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Sasha W., Organizing Director for NQAPIA: National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance, added: “President Obama has become the ‘deporter-in-chief,’ deporting more immigrants than his predecessors. Like the so-called ‘Secure Communities’ program, and the new Priority Enforcement Program, creating a culture of fear does not lead to safety. As queer API immigrants, these raids make us feel less safe and less American. Immigrants and refugees are part of our homes, our families, and our daily lives. We stand against rhetoric and policies that criminalize Syrian refugees, Central American refugees, and all those migrating to escape violence. The only crime here is deporting Central American refugees over the holiday weekend. President Obama needs to stop deporting immigrants, families, and children, and focus instead on pushing for DACA+ and DAPA in the courts and stopping profiling in immigration enforcement.”