How art can help us better understand the fastest growing group of undocumented immigrants
Published in PRI's The World on
Being vocal helps young undocumented Asian and Pacific Islanders identify with each other, build a support system and share resources.
“I think it's becoming increasingly important for the community to not remain silent and to actually speak out about immigration issues,” says Jenny Zhao an attorney with the civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice-ALC. “And I think that goes both for the need for immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship and also for the issue of immigration enforcement and deportation.”
In addition to rhetoric around immigration, Megan Essaheb, also with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, says the conversation around refugees should be equally troubling for Asian Americans. Trump, for example, has called for “extreme vetting” for people coming as refugees from Syria.
She points out that many of those who came from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries came to the US as refugees.
“We’ve been trying to engage those discussions and make sure prejudice doesn't play in our decision on who we welcome in America,” says Essaheb.