Sun, 10 May 2026 06:49:20 -0400WeeblyTue, 27 Jan 2026 13:58:33 GMThttps://www.apalanet.org/press-releases/apala-statement-on-minneapolis-escalationOur APALA family has watched with horror the cruel escalation of ICE activities in communities. This campaign of terror is cruel in its intentions and vicious in its effect.  It is designed to punish states where Trump did not get the adulation he craves and communities considered less-than by Trump and his acolytes.  It is designed to create maximum fear in the hearts of all anyone who "looks foreign."

As communities push back, rallying in peace to protect neighbors and document the tyranny, another protester -- an AFGE Local 3669 member and a nurse in the ICU unit of Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center -- has lost his life at the hands of ICE.  This violence must end.  It is being fueled by an administration that spreads lies about immigrants and protesters alike.  

APALA joins the voices of unions and communities nationwide demanding that local authorities conduct a full and transparent investigation into the homicides of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as well all constitutional and legal violations that have taken place by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.  We demand that ICE immediately leave Minnesota before more deaths occur.  We demand that ICE de-escalate their aggressive tactics and that Congress use its power to hold ICE and CBP accountable.]]>Fri, 29 Aug 2025 02:27:57 GMThttps://www.apalanet.org/press-releases/apalas-statement-on-growing-famine-in-gaza-and-urgent-need-for-humanitarian-aidAPALA denounces the conditions in Gaza and the efforts by the State of Israel to prohibit provisions such as food, medicine and other necessary humanitarian assistance to reach the most impacted. These conditions are leading to famine and starvation.

International health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and Doctors Without Borders, have increasingly reported on the mounting evidence of hunger-related deaths due to malnutrition and disease throughout Gaza. The United Nations has also called for full access to humanitarian aid and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as humanitarian aid continues to be restricted with aid convoys often obstructed. 

APALA calls on the Israeli government to ensure the safe and peaceful delivery and distribution of aid to the most vulnerable in the region. APALA has already called for an immediate ceasefire and continues to stress the urgency of a ceasefire to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.  Furthermore, APALA affirms our support for regional stability, and we strongly condemn the recent targeted attacks that killed six journalists, constituting a violation of international law. 

“Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in freedom from violence. A basic human right in any community is access to food, shelter, and clean water. APALA calls upon the government of Israel and the world community to address the urgent human needs in Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid immediately,” says Mikayla Vu, APALA President. “There must be a long-term solution that respects the rights of both to exist, and we renew our calls for a ceasefire and advancement towards a two-state solution."

APALA is dedicated to promoting political education and voter registration programs among AANHPIs, and to the training, empowerment, and leadership of AANHPIs within the labor movement and Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities. APALA has and will continue to work to defend and advocate for the civil and human rights of AANHPIs, immigrants and all people of color, and continues to develop ties within international labor organizations, especially in the Asia-Pacific Rim. APALA stands against antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, terrorism, and racially motivated violence in the United States and around the globe.]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 15:24:34 GMThttps://www.apalanet.org/press-releases/we-celebrate-the-legacy-of-aapi-workers-and-union-leadersMay is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time that brings national awareness to the cultural and historic contributions of Asian Pacific Americans. 

APALA is proud to add to the conversation by sharing the stories of Asian and Pacific Islander workers and immigrants and the many contributions they have made to the fight for better wages and working conditions. Too many of these stories are long forgotten, but they all remind us that many have paved the way for the labor movement we have today.

Like many immigrants coming to the U.S., Asians and Pacific Islanders often came here to escape poverty, famine, disease, or war.  They sought the same things we all seek – safety and opportunity for themselves and their families.   Immigrants from the east and the west were met with the brutal exploitation of unchecked capitalism which had no interest in the well-being of immigrants.  Instead, they faced rampant exploitation with scant legal or social protections.

Their stories diverge, however, as 19th century Asian immigrants were also confronted with the harsh reality of bigotry and laws designed to deny them basic rights.  The notorious Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S., for example.  It also made existing immigrants ineligible for naturalization.  The law has the ugly distinction of being the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality.  Other states passed laws to deny property ownership or the right to marry U.S. citizens.  In addition, organized violence against Asian immigrants was growing and these immigrants soon found themselves further isolated and unsupported in their communities.

​Against this backdrop, they began to organize.  They often had no support from their communities, the press or organized labor, but the will to build solidarity with one another could not be suppressed.  In 1867, 5000 Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad held an eight-day strike, a full 25 years before the Homestead Strike and 27 years before the Pullman Strike.  In California and Hawaii, Native Hawaiian and Asian workers built cross-racial coalitions with other exploited workers to demand better wages and working conditions.  In the 1990’s, mostly South Asian taxi cab drivers in New York City organized a strike where 24,000 yellow cab drivers parked their cars and 2000 yellow cabs lined up 14th Street and Avenue D to demonstrate their solidarity.  Each story adds to the fabric and strength of the labor movement.  Each story deserves recognition as an important part of everyone’s labor history.

​APALA is proud to celebrate APAHM in May and pledges to uplift the legacy of our past all year round. ]]>