​Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that they will review the Texas v. United States which currently challenges the constitutionality of President Obama’s Immigration Executive Action. Last November, the U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals decided to block the implementation of the Expanded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) programs from taking effect, leaving millions of undocumented immigrants, including more than 400,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, in limbo without administrative relief.

“President Obama’s Expanded DACA and DAPA programs are a crucial first step to address the nation’s immigration crisis and will curb criminalization in our communities,” said Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President. “Fourteen months have passed since this immigration executive action was first introduced but the programs have stalled and have yet to be implemented due to the politically motivated lawsuit led by Republicans. We are hopeful the Justices of the highest court in the country will make the right decision to reverse the injunction and grant relief to millions undocumented Americans and their families.”
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“Despite what the Supreme Court’s decision will be later this year, undocumented immigrants, like myself, are all still facing the threat of deportation every day as seen through the recent immigration raids that arrested over 120 Central American immigrants and their families,” said Yves Gomes, APALA National Executive Board Member. “APALA will continue to push for comprehensive immigration reform until there is a clear pathway to citizenship inclusive of all immigrants and addresses the criminalization of black and brown communities." 

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​Washington, DC – In his final farewell State of the Union Address, President Obama outlined the
priorities and issues we as a nation must take on next year and beyond. His speech elaborated on
the successes of his presidency 7 years ago when he was first elected, but also reflected his vision
of the work that needs to take place to continue moving our nation forward.

During Obama’s presidency, the American economy has become the strongest in the world. His
efforts to reduce the country’s deficit by nearly three-fourths since 2009, slash the unemployment
rate to the lowest it’s been in 7 years, create 14.1 million new private-sector jobs, and add almost
900,000 American manufacturing jobs over the past 6 years have led to 70 straight months of job
growth to this date. We have made significant gains to move our country forward but the
momentum is at risk if the leadership of our country and Congress does work in bipartisanship to
reflect the values of the American people.

“Today’s political landscape and the future of our country are in jeopardy under the wrong
leadership,” said Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President. “As we reflect on the state of
the union in the beginning of 2016, we must also be mindful of how we must keep the elected
officials we will vote for at the end of the year accountable for our issues and beliefs.”

“As President Obama stated in his speech, we need to modernize voting to make it easier and
accessible for people to become civically engaged. America cannot afford to let the top 1% that
have the money and power to buy elections and hinder the political process from serving our nation to its full potential,” said Gregory Cendana, APALA National Executive Director. “APALA will carry forward the values of worker, immigrant, and civil rights in our search for viable presidential and congressional candidates that will serve all of our communities." 

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​Washington, DC – After the GOP members of Congress blocked multiple attempts to introduce new legislation aiming to stop the gun violence crisis in America, President Obama introduced a series of Executive Actions to reduce Gun Violence and Make Our Communities Safer to start off the last year of his Presidency. As seen in the White House Gun Violence Fact Sheet, President Obama’s Gun Violence Prevention Executive Actions focus on the following: Keeping guns out of the wrong hand through background checks, making our communities safer from gun violence, increasing mental health treatment and reporting to the background check system, and shaping the future of gun safety technology.

"As seen through the murders of countless innocent victims in Newtown, Charleston, Fort Hood, Binghamton, Oak Creek, Navy Yard, and others that never make media, every year more than 30,000 Americans fall victim to gun violence in the form of suicides, shootings, domestic violence, and mass shootings etc,” said Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President. “Too many families are losing loved ones as a result of senseless gun violence. The pain they must endure every day and the rehabilitation process these individuals face consequently needs to be addressed through mental health and gun prevention methods to stop the cycle of violence."
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“Contrary to what Republicans believe, President Obama’s Executive Action does not intrude on the 2nd amendment right of Americans - it only creates a more accountable system for people to responsibly purchase firearms. When has the safety of people across the country become a partisan political issue where GOP Members of Congress threaten to block any form of gun violence control?” said Gregory Cendana, APALA National Executive Director. “We must be reminded that only Congress will be able to pass legislation to take preventative measures to stop the gun violence crisis in America. APALA fully supports these common sense urgent efforts to stop #StopGunViolence and will continue to organize to end all forms of mass criminalization in our communities, particularly for people of color." 

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