Washington, D.C. - The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) is disgusted and outraged by the Trump administration’s cruel, inhumane, anti-worker and racist immigration principles, which were released last Sunday night. In response, APALA National President Monica Thammarath issued the following statement:
 
"The Trump administration’s immigration principles is a White Supremacist's wish list and should not be taken lightly. This list includes building a border wall, hiring 10,000 additional enforcement and detention agents, heightening criminalization of those with overstayed visas or seeking asylum, expanding the E-verify program, deporting unaccompanied minors seeking refuge, and ending extended family sponsorship programs. Even while a bipartisan solution exists in Congress to protect Undocumented immigrant youth, the White Supremacists of the White House think they can exploit young people as bargaining chips to expand the U.S. police state and further criminalize and deport immigrants and refugees. 
 
As Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) working people, we will not be used as a wedge group nor will we remain silent or idle as this administration continues to harm our communities. We will continue to resist, organize and fight until a clean DREAM act is passed."
 
Since the cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on September 5, APALA chapter members and our union partners have been driving calls, meeting with members of Congress, and standing on the front lines of grassroots mobilization to push for the passage of a clean DREAM Act. We must all continue to push members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, to protect Undocumented immigrant youth without placing other immigrant communities at risk.
 
The time for action is now! You can call your members of Congress using APALA’s call line: 844-551-6921.

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Washington, D.C. - Today marks the final Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal deadline for any DACA-mented individuals whose work authorization expires before March 18, 2018. In response to the cruel and arbitrary deadline imposed by the Trump Administration, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) issued the following statement:
 
Alvina Yeh, APALA National’s Executive Director said, “Days like today is a painful reminder of the Trump’s administration’s hateful attacks on immigrant communities. We know that the impact of the end of the DACA program extends beyond the 800,000 DACA recipients but also includes their families, friends, and colleagues. We have to remember, however, that it was the bravery and courage of Undocumented immigrant youth and their families that made the DACA program possible in the first place. We will continue to defend, protect and fight alongside our immigrant brothers, sisters, and siblings and use all vehicles possible until we see a clean DREAM Act passed in Congress.”
 
APALA National President Monica Thammarath added, “Today, I am keeping the stories of our Undocumented immigrant youth close. I am thinking of the late Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix, two immigrant rights leaders who tirelessly fought for the passing of the DREAM Act of 2010. Even though that bill failed by a narrow margin, their stories remind me that we cannot stop fighting until all Undocumented immigrant communities are able to live without shame or fear. DACA was only a means to our goal but not the goal itself. With DACA rescinded we call on Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution to provide young Undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship without endangering other communities in the process. We call on Congress to pass a #cleanDREAMAct now.” 

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