​(Washington, DC) – Amidst rising acts of anti-Muslim hate and rhetoric, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) is proud to join fellow member organizations from the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) to stand up against hateful, bigoted and xenophobic sentiments against Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslims. The criminalization of Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian American communities have resulted in direct public and policy discrimination that fosters an environment of violence against Muslims.

“Muslims and those who are perceived as such are involuntarily forced to live in constant fear of threats, discrimination, and violence in their daily lives,” said Johanna Puno Hester, APALA National President. “Due to the culture of anti-Muslim hatred right wing conservatives are promoting, Muslims are unable to live, work, or even practice their faith freely without living in constant fear. APALA is committed to calling out and holding elected officials and candidates for public office accountable at all levels of government.”

“For centuries, the AAPI community has faced similar xenophobic rhetoric before in America. As seen through the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2, to the overt discrimination of Muslim, Sikh, Arab, and South Asian American communities in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, AAPIs have a long history of being discriminated against,” said Maf Misbah Uddin, Founder and President of The Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL) and APALA National Executive Board Member. “Republican Presidential candidates like Donald Trump have been calling to ban all Muslims from entering the United States and Ben Carson has questioned the ability for an American Muslim to be President of the United States.”

“The use of anti-Muslim rhetoric in politics by the Republican Party is a faulty fear mongering tactic used to isolate the entire Muslim American community by criminalizing them as the enemy. Their incompetent attempt to scare voters into supporting acts of racism and bigotry is completely absurd. Pitting Americans against each other and victimizing one particular group, Muslim Americans, does not keep America safe. Muslim Americans face the same threat of terror as anybody else in America, discriminating against their community only creates more acts of hate and terror within our communities,” said Gregory Cendana, APALA National Executive Director. “As a community who faced similar acts of oppression and hatred, we must stand together and call out anti-Muslim hate, bigotry and racism. APALA believes #WeAreBetterThanThis and will fight back hate with #VigilantLove.”
​
View statements from other National Council of Asian Pacific American (NCAPA) members: http://www.ncapaonline.org/statements_ncapa_members_against_anti_muslim_hate

###

​(Washington, DC) – During a Congressional briefing at Cannon House Office Building yesterday, national advocacy organizations representing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups and their allies shared a policy report on the impact of mass incarceration on the AAPI community entitled “AAPIs Behind Bars: Exposing the School to Prison to Deportation Pipeline.”

Discussing the impact of mass incarceration and mass criminalization within the AAPI community, the policy report was created after a historic convening held in June 2015 inside the walls of San Quentin State Prison in Northern California. The June gathering had connected more than 100 leaders, including activists, funders, lawmakers, policy experts, and community members, with actively incarcerated AAPI prisoners.

Yesterday’s Congressional briefing included remarks from Reps. Judy Chu (CA-27, CAPAC chair) and Bobby Scott (VA-3). Rep Barbara Lee (CA-13) attended the event to meet with impacted members from her district. In addition, formerly incarcerated individuals and those with pending deportation orders were invited to reflect on their personal experiences.

ABOUT THE AAPIS BEHIND BARS POLICY REPORT
Written in collaboration with the prisoners enrolled in an APSC transformation and racial healing program called Restoring Our Original True Selves (ROOTS), the report offered a number of policy recommendations that would better serve the incarcerated AAPI community, including the implementation of culturally competent programs, reformation of sentencing laws, reinstitution of Pell grants to fund prisoners’ college educations, repeal of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, and the creation of a prison-to-jobs pipeline, among others.

Officially categorized as "Others" throughout much of the prison system, AAPIs represent a population that is often overlooked. In 2013, there were 118,100 "Others" in the state and federal prison system, comprising 9% of the state and federal prison system.1 During the prison boom of the 1990s, the AAPI prisoner population grew by 250%, while disaggregated data shows that certain Asian subgroups, such as Southeast Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, have significantly high rates of arrest and incarceration.1 Closely tied to the rise of mass incarceration is the growth of immigration detention and deportation, which has increased for AAPIs overall, and Southeast Asian Americans in particular. In fact, Southeast Asian American communities are three to four times more likely to be deported for old convictions, compared to other immigrant communities.2 Incarcerated AAPIs also experience unique challenges, including cultural stigmas, lack of community awareness, and disownment from their families.

ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
The briefing was hosted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - LA (AAAJ-LA), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance / AFL-CIO (APALA), Asian Prisoner Support Committee (APSC), the National Education Association (NEA), the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and the National Council on Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), in collaboration with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

Moderated by Paul Jung, of AAAJ-LA, the panel of formerly incarcerated individuals included Naroen Chhin, 1Love Movement, Philadelphia; Lundy Khoy, SEARAC, D.C.; David Kupihea, API Rise, Los Angeles; Kristopher Larsen, Formerly Incarcerated Group Healing Together (FIGHT), Seattle; Harrison Seuga, APSC, Oakland; and Eddy Zheng, APSC, Oakland.
​
Panelists shared stories of events that profoundly impacted their lives, from being born in refugee camps, growing up in poverty, enduring sexual abuse, and being victimized by bullying. They also stressed the importance of education both inside and outside prison walls, and called for the AAPI community to come together to fight the cycle of injustice collectively.

###