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APALA Applauds the introduction of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019

3/13/2019

For Immediate Release: March 13, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

Washington, DC - Yesterday, Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), and Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) introduced the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries.

We know that 250,000 TPS holders are employed in the U.S. and they are parents to nearly 275,000 U.S. citizen children. For the 14,791 Nepali TPS recipients and the 16,000 AAPI DACA recipients and many others, passage of this legislation would mean that our union siblings, families and neighbors are able to continue remaining in their communities - working to support their families, and studying to advance their education.”

APALA Minnesota’s President and Executive Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, Jigme Ugen commented, “Since the onslaught of this administration’s anti-immigrant agenda, union members have been holding their breath for the Dreamers, TPS holders, and DED beneficiaries in our unions and our communities.

We applaud Reps Roybal-Allard, Velázquez, and Clarke for introducing the Dream and Promise Act of 2019. It is an important step forward to protect integral members of our communities.”

Former APALA Dream Fellow, Ju Hong added, “I am grateful for the introduction of this long overdue legislation that would ensure that I am able to continue working and staying with my family here in San Francisco, California. We’ve long been in the shadows and this legislation gives us hope that we might be able to live our lives with dignity.

Undocumented youth and TPS holders are members of this community. We belong here. We hope Congress will support policies that keep families like mine together and pass the Dream and Promise Act of 2019.”

APALA Denounces Trump’s Fabricated State of Emergency

2/15/2019

For Immediate Release: February 15, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

Washington, DC - After the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019, which includes $1.375 billion for a physical barrier, increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beds, and more - President Trump announced that he is declaring a state of emergency in order to circumvent Congress and the American people to secure funding for his border wall.

APALA National President and appointee from the National Education Association Monica Thammarath stated, "We denounce the fabricated state of emergency the President has declared when our communities are facing real crises. Our Southeast Asian refugee siblings along with other immigrant communities are increasingly threatened to be ripped apart from their families and communities, workers in growing cities are struggling to keep their homes because of corporate greed, and students and educators across the nation are faced with under resourced classrooms - these and more are the people's priorities and our state of emergency. We will continue to push and fight for our communities’ real needs, especially in the face of fabricated emergencies from this Administration’s White Supremacist agenda.”

APALA Statement on One-Year Ban of H2A and H2B Visas for Filipino Workers

2/6/2019

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

The Administration continues it’s rampant anti-immigrant and anti-worker agenda by quietly banning workers from the Philippines, Ethiopia and Dominican Republic from H-2A and H-2B Visa Eligibility

Washington, DC - Last month, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that workers from the Philippines, Ethiopia, and the Dominican Republic will not be not eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs for the next year. Flying under the radar for most of the public, this regulation is a quieter part of the administration's rampant anti-immigrant agenda by dividing workers, American and foreign, while depriving us all of rights, opportunities, and a dignified wage. Instead of singling out countries and cutting off the economic livelihood for workers struggling to support their families, the administration and congress should work together to reform our broken immigration system that leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by bad employers and greedy recruiters. Hardworking immigrants in the U.S. workforce deserve opportunities and protections, things that will only be guaranteed with appropriate oversight and accountability over our current guestworker programs.

H-2A visas allow foreign workers to work in the U.S. as agricultural workers. H-2B visas allow foreign workers to work in the U.S. as non-agricultural workers, such as resort, hospitality, landscaping, food service, and construction workers. Both of which are temporary visas for low-wage workers.

APALA Executive Director Alvina Yeh stated, “While our long term vision is to increase opportunities that include pathways to citizenship, temporary overseas work such as allowed by the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the United States is an important source of income for our brothers and sisters in the Philippines and elsewhere to find work and support their families. Guest workers deserve rights and opportunities, just as we do. Until greedy corporations and abusive employers are held to account, the administration should not expand the program or unfairly target individual countries and workers. By quietly banning low-wage Asian workers, the administration is dangerously upholding the model minority myth, hoping to easily sweep us out the door, but we will not stay silent while our Filipino brothers and sisters are singled out.

“Instead of targeting vulnerable populations, the Administration should address greedy corporations and abusive employers. In order to strengthen labor conditions in the U.S., the administration should hold labor violators accountable, invest in Department of Labor investigations to raise workplace condition standards and safety, provide data transparency, and more. All of which can be applied to the H-2B visa program to strengthen it as an opportunity for low-wage workers, as we work towards long-term policy solutions that guarantees workers a path to citizenship.”

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Press Releases

APALA Applauds the introduction of the Dream and Promise Act of 2019

APALA Denounces Trump’s Fabricated State of Emergency

APALA Statement on One-Year Ban of H2A and H2B Visas for Filipino Workers

For Immediate Release

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