On Sunday, the Trump Administration released a shameful list of enforcement demands in exchange for a deal around the DREAM Act. In addition to the massive expansion of a border wall, the Trump wish-list includes a radical ramp-up of interior enforcement, a cut in refugee admissions, and an elimination of protections for vulnerable children and asylum seekers.
The following demands, if enacted, will particularly target and harm the Southeast Asian American community:
- Expanding the definition of “aggravated felony” to increase grounds for mandatory deportation and limiting access to deportation relief.
- Undermining Zadvydas vs. Davis, the Supreme Court decision that limited indefinite immigration detention, to allow the prolonged detention of immigrants whose countries (like Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) delay or obstruct repatriation.
The Trump administration recently imposed sanctions on Cambodia for refusing to comply with the deportation of refugees, and began a mass round-up of Cambodian Americans across the country for deportation.
“SEARAC is appalled by the Administration’s ongoing attack on immigrant and refugee communities,” said Quyên Đinh, Executive Director of SEARAC. “These proposals are not only anti-immigrant, they are anti-family and anti-American. We need Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act. Threatening entire families in exchange for protecting DREAMers is short-sighted and cruel. We call on Congress to stand up and denounce any move by this Administration to make these proposals a reality.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by the recent rounds-ups, please consider filling out SEARAC’s advocacy intake form so we can help direct you to appropriate resources. Please also consider sharing your story to shine a light on the devastating impact of deportation on families.
