Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Senate voted to supercharge deportations and fund tax cuts for the ultra wealthy by slashing Medicaid, SNAP, and other critical programs that provide for peoples’ basic needs. The bill is now headed back to the House of Representatives for a vote; in order for the bill to become law, it must pass the House without further changes.
 
SEARAC urges the House of Representatives to vote no in order to protect access to vital services that benefit all Americans, including the Southeast Asian American (SEAA) community.
 
This devastating bill would impact:

• The approximately 15,000 SEAAs who currently live in the United States with deportation orders, despite already having served their sentence, and often without due process;
• The nearly 1 in 5 SEAAs who are eligible for Medicaid and essential food assistance programs; and
• The millions of Americans, including SEAAs, who receive lifesaving health and mental health care through the Affordable Care Act.

A statement from Quyên Đinh, Executive Director of SEARAC:

“This cruel and reckless budget bill is a billionaire handout paid for by the most vulnerable in our country. It harms low-income and working class families across the country through unprecedented cuts to healthcare, education, and essential services — while funding ICE’s targeting of our immigrant and refugee communities. For Southeast Asian Americans, many of whom were displaced by war and genocide and arrived in the United States through refugee resettlement with little support, this bill is a direct attack on our safety and wellbeing. SEARAC urges the House of Representatives to prioritize dignity, justice, and opportunity for all by voting no.

California Moves Forward with Discriminatory Budget Cuts

Sacramento, CA – Last Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the California state budget after negotiations with the State Legislature to address continued deficits and in response to policies by the Trump Administration. While the final budget keeps some critical support for children and families, harmful language remains alongside rollbacks to care for immigrant and refugee communities. This includes:

• Freezing new Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented adults in January 2026;
  Eliminating full scope dental coverage for those with “unsatisfactory immigration status” (UIS) in July 2026;
• Imposing $30 monthly Medi-Cal premiums to those who are ages 19-59 with UIS in July 2027; and
• Restricting access to legal services and deportation defense through the Equal Access Fund for individuals with certain criminal records, despite having served their time and received their convictions amidst poverty, trauma, and discrimination.

A response from Mandy Diêc, SEARAC California Deputy Director:

“The California budget ultimately strayed from our deeply held values of care and support for vulnerable families and health care as a human right. It rejects the principles of rehabilitation and second chances and disproportionately harms Southeast Asian Americans entangled in the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline due to resettlement challenges in their youth. If the federal reconciliation budget passes, states like California will face even larger shortfalls and ramifications due to less funding for health care and more investments in harming immigrant communities and tearing families apart.”

Media contact: Elaine Sanchez Wilson, elaine@searac.org 

Take Action: Contact your Representative today

Take 3 minutes and tell your Representative to support our children and families by protecting our social safety net programs rather than funneling billions of dollars to increase attacks on immigrants.