In the aftermath of war and genocide in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, many SEAAs were separated in their escape to safety. Our immigration system must ensure the timely and humane reunification of families.
Key resource:
How family-based immigration benefits Southeast Asian Americans: Standing up for our families and our rights — A memo that discusses the current backlog for immigration visas and the ramifications of ending family-based sponsorship.
Featured story
Keep Our Families Whole – SEARAC Applauds Reintroduction of the Reuniting Families Act
The RFA would streamline the United States’ family immigration system – which has not been updated in over 20 years – to ensure the timely and humane reunification of immigrant and refugee families. The bill would eliminate bureaucratic red tape: clearing visa backlogs in the family and employment immigration systems, as well as providing an opportunity for relief for immigrants in deportation proceedings to remain with their families.
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“She’s all I think about. I just want my companion to be with me here, not just to help as a caregiver to my elderly father, but so we can also finally save some money and start a family, which is all I ever wanted. The emotional stress, the financial hardship, the physical toll it’s taken on both of us — it’s all really hard to manage.”
Solar installer, Minnesota
“The Reuniting Families Act would make our family reunification system more humane by ensuring that our families do not have to wait decades to be together and by providing greater opportunities for relief for those currently in deportation proceedings.”
Executive Director, SEARAC
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Latest related posts
The recent deportations of longtime members of the Rhode Island Lao community — many of whom came to the United States as child refugees, built families, and contributed to their communities — are deeply heartbreaking and unjust. Reporting from @yahoonews and Rhode Island Current spotlights the harm of unjust detention and deportation policies and their devastating impact on Southeast Asian American communities. SEARAC stands in solidarity with the Rhode Island Lao community and our friends at @prysmfam, who are supporting impacted families and demanding dignity and justice.
Read the full article here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rhode-island-lao-community-left-104553510.html or at the link in our bio.
Jan 21
Applications are OPEN! SEARAC’s 2026 Leadership and Advocacy Training (LAT) program is now accepting applications.
Join SEARAC and rising leaders from across the country to deepen your understanding of the issues impacting Southeast Asian American communities and build the advocacy skills needed to advance change at the federal level.
🗓 Apply by Feb. 8
🔗 bit.ly/LAT2026app or link in bio
Tag a future leader who should apply!
Jan 15
We’re grateful to the Seattle community for uplifting Southeast Asian American experiences through a screening of our docuseries, @seaajourneys_doc. This special event was made possible by @theatreoffjackson n and included a book sale featuring works by Southeast Asian authors from @mamsbookstore.
Moments like this inspire us to keep creating space for Southeast Asian American stories in 2026 and beyond.
📸 Photos courtesy of Bryna Antonia Cortes
Jan 13
We are holding Minnesota communities close after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in South Minneapolis. Her killing reflects the continued violence ICE carries out against immigrants and refugees.
Jan 8
"Healing requires both honoring the past and taking deliberate steps in the present. Many of us were taught, either directly or through unspoken messages that our emotional struggles and vulnerabilities should be hidden. Yet, healing requires us to honor how pain impacts both mind and body."
Read Tina`s full blog at the link in our bio.
Jan 6
