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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Aug 29
Instead of investing in healthcare, education, and basic needs, Congress chose to expand deportations and give the Trump Administration more power to target immigrants and refugees. SEARAC remains committed to mobilizing and defending our communities, including Southeast Asian families, against unjust detention and deportation.
Aug 28
This month, SEARAC proudly joined our California partners including @aypalpower, @cerieastbay, @firmunity, @hipcalifornia, and @varoundtable for the #PardonRefugees rally as a part of the Pardon Refugees Coalition, a collective effort to fight for pardons for Southeast Asian refugees and immigrants facing deportation. The day was a reminder of our collective strength and the urgent need to keep families and communities together.
Aug 27
On the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Sarah Burtner reflects on her family’s journey—from her grandmother and five children finding refuge with the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in 1975, to the enduring truth that women and refugees continue to build futures rooted in dignity, compassion, and courage against harmful ideologies.
Read Sarah and Kathy`s full #OurRootsOurPower blogpost at the link in our bio!
Aug 26
The United States continues to detain and deport Southeast Asians — tearing loved ones away from their families without a second chance. In these turbulent times, we must lean on one another and fight for a future rooted in justice and care.
Manoutham Phommachan and Vanhhatdy Souvannaxa both arrived in the US as children with refugee status after their families fled the violence in Laos following the Vietnam War. Both were unjustly deported, separated from the Rhode Island communities they helped build.
As @thepublicsradio reports, their wives, Cassie Souvannaxa and Tina Phommachan, have found strength in each other as they navigate this painful reality. Their resilience is a reminder that Southeast Asian communities will continue to rise and demand an immigration system grounded in humanity, dignity, and love. Shoutout to @prysmfam, who has been providing deportation defense for Southeast Asian families in Rhode Island through mutual aid, legal support, community organizing, and direct action.
Read the full article at the link in our bio!
Aug 25
