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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Last month, we celebrated a historic milestone for our communities! California Senate Concurrent Resolution 96 (SCR 96), introduced by Sen. Dr. Aisha Wahab (D–Silicon Valley), was passed. SCR 96 honors 50 years since the mass resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees to the United States.
The resolution uplifts the resilience, contributions, and leadership of Southeast Asian American communities and calls for continued commitment to equity, disaggregated data, language access, health equity, education, and intergenerational healing.
To mark this victory, SEARAC joined Sen. Wahab’s office and Southeast Asian American Collaborative partners for a celebration at the California State Capitol, featuring powerful remarks from SEAA community leaders, elders, and policymakers.
This resolution is more than recognition, it’s a testament to our communities’ strength, survival, and vision for the next 50 years. Read more at the link in our bio.
Nov 14
After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in history ended last night after Congress passed a bill that was signed into law by the President. Extensions to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which help American families afford health care coverage, were not included in this package.
Quyên Đinh, Executive Director of SEARAC, stated, “Southeast Asian American families rely on those subsidies to afford health insurance. Without them, many families will be forced to decide between basic necessities or lifesaving care."
Nov 13
Have you checked out SEARAC`s October 2025 newsletter? Read about our community`s wins from last month including celebrating the passage of SCR 96 – a California resolution that commemorates the 50th year of our communities’ resettlement – as well as a screening of our docuseries in Sacramento. Read more at the link in our bio. Sign up for our newsletter at bit.ly/SEARACnews
Nov 12
Join SEAC Village and SEARAC for a screening of “Threads,” an episode from the “Southeast Asian American Journeys” docuseries produced by CAAM and SEARAC, at UNC-Chapel Hill on Nov. 20. This special event will also feature a screening of Fighting for Family as well as a panel discussion highlighting Southeast Asian American resilience. We are thrilled to host this event alongside UNC’s Southeast Asian Student Association, Carolina Asia Center, and UNC’s Asian American Center with support from AARP. Registration is requested and you can sign up here: tinyurl.com/SEASAscreening (case-sensitive)
About Threads: Threads is a sprawling portrait of indigenous Montagnard refugee community, threading intergenerational storytelling and history-making in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Directed by Quyên Nguyễn-Lê
About Fighting for Family: Fighting for Family tells one family’s story from refugee flight to school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline while highlighting the power of community resistance.
Directed by Lan Nguyen
Nov 10
The White House has announced the lowest refugee admissions cap in US history at just 7,500 for fiscal year 2026. In the announcement, the Administration specified the prioritization of white Afrikaners from South Africans for resettlement.
The current refugee system was formalized in the 1980 Refugee Act, a bill that SEARAC (then known as the Indochina Resource Action Center) helped pass and was one of the primary means to help resettle over 1.2 million Southeast Asian refugees in the United States. Quyên Đinh, SEARAC Executive Director, responds, "Refugee protections must not be selective. It must reflect our shared humanity. History has shown that refugee resettlement is not a partisan issue; it is a moral one, rooted in justice and equality for all people seeking safety."
Read the full press release at the link in our bio.
Read the full statement at the link in our bio!
Nov 6
