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FIGHTING FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS
Michael Liu
4/14/01
Asian American organizations are stepping up their work for immigrantion and immigrant rights.
In New York, the Coalition against Anti-Asian Violence staged a rally
in anticipation of a critical Supreme Court immigrant decision in the
next few weeks. They protested outside INS Headquarters on Federal Plaza
in New York City.
The case involves the fate of "lifers" - those detained in INS prisons
as they wait for a deportation date that will never come. Under the 1996
Immigration Reform Act, hundreds of thousands of permanent residents have
been deemed "deportable." Many of these immigrants, however, are scheduled
for deportation to nations that can't take them back because they have
no deportation agreements with the United States. A majority of these
immigrants are from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Cuba. They are kept in
detention indefinitely. They are lifers.
The Supreme Court will decide on whether or not to release lifers from
indefinite detention. They will determine whether or not such indefinite
detention is a violation of constitutional law.
Also in New York the Filipino Workers Center (FWC) has launched a campaign for general amnesty, inaugurating that campaign with a May Day march. General Amnesty would give undocumented workers the ability to apply for "lawful permanent residence" in the US without having third parties as sponsors. They are supporting a House Resolution 500 introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez in February of this year. The bill offers the opportunity for those who have been in the US for five years to apply for general amnesty. FWC is planning community education, petition, and letter-writing g campaigns.They will be working with other immigrant groups.
Similar campaigns and rallies have been organized on the West Coast.
In Boston, CPA and CPC are part of a Multilingual Rights Coalition which is on the brink of securing translation of city council sessions in Boston. A cpmmunity hearing was held on April 12 in Chinatown. This is part of a general effort to support greater immigrant voice in city affairs.
Boston Hearing on Multilingual Access to City Hall (Unity
Photo)
