While widespread immigration enforcement across Southern California has largely impacted Latino communities, Asian American and Pacific Islander families are also devastated by ongoing ICE raids, according to community leaders.
The escalating tensions and intensified operations have been quietly tearing apart AAPI communities, nonprofits and advocacy organizations said in a news conference in Little Tokyo Thursday.
“If you support what is happening now because you don’t think it’s happening to our community, think again because families are already being torn apart,” Manjusha Kulkarni, the AAPI Equity Alliance Executive Director said.
Many of the detainments are often happening out of public sight with the incidents rarely making media coverage, according to Connie Chung Joe, the CEO of Asian American Advancing Social Justice in Southern California.
“More often than not, we’re seeing that people are either being taken directly from their homes, or we’re seeing them taken from courthouses,” Chung Joe said. “Our Asian communities are scared to send their kids to school. They are scared to go to work.”
Leaders are also urging members of the community to stay informed and be prepared for what could happen.
“It’s only a matter of time before ICE comes knocking on the doors of tens of thousands of undocumented asian families who live in Los Angeles.” Kulkarni said.
It was also announced by multiple AAPI organizations during the news conference that they will be participating in the anti-immigration enforcement demonstrations planned across the city on July 1 in solidarity with immigrants day.
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stand with all angelenos, especially with the latino community. We can call for an immediate seizure of the raids,” Kulkarni said.
