Members of Los Angeles’ AAPI community came out in solidarity with the Latino community in Little Tokyo on Thursday, demanding an end to the ICE raids.
“Individuals and families are struggling, scared to go to work, even to go to the grocery store or to religious services, out of fear of being targeted by ICE,” Manjusha Kulkarni, the executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, said. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stand with all Angelenos and especially with the Latino community.”
Chancey Marterrel Rapid Response Network called for an end to the raids and “military takeover of communities.”
“Uphold due process, constitutional rights, and access to legal counsel,” she said. “Release all who have been unlawfully detained. Stop expedited and third-country removals or renditions. Stop indefinite detention. Respect the First Amendment right to peaceful protests. Stop tearing families apart.’”
Connie Chung Joe, with the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, says her group has been providing legal assistance to the AAPI community members who’ve been detained.
“Most AAPI community members, they are on the radar of our immigration system,” she said. “So you have Koreans who might be renewing their DACA every year. You have Southeast Asians who came after the end of the Vietnam War 50 years ago as war refugees, and they are in the system. You have asylum seekers from China who are in the system because they are in the system. What is happening is when they go in for their interviews to the courts, they’re being taken. So you’re not seeing that on TikTok you’re not seeing that on the news, but it’s most definitely happening to our communities.”
The groups say they’re still collecting data on the number of Asian immigrants who’ve been detained so far in the raids.
