AAOP condemns the U.S. Visa Sanctions on Laos and Burma

For Immediate Release

July 18, 2018

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Linda Her

Executive Director, AAOP

Washington, DC – On July 10th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued visa sanctions to Laos and Burma for refusing to accept deported nationals. According to the DHS website, “Without an appropriate response from Burma and Laos, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population.” These sanctions are some of the latest measures that the Trump administration has taken to terrorize communities of color and enforce the separation of Southeast Asian (SEA) refugee families.

In response to these sanctions, Asian American Organizing Project (AAOP) Executive Director Linda Her, issued the following statement: “As young Southeast Asian American, refugee, immigrant, and undocumented people, we have witnessed and carried Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and pain of our grandparents and parents due to state violence and the US wars and involvement in Southeast Asia. The Trump Administration’s Immigration track record is about separating families, and criminalizing our refugee, immigrant, and undocumented families and communities by sending them back to Laos and Burma. There are better policy solutions that will prevent further generational violence, harm, and family separation.”

Last October , U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained over 100 Cambodians Americans and nearly 100 Vietnamese Americans –one of the biggest roundups of SEAs in recent history. It is expected that the number of deportations will rise as more communities are targeted.

Many members of the SEA community who have been impacted by deportation are refugees from the aftermath of US-backed aggression. They have built their lives here as friends, neighbors, and family members; it is cruel and unjust for the Trump Administration to continue to re-traumatize, terrorize, and separate refugee communities. AAOP condemns these visa sanctions and stands with refugee and immigrant communities.

“We, Southeast Asian American millennial voters, have not forgotten our elder’s suffrage, and we call on the leaders we elected and our Congressional leaders to stand with us and protect our families,” says Linda Her. AAOP calls on the API community to join in resistance against the Trump administration’s surveillance, criminalization, incarceration, and deportation of immigrant and refugee families.

If you or your family member are facing deportation orders in Minnesota, we encourage you to seek legal help immediately. You can contact the community legal resources below:

Mai Neng Moua Law Office
Attorney Mai Neng Moua
612-808-9800
https://www.facebook.com/mnmoualaw/

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
1-800-233-1368
https://www.ilcm.org/immigration-help/

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AAOP condemns the U.S. Visa Sanctions on Laos and Burma

AAOP condemns the U.S. Visa Sanctions on Laos and Burma