An ‘attack on us:’ Asian American leaders condemn ICE raids and urge solidarity with Latinos ...Middle East

“When ICE comes for one of us, they are coming for all of us,” these immigration advocates say.

Leaders from local Asian American and Pacific Islander communities denounced ongoing immigration enforcement activity across Southern California at a recent press conference in Little Tokyo. They called on government leaders to end ICE raids they say are terrorizing neighborhoods and tearing families apart.

Holding posters that said “Families Belong Together,” leaders stood in front of the Little Tokyo Service Center‘s community program center, calling out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies.

At a June 26 press conference, elected officials and members of the AAPI Equity Alliance – a coalition of nearly 50 organizations serving the local Asian American and Pacific Islander community – condemned the raids and stood in solidarity with Latinos, whom leaders say “have borne the brunt of these kidnappings.”

“The images and videos are bone-chilling. Men in masks, refusing to identify themselves, snatching up street vendors, chasing down innocent people, raiding businesses, disrupting graduation ceremonies, all under the guise of keeping us safe. My question is – does Los Angeles feel safer to you now? The answer is no,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, at the presser.

“Entire neighborhoods have been homebound as people live in fear. People are struggling, scared to go to work, to even go grocery shopping or to religious services out of fear of being targeted by ICE.”

Though the Trump administration promised to focus on violent criminals, amid mounting pressure to raise deportation numbers, multiple reports show a majority of those rounded up by ICE have no criminal convictions.

Asian immigrant communities, leaders said, could be targeted next as part of ramped-up enforcement — and must stay vigilant.

Asian immigrants are L.A. County’s second-largest undocumented group, about 16%, according to the Migration Policy Institute, after Mexican and Central American immigrants, who make up 79% of L.A.’s undocumented population.

Numbers from the UC Berkeley Law Deportation Data Project show a majority of Latino deportees from countries including Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador; and over 200 from Asian countries, such as China, Vietnam and India.

“What makes Los Angeles a beautiful city is that AAPIs and Latinos live, work and play side by side with one another,” Kulkarni said. “Our community is strong and we’re going to continue to stand in solidarity, to denounce the violence and denounce unlawful abductions, and to really push back against these raids that harm our immigrant communities.”

Connie Chung Joe, chief executive officer of the civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), said that while ICE has raided predominantly-Latino neighborhoods in recent months, Asian Americans have been “more quietly” detained in places such as immigration courtrooms.

She acknowledged the significant obstacles Asian immigrants face, such as language barriers, when it comes to getting information.

“I can guarantee you, those federal enforcement agents do not speak our languages,” Chung Joe said. “That means people who have political asylum needs, and need to be going in front of court.”

Southeast Asian refugees have also been targeted, Chung Joe said, including AJSOCAL clients have been detained during routine, annual check-ins with ICE.

Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Alhambra, L.A. City Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado and Nithya Raman also condemned the raids at the press conference.

Fong urged advocates to support Senate Bill 805, the “No Vigilantes Act,” which would require anyone conducting law enforcement activity to display their name or badge number, and Senate Bill 627, the “No Secret Police Act,” which would prohibit officials from covering their faces, requiring identifying information to be visible.

Kulkarni and other leaders deplored a resolution — later passed the next day, June 27 — that condemns the anti-ICE protests that broke out across L.A. earlier this month, which the resolution called “violent riots.” The motion was introduced by Rep. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills).

“We are not afraid of peaceful protest,” Kulkarni said. “We are afraid of masked agents without identification, without license plates, abducting our community members.”

Fong, who serves as chair of the CA Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, said that in his 49th District – representing the west San Gabriel Valley, with a large Asian population – federal agents attempted to enter a daycare. Many agents have used unmarked vehicles and worn masks to disguise themselves, and one officer in Rosemead even pointed a rifle at bystanders recording an arrest, Fong said.

Fong said that the presence of ICE has made seemingly safe areas – including car washes, laundromats, places of worship, schools and hospitals – dangerous.

“We must stand together against the federal administration’s targeting of workplaces, schools, hospitals,” he said. “These are actions that are not making America great.”

In fall, L.A. City Council passed an ordinance declaring Los Angeles a “sanctuary city,” codifying protections for immigrants and barring officials from using city resources or personnel for any enforcement activity. In May, the Department of Homeland Security included L.A.  – along with 62 other California cities – on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions it believes to be “defying” federal immigration law.

Jurado, who is Filipino American, said she recognizes that L.A.’s sanctuary city ordinance has “felt hollow” recently, and that officials are “trying our best.” She said that the work of undocumented immigrants — including Filipinos, who make up a significant group of healthcare workers and caregivers — is “essential.”

“Make no mistake, this isn’t just a Latino issue. This is an AAPI issue and this is an L.A. issue,” she said.

Raman, who is Indian American, called the raids “unconstitutional,” and reaffirmed that the targeting of Latinos by ICE are also marks on the AAPI community.

“It is an attack on us,” she said.

John Kim, the president and CEO of Catalyst California, said that such attacks on the AAPI community are nothing new. Citing the anti-Asian sentiment of the 1980s, the Los Angeles uprising in 1992, the post-9/11 era and the uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, Kim said the AAPI community has too often been seen as an “easy target.”

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Latinos are facing similar challenges, Kim said, and AAPIs must stand by them.

“When Asian communities have, in the past, been under attack, we often ask ourselves, ‘Why aren’t other communities standing beside us?’” he said. “In this moment, our Latino families are asking themselves that question, and we, as Asian Americans, who know the fear and pain they are suffering, need to answer that call.”

The AAPI Equity Alliance plans to continue working alongside its Latino, Black, and other community partners against ICE raids, Kulkarni said. Organizations are hosting “Reclaim Our Streets” protests across L.A. on July 1, and maintain Rapid Response Networks for people to report ICE activity.

Staff writer Allyson Vergara contributed to this report. 

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