On the Court Decision on Executive Action on Immigration

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its affiliates, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) and Korean Resource Center (KRC) are outraged over the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Texas v. United States, a case challenging President Obama’s 2014 executive action on immigration. The Supreme Court has profoundly let America down by deciding to separate families and dehumanize hard working immigrants. Today’s ruling is a setback for immigrant families, but the movement for immigration reform will fight back.

NAKASEC’s Executive Director Dae Joong Yoon said: “Asian American communities across the country are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s erroneous decision. The court had an opportunity to provide clarity and guidance for this country to move forward on immigration policies that strengthen families. Legal experts have repeatedly stated that President Obama has enforced existing laws passed by Congress and used discretion granted to him by Congress. His deferred action initiatives are practical, legal and in line with actions taken by previous presidents from both parties. This ruling is unjust and demonstrates what is at stake when nasty politics enters the nation’s highest court.  This is not the American way to turn against community members like Mr. M.K. Park of New Jersey, who is devastated to know he may be separated from his wife and two sons.

KRCC’s Executive Director Inhe Choi shared: “Today’s outcome is deeply disappointing and unacceptable. We won’t give up. This fight for our families is not over. We will explore all possible legal options to right the wrong and will never forget how low anti-immigrant forces went to tear our families apart.  Now more than ever, it is critical that we demonstrate our immigrant voting power—for our AAPI community and it’s 5.5 million community members, including 48,600 Korean Americans out of nearly 500,000 eligible AAPIs, who were counting on DAPA and DACA+ to bring them one step closer to better supporting their families, contributing to their communities, and living the American dream. In the coming months our organizations will register thousands of new voters and connect with over 100,000 to get out the vote in November.

KRC’s Los Angeles Director Joon Bang, said: “Today’s deadlock is a setback for immigrant families, but we remind community members that this case does not impact the current DACA program announced in 2012. Over four years, we provided information about DACA 1 (initial DACA and DACA renewals) to over 13,000 community members and processed nearly 2,000 DACA applications for Korean American community members. While we fight to right this wrong inflicted on our families, we encourage eligible community members who have not yet applied for DACA 1 to enroll in the program for themselves, their families, and for the millions who are counting on them to set a precedent by demonstrating the power of this deferred action program. We remain dedicated to helping process DACA 1 applications and providing clarity on where we are and possible next steps. Please call our DACA/DAPA hotline for questions or concerns.”

For questions about DAPA or DACA+ or assistance with applying for DACA 1, please call our DACA/DAPA hotline in Korean or English: 323-680-5725 (California) or 844-500-3222 (outside California).

To schedule an interview with impacted AAPI community members or representatives from NAKASEC, KRCC, or KRC, please contact:

NATIONAL/VIRGINIA: Emily Kessel, NAKASEC,eakessel@nakasec.org

ILLINOIS: Nayoung Ha, KRCC,nayoung@chicagokrcc.org

CALIFORNIA: Jinkyung Park, KRC,jinkyung@krcla.org