May 11, 2011

Contact:

Sik Son, KRCC, sohnsik@chicagokrcc.org, 773-588-9158

Dae Joong Yoon, KRC, dj@krcla.org, 323-937-3718

Olivia Park, NAKASEC, opark@nakasec.org, 202-299-9540

DREAM Act Re-introduced in 112^th Congress

Today, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) re-introduced the DREAM Act in the 112^th Congress with the co-sponsorship of 32 members of the U.S. Senate, including California Senators, Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein, as well as Senator Akaka (D-HI), member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its affiliates, the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC) in Chicago and the Korean Resource Center (KRC) in Los Angeles thank Senator Durbin for his continued leadership on the DREAM Act and take this opportunity to continue to organize and strengthen our communities for reform while highlighting the need for immediate relief of immigrant youth.

“The DREAM Act holds the change that so many undocumented students have been waiting for and it is a start to reforming America’s nonsensical immigration policies,” says Chris Nguyen, member of Fighting Youth Shouting Out for Humanity (FYSH), which is the youth leadership council of KRCC. “Youth have been disheartened at the stalled progress of the DREAM Act, but recognize the bill’s great potential.”

Last December, the DREAM Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in a historic vote, but fell five votes short of overcoming a filibuster in the Senate. The DREAM Act, if passed, would grant young people the chance to fully contribute to society and earn their way to U.S. citizenship, after completing an extensive set of requirements including attending college or serving in the military.

Sik Son, executive director of KRCC stated, “The people of this movement have endured many obstacles, but have built a spirit that is strong. We remain true to our hearts and yet again commit to tapping the potential and aspirations of our youth.”

“The re-introduction of the DREAM Act will allow us to continue the conversation on the need for reform,” said Dae Joong Yoon, executive director of KRC. “But we also know that while we recommit ourselves to this struggle, we need to ensure that our youth are safe and not feel the threat of deportation. We can do this with President Obama’s executive authority to grant deferred action.”

Most recently, 22 Senators sent a letter to President Obama urging him to grant DREAM-eligible students deferred action until legislative fixes are passed.

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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a national progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans as a part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change. NAKASEC is based in Los Angeles and has an office in D.C. NAKASEC also has affiliates in Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center) and in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center).

Download: The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 (Summary-English)

Corresponding press statements in English and Korean.

• 다운로드:  ACLU 아리조나 여행 안내서 [한국어]

• 보도 의뢰서를 보려면 여기를 클릭하세요.

• Download: ACLU Arizona Travel Alert [KOREAN]
• Click here to see corresponding press release.

오바마 대통령의 연설에 관한 미교협의 입장표명
미교협은 오바마 대통령의 이민과 이민자에 관한 언급을 환영하며, 시급한 이민개혁의 필요성에 관한 심도 깊고, 현실적인 방안이 강구되기를 희망한다.
오바마 대통령은 미국을 부강하게 만들 수 있는 원동력이 될 셀 수 없이 많은 수백 만명의 노동자들, 지식인들, 명망 있는 인물들을 포함한 이민자들의 미국에 대한 기여도를 인정하였다. 오바마 대통령은 또한 어떤 이유로든지 이 나라에 오는 사람들을 위해 고안된 현재의 시스템은 “근본적으로 망가진”시스템이라고 덧붙였다.

오바마 대통령은 포괄적인 이민 개혁안에 관한 공통 사안을 분명히 했다. 이 개혁안에는 개인 이민자, 이민 노동자와 농장 노동자, 학생들의 신분 조정 내용과 드림 법안, 국경 안보와 사업체를 운영하는 고용주들 중 부도덕한 고용주들을 처벌하는 내용을 포함하고 있다.   또한 오바마 대통령은 천 백만여명의 서류미비 이민자들 또한 미국이라는 나라를 구성하고 있는“견고하게 구성된 하나의 조직(intricately woven)”이며, 전면적인 사면이나 추방이 아닌 합당한 해결책이 필요하다고 촉구했다. 덧붙여서, 오바마 대통령은 우리가 집행되어야 할 국가의 법이라는 것을 인정한 동시에, 무죄인 사람들의 인권을 침해하는 데 쓰이는 비용은 있을 수 없다는 것을 상기시켰다.

이민개혁 달성에 관한 시기에 관해서, 오바마 대통령은 이민 개혁 법안을 제정할 준비가 되었다고 말했다.

우리는 지금까지 더 나은 쪽으로 변화를 만들어 왔다. 나는 더 나은 사회를 만들 준비가 되어있다. 민주당 다수 의원들도 역시 준비가 되어 있다. 미국민의 다수 역시 준비가 되어 있다고 믿고 있다. 그러나 양당의 지지를 얻지 못하는 한, 몇 해 전 과 같이 우리는 이 문제를 해결할 수 없다. 우리 이민 시스템에 변화를 가져 올 이민개혁은 공화당원의 투표 없이는 통과 될 수 없다. 이것은 정치적으로 피할 수 없는 현실이다. 전과 같은 실패를 막기 위한 유일한 방법은 민주 공화 양당이 모든 미 국민을 위해 이 문제를 해결하고자 하는 책임감을 발휘하는 것이다.

요약하자면, 오바마 대통령의 연설은 행정부가 그들의 정치적인 상황과 현재 이민 법안에 변화를 줄 법안을 제정하는 데 중요한 초석이 되었다. 그러나 말보다 행동이 더 중요하다. 우리는 매일, 가족이 해체되고, 일터에서 행해지는 불시단속으로 고통 받는 커뮤니티 멤버들과 자신의 미래를 확신할 수 없는 수많은 졸업생들과 지하 경제에서 착취당하는 노동자들을 보고 있다. 우리는 오바마 대통령과 의회, 공화당원과 민주당원이 정치적인 용기와 신념을 찾고, 오늘날 우리 국가의 “근본적으로 붕괴된” 이민 시스템을 바꾸기 위해 강력한 리더쉽을 발휘할 것을 촉구한다.

우리 커뮤니티는 오랜 시간동안 준비해왔고, 우리는 이민 개혁을 실현시키기 위한 대화와 행동을 멈추지 않을 것이다.

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NAKASEC welcomes President Obama’s public remarks on immigration and immigrants and hopes it will kindle a more thoughtful and pragmatic dialogue on the urgent need for immigration reform. President Obama began by recognizing the contributions of immigrants – including the most renowned and the countless millions of hardworking, intelligent people who enrich this country. He added that the current system designed to enable people to come to this country – whether to study, to work, or to be with family – is “fundamentally broken.”

President Obama outlined the common elements of comprehensive immigration reform to include a pathway to citizenship for individuals, migrant workers and AgJobs, students and the DREAM Act, border security, and punishing unscrupulous employers while holding businesses accountable. On the presence of 11 million undocumented immigrants who are “intricately woven” into the fabric of the United States, he called for reasonable solutions that were neither blanket amnesty nor deportation. Further, while he recognized that we are a nation of laws that have to be enforced, he reminded us that it cannot be at the cost of violating the rights of innocent people.

With regard to timing, he said he is ready to work on enacting immigration reform:

So we’ve made progress.  I’m ready to move forward; the majority of Democrats are ready to move forward; and I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward.  But the fact is, without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem.  Reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes.  That is the political and mathematical reality.  The only way to reduce the risk that this effort will again falter because of politics is if members of both parties are willing to take responsibility for solving this problem once and for all.

In sum, President Obama’s speech was necessary for the administration to outline their policy position and readiness to enact changes to our immigration laws. But actions speak louder than words. Each day, we continue to see communities devastated by family separations and workplace raids, students graduate uncertain of their future and workers exploited in the underground economy. We urge President Obama and Congress, Republican and Democrats to find the political courage and exercise the forceful leadership absent today to fix our nation’s “fundamentally broken” immigration system.

Our communities have been ready for too long and we will continue to participate, from dialogues to action, to realize immigration reform.

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Ms. Pasquarella shared about the serious harm done to our communities by immigration enforcement, while Mr. Kaye challenged the audience to think not just locally, but globally about migration.  Reverend Lee spoke about alliance building and the potential of immigrants and African Americans to forge a progressive agenda together.

EunSook Lee briefed the audience on policy opportunities for immigration reform and also about the importance of telling our stories, which can be powerful forces to influence and change minds of those who may be at first opposed to or uncertain about immigration reform.

EunSook Lee states, “Immigration reform is not just a policy; it’s about communities and integration.  Dialogues like the one we shared tonight among diverse communities including Muslim Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, African Americans and Jewish communities are a critical part of inclusive, humane and meaningful immigration reform.”

Read Korean language media coverage of the event at the Christianity Daily.

NAKASEC Executive Director EunSook Lee pictured with author/journalist Jeffrey Kaye.

12 arrested in mall immigration protest from L.A. County

BY CINDY CARCAMO and IAN HAMILTON

2010-06-15 09:15:48

COSTA MESA – The 12 immigration rights protesters arrested after they snarled traffic by blocking a major thoroughfare for about an hour Monday near South Coast Plaza were all from Los Angeles County, Costa Mesa police said Tuesday.

They joined about 200 demonstrators who descended on the shopping landmark about 3 p.m. to protest the Costa Mesa City Council’s recent resolution to declare the city a “Rule of Law City” that does not welcome those who are in the country illegally. The protesters also denounced Arizona’s new immigration enforcement law.

The demonstration was a highly-orchestrated event by leaders of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles who had the names of those who’d planned to be arrested before it actually happened. Buses pulled into the area about 6 p.m. to take protesters  home.

Those arrested locked arms in tubes and strapped their feet together with duct tape as they sat at a table in the middle of traffic near the intersection of Anton Boulevard and Bristol Street.

Fellow protesters cheered and commuters honked in frustration as police arrested and led each person away from the table. Police eventually directed traffic away from the intersection.

The first to be taken away was a man identified as Carlos Roberto Coronel. He identified himself as a U.S. citizen and a Marine who served twice in Iraq.

“We’re standing up for our families,” Coronel said while at the table. “We’re standing up for our country. We’re fighting for our future, and we want immigration reform.”

Police said the following were arrested:

• Ana Cid, 18, of Los Angeles

• Angelica Salas, 39, of Pasadena

• Eun Sook Lee, 42, of Los Angeles

• Bianette Guadalupe Linares, 19, of Los Angeles

• Jonathan Daniel Klein, 41, of Los Angeles

• Carlos Roberto Coronel, 27, of Sun Valley

• Balmore Dominguez, 21, of Los Angeles

• Felipe Escobar, 22, of North Hollywood

• Lewis Logan, 46, of Los Angeles

• Jonathan Carmona, 21, Asuza

• Neil Rivas, 26, Santa Clarita

• Frank Alton, 58, Los Angeles

The 12 were arrested on suspicion of a variety of misdemeanors, including unlawful assembly, public nuisance and not obeying officers, Costa Mesa Sgt. Matt Grimmond said.

Police said they will recommend that charges be filed with the Orange County District Attorney’s office. Officers cited and released the group by 8 p.m. Monday and the 12 got into a bus that was waiting to take them home, Grimmond said.

Before hopping on the bus, however, the group staged an encore of their earlier protest.

“They started protesting, marching outside our police station,” Grimmond said.

At the first protest, some motorists stuck in traffic confronted the protesters while others complained from their vehicles.

“They have a right to protest, but no right to protest in traffic,” said Diane Beeson of Mission Viejo, who was stuck in traffic for 20 minutes and frustrated at police for not clearing traffic sooner.

It was the latest in a string of protests, shows of support, and backlash directed at the city, which has taken a strong stance against illegal immigration.

Some Latino lawmakers in Sacramento threatened to block the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds to the city from the state after city officials passed the resolution. Click here to read the story.

The City Council’s resolution, recommended by long-time illegal immigration opponent Mayor Allan Mansoor, makes it clear that those in the country illegally are not welcome in Costa Mesa. Click here to read the story.

Klein, a Rabbi, said he had planned to be arrested Monday along with other clergy from a Presbyterian Church and African-American Methodist church.

“Our focus is how a broken immigration system breaks apart families,” said Klein, executive director for the Los Angeles chapter of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice. “The goal is to get people to recognize how a broken system leads to exploitation of workers. We have a general religious theme, a moral frame that is we love the stranger.”

Protesters carried banners and posters, such as those reading “Legalization for All”, “and “No to Immigrant Scapegoating.”

It was also the most recent protest addressing the controversial Arizona law that makes it a crime to lack immigration papers and requires police to ask for documentation of legal status if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person they stopped is in the country illegally.

A group of 40 locals returned early Monday from a Sunday rally in Phoenix, where they joined others critical of the law. Click here to read the story.

The weekend before, the Register followed a group of 15 local anti-illegal immigration activists who left Garden Grove for a rally in Phoenix. The “Phoenix Rising” event on Saturday drew hundreds to the state capitol in support of the law. Click here to read the story.

The law has also sparked an anti-Arizona protest in Santa Ana and a flurry of city officials to request that their city either denounce or support the law.

To read a comprehensive story on Orange County cities’ reactions to this issue, click here.

Monday night, a council member in Cypress unsuccessfully tried to get his city to take on a similar resolution.

Click here to read the story.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7924 or ccarcamo@ocregister.com

More photos at http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-253437-immigration-police.html.

Original story at http://www.ocregister.com/news/city-253437-immigration-police.html

Until something is done soon, SB 1070 will be implemented starting July 29. In truth, however, we have heard reports that intimidation and profiling has already begun with police cordoning off neighborhoods and conducting sweeps to check for citizenship. The fear is now pervasive. From our first trip, a young woman shared that that she worries about her mother and calls her several times a day to make sure she is safe. Does any of this sound like the America we want to live in?

A few days ago, our two organizations organized another bus to Phoenix to participate in the May 29 National Day of Action. It was once again a bus full of young children, working parents, high school and college students and immigrant seniors. NAKASEC’s Chicago affiliate, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) sent some representatives and a close ally, the Working Hands Legal Clinic from Chicago, also provided two legal observers for the trip.

We left a day earlier, on Friday, for a rally and visit to Senator John McCain’s district office in Phoenix organized by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement. Close to 200 community members from Washington State, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, California, and Arizona converged to call on Senator McCain to re-assert himself as once courageous and respected national champion for reasonable and fair immigration reform policies. And not, the “build the danged fence” caricature he’s recently become. Within minutes, Senator McCain’s staffers called the police and we were asked to leave. A spirited rally began outside while representatives from our respective organizations including myself met briefly with the District Director. In the end, we did not secure a future meeting with the Senator but we made it clear that immigrant communities were not happy with his backpedalling on the issue.

KRC members drum and rally outside Senator John McCain’s office in Phoenix, Arizona

Hayeon Lee, Organizer at KRC addresses our members outside McCain’s office

In April, the rally brought out thousands; this day of action brought out an estimated 100,000.  And under the hot sun, we marched more than six miles to reach the State Capitol.  Justin Kim, high school member of KRC, shared: “The march was long and tiring, but we continued to the end.  There were even dedicated people in wheelchairs.” Dena Ilha Lee of KRCC’s Building Sisterhood added that the turnout went beyond her expectations and that it felt great to be able to represent her Chicago sisters and brothers.  She said, “It was hard, but I was more excited than ever to be marching and playing the Korean drums.” A member of KRC’s Community Health Promoters (CHP), a group of low income immigrant senior advocates, Ki Tae Lee (pictured below), also shared his love for Poongmul (traditional Korean percussion ensemble).  He said, “The drums draw people around us, and they follow us as we play.”

Senior CHP member Mr. Lee drums while marching under the hot Phoenix sun.

Another CHP member, Eun Ha Lee said, “We were welcomed by the people of Arizona and that was so encouraging.  When we chanted in Korean, many followed along.  It was incredible realizing that all those people were there for one purpose.” Dian Sohn, a student at UCLA, felt proud to be among the Korean American contingent.  She said, “The people around cheered us a lot, but I felt mixed because we are in solidarity not only because we stand for justice, but because all immigrant and people of color communities are suffering.”

Korean Resource Center joins the marchers – 100,000 strong

For more than a year, we have felt a strong pull toward Arizona in light of the injustices carried out daily under Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This past January, when a small contingent from KRC & NAKASEC joined the march against Arpaio, we were hosted by locals and got to learn about on-the-ground organizing near Phoenix and specifically in the pueblo of Guadalupe.  With the passage of SB1070 and subsequent legislation under Governor Brewer, the strength from the community level will be critical in overturning the current tide.

What’s transpired under the Phoenix Sun has caused our blood to boil, but it’s also the same sun under which we unite in solidarity. Organizers in Arizona will now be entering into a freedom summer of education, voter registration and empowerment; you can also support Arizona by following suit in your own area. Recognizing that political pressure will not be enough to move Arizona lawmakers, Arizona Boycott Clearinghouse (ABC) has also called for a boycott to apply much needed economic pressure to the state.

Our banner in Korean translates as “America is a Land of Immigrants”

For our part here at NAKASEC, we know that until we see federal action on broad and humane immigration reform, our entire country is in peril of SB 1070 and copycat bills. The only sound and workable solution to resolving the presence of 12 million undocumented immigrants leading productive lives in our neighborhoods is to legalize them.

For more information, please contact Olivia Park at NAKASEC, 323-937-3703 x209 or MomsRising.org.

Contact:
Olivia Park, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703 x209
EunSook Lee, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703 x205

CONGRESS DODGES IMMIGRATION REFORM WITH UNSUCCESFUL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AMENDMENTS
President Obama’s Beefing Up of Border Security is Not Comprehensive Immigration Reform

(Washington, DC) Today, three amendments proposing more immigration enforcement were defeated in the Senate. If passed, the government would have appropriated another $200 million towards Border Patrol – at a time when the number of patrollers and federally trained agents are already at an all-time high. In the wake of Arizona’s controversial and politically divisive SB1070 bill, many politicians continue to distract from addressing immigration reform by pushing inefficient and costly bills, instead of solving the moral crisis that is on our hands. The heart of immigration issues lie deep beyond the borders as twelve million undocumented immigrants continuously suffer from an unjust and broken immigration system.

EunSook Lee, Executive Director of NAKASEC said, “Billions of dollars have been funneled into wasteful and ineffective border security measures. At the same time, a record number of families are being torn apart due to daily deportations under the Obama administration. Border enforcement is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform.”

This continued inability to act responsibly by passing comprehensive immigration reform was further exacerbated by the announcement from President Obama’s administration that they will deploy 1,700 National Guard troops and set aside another $500 million towards securing the border.

“It is the failure of federal action that enabled rogue states like Arizona to pass the misguided and mean-spirited SB 1070 bill. With children separated from their parents, students unable to pursue their dreams, and workers exploited on the job, we are at a moral and political crossroads where inaction is no longer an option for Washington. We are calling on Congress and President Obama to take serious steps toward legalizing the twelve million undocumented immigrants in America and reforming visa backlogs so that families long-separated may be reunited,” said EunSook Lee.

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NAKASEC is a national organization founded in 1994 by local Korean American community organizations to project a national progressive voice on major civil and immigrant rights issues. NAKASEC works to promote the full civic participation of Korean Americans as part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change, and is part of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the Reform Immigration For America (RI4A) campaign.