April 12, 2016
Contact: Emily Kessel, eakessel@nakasec.org
Launch of the National AAPI DACA Video Tour
#DACAVideoTour2016
WASHINGTON DC— On April 12th, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) at Center for Community Change (CCC) joined the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), in front of the Supreme Court to announce the launch of the National Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) DACA Video Tour of two documentaries featuring personal stories of undocumented immigrants and DACA recipients: Dream Riders Across America and Halmoni (Grandmother).
The DC launch video tour screening will be held on Monday, April 18th at 6:00PM at the National Education Association (1201 16th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036) with a media event with interviews by Ju Hong, Dream Riders, and America’s Voice Digital Campaigns Manager Juan Escalante (DACA recipient who led the campaign against Trump hosting SNL) at 5:00 – 5:30PM. Please RSVP in advance for 5:00PM media event by emailing schun
This video tour is being led by NAKASEC, the Korean Resource Center (KRC), and the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC) and is a part of the Building Bridges campaign.
In anticipation of the April 18th oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court on President Obama’s deferred action initiatives, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+), the video tour screenings will be held in over ten cities across the country. The Supreme Court could announce its decision by June 2016.
Given this critical time, it is important to educate the community about the importance of the DAPA and DACA programs by highlighting real stories and sharing the hopes and dreams of undocumented youth and families. These documentaries provide an opportunity for two stories from an AAPI community leader and young people of color and immigrants to be shared with AAPI communities across the country.
SaeHee Chun, Campaign Coordinator at NAKASEC, “Over 5.5 million of our family and community members have waited over a year for the implementation of the expanded DACA and DAPA programs that prevents inhumane separation from our loved ones solely based on someone’s immigration status. The Video Tour was initiated to uplift AAPI and youth faces of immigration, and the current timing with the Supreme Court case makes it even more critical to educate our communities on the impact deferred action has brought to all our communities. Please join us by attending a video tour screening in one of the 10+ cities across the country including DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago screening Dream Riders Across America and Halmoni, two documentaries that show why DACA, immigrant rights, and racial justice matter to our community and all of America.”
Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17) shared the following written statement in support of the video tour launch: “Thank you NAKASEC and your partners for the work you do to bring the voices of undocumented Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth and families to the forefront. As the Supreme Court starts considering the case on the President’s executive actions on immigration on April 18, I am proud to have joined 224 of my Congressional colleagues defending these programs. It is a testament to the courage and leadership of undocumented youth who told their stories that we now have such a broad array of support on this issue. I commend the National AAPI DACA Video Tour for continuing this work to show the real impacts of DACA and underscore how DAPA expanded DACA could prevent many more families from experiencing the pain of separation. As we continue to fight for families in the Supreme Court and in Congress, I hope that everyone will remember that these stories of immigrant youth and families are an integral part of the fabric of America.”
“Today, we stand in front of the Supreme Court demonstrating our support for the president’s immigration action. We hope the stories of immigrants in the video tour, that reflect our nation’s identity, speak to the justices of the Court,” said Bridgette Gomez Deputy Field Director for the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) at Center for Community Change (CCC). “But above all, we hope justice prevails over the politics of hate and DAPA and DACA are once and for all unblocked. Unfreezing DAPA and expanded DACA will strengthen our communities, protect the dignity of families, create jobs, raise average wages for U.S.-born workers, and grow our economy by tens of billions of dollars,” said Bridgette Gomez, Deputy Field Director of Immigration, FIRM at CCC.
“DACA has allowed me to travel back to South Korea to reunite with my ailing grandmother for the first time in over 13 years. Imagine what DAPA and expanded DACA could do for the millions of families and community members who would benefit from these programs. Throughout the National AAPI DACA Video Tour, we encourage AAPI communities to share a personalized sign with messages of support for DACA/DAPA,” shared Ju Hong, National AAPI DACA Collaborative Coordinator and the face behind Halmoni (Grandmother).
