For Immediate Release
June 27, 2013
Contact:
Jane Yoo, jyoo@nakasec.org, 202.630.4013
NAKASEC, KRCC, KRC Statement on the Passage of Immigration Reform Bill, S. 744, in the U.S. Senate
Washington D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act by a 68-32 vote. The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and affiliates the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC) in Chicago and the Korean Resource Center (KRC) in Los Angeles thank the members of the community for their efforts, especially in the past few months, which have brought us to this moment. The passage of the bill comes with mixed emotions and stronger determination as we tell Congress louder than ever, “No more compromises.”
Below are statements from the Executive Directors of NAKASEC, KRCC and KRC.
Dae Joong Yoon, executive director of NAKASEC
“It took a lot to see the passage of the Senate bill for comprehensive immigration reform. For more than a decade, the American people have loudly and clearly called on Congress to reform our nation’s immigration system, based on the principles of keeping families together, rewarding hard work and enabling new Americans to contribute to the country they call home. The Senate bill has important provisions to provide a roadmap to citizenship for new Americans and reduce the family immigration backlogs. But there is also the damaging provision of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars to militarize the borders and devastate the environment and the lives of border communities. We are also disappointed that there are additional hurdles for new Americans seeking to become citizens and that the ability to sponsor siblings and adult children has been taken away. These bad provisions are hard to accept but we do believe that we must support the process of moving the Senate bill forward. It’s not over and we will work with our community to keep the good and fix the bad.”
Sik Son, executive director of KRCC
“We know that the fight isn’t over. While we celebrate the important pieces of the bill, we call on Congress to stop stalling on immigration reform and pass legislation without any more compromises. Those who further obstruct and oppose will know they have to answer to the power of an even more organized and powerful immigrant vote come election season.”
Hee Joo Yoon, executive director of KRC
“The passage of the Senate bipartisan immigration reform bill is a positive step. We have worked alongside broader immigrant communities and organized Korean Americans and AAPIs to mount tremendous grassroots engagement and civic participation campaigns for the past decade. While the bill is not perfect, it is a starting point. As the debates continue in the U.S. House of Representatives, we will intensify our efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. In a few weeks, our youth will embark on a ‘Dream Riders’ tour and meet with AAPI youth and community members in the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and California, to share their immigration stories and build collective power and voice. The fight is not over and there is still much work to do for our families.”
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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 D.C. and Los Angeles. NAKASEC also has affiliates in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center) and Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center).
