For Immediate Release:
November 5, 2014
National Contact: Emily Kessel, NAKASEC, eakessel@nakasec.org
Virginia Contact: Dong Yoon Kim, NAKASEC, dkim@nakasec.org
Chicago Contact: Nayoung Ha, KRCC, nayoung@chicagokrcc.org
Los Angeles Contact: Yongho Kim, KRC, yongho@krcla.org
NAKASEC, KRC, KRCC Tell President Obama: The Time is Now for Big and Bold Administrative Relief
WASHINGTON DC- On November 5, the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and its affiliates, the Korean Resource Center (KRC) in Los Angeles and the Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC) in Chicago, urged the President to announce big and bold administrative relief that will reunite families and provide relief to undocumented immigrants living in fear of being separated from their families due to deportation.
Since mid-September, NAKASEC, KRC, and KRCC have reached out to thousands of registered Korean American voters in California, Illinois, and Virginia, asking whether they support the President using his power to reunite separated families by issuing more family visas and provide immediate relief for undocumented parents and adults so they can live with their loved ones. Among the 2,435 voters we spoke with, 71% of Korean American voters expressed their support for the President to take executive action on immigration.
Currently, over 4 million families have been separated from their loved ones and are caught in the immigration backlogs. Furthermore, over 11 million undocumented immigrants live as second-class citizens in the United States.
Prior to the November elections, NAKASEC, KRC, and KRCC gathered nearly 5,000 post cards from community members from 26 states, urging the President to go big and bold on administrative relief.
For the November 4 midterm election, NAKASEC and its affiliates engaged voters through non-partisan voter education activities and a Get Out the Vote campaign. These included door knocking to a total of 3,516 voter homes, phone banking to 36,504 voters, direct mailing to 48,845, and robocalling to 76,133 voter homes. Through these activities, we received a total of 40 media hits. Among the 4,469 voters we spoke with, 80% pledged to vote in yesterday’s election.
Dae Joong (DJ) Yoon, Executive Director of NAKASEC, said: “Now that the elections have ended, it is time for the President to keep his promise and honor family as an American value. NAKASEC, KRC, and KRCC delivered nearly 5,000 post cards from the AAPI community, urging the President to go big and bold on administrative relief in September. And through our conversations with thousands of voters in California, Illinois, and Virginia, we found that a majority of voters in our community strongly support immigration reform and want the President to use his executive power to issue more family visas and provide relief to hardworking undocumented families.”
Hee Joo Yoon, Executive Director of KRC, said: “Every day, community members come to KRC asking when the President will provide relief to their family members who are not eligible for DACA. Disappointed by Congress’ inaction and months of delay by the President, our community demands the President to act now for hardworking immigrant families that have been waiting for relief.”
Inhe Choi, Executive Director of KRCC, said: “President Obama taking executive action is the right thing to do, not only for our immigrant community, but also for America. This is an opportunity for him to make history. The President and Congress must remember that this is about families, not politics. KRCC has been organizing and working with the Korean American community for 19 years. We will continue to mobilize around issues of immigrant rights until our community’s voices are heard and taken seriously by our elected officials.”
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The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) was founded in 1994 by local community centers to project a progressive voice and promote the full participation of Korean Americans on major social justice issues. NAKASEC maintains offices in Annandale, Virginia and Los Angeles and Orange County, California. NAKASEC has affiliates in Chicago (Korean American Resource & Cultural Center) and Los Angeles (Korean Resource Center).
