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About two weeks ago, a group of four DACA recipients rushed the stage at the Democratic presidential debate in Houston, Texas, to interrupt Joe Biden as he was answering a question about immigration reform. "We are DACA recipients," they shouted. "Our lives are at risk!" After a minute, during which all of the assembled presidential candidates looked on silently, local security escorted the protesters out of the event. The protesters were representing the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, a group of Korean-American immigrant rights and service organizations. Worldview's Ashish Valentine talks to a local Korean-American community organizer with the HANA Center, Glo Choi, about the stakes of immigration reform for the Korean-American community and Glo's own story of growing up undocumented.
On September 24, Working Films will release Stories Beyond Borders, a film series that shares a comprehensive picture of the current day experiences of immigrants and their communities. This project was co-created with National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Domestic Workers Alliance, UndocuBlack Network, and United We Dream.
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) is former President Obama’s executive order that protects roughly 800,000 undocumented youth from deportation and grants them rights to work in the United States to support their families and communities. Even before he came into office, President Trump has been constantly attacking DACA and tried to rescind the program entirely in September 2017, threatening the safety and livelihoods of 800,000 DACA recipients and their families. Nevertheless, the program remained open for the existing DACA recipients due to the enormous support and advocacy from the immigrant community.
Following in the steps of cities ranging from Sioux City, Iowa, to Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman have launched the Mayor's Youth Commission—a group of more than 30 students ages 14-19 from throughout the city selected to advise the mayor and her team on issues that impact Chicago's young people. Lightfoot and First Lady Eshleman are chairing the commission and will facilitate the sustainable involvement of youth voice in local government. The inaugural class of Youth Commissioners will be charged with developing a vision and youth-focused agenda for Lightfoot's administration.
Imagine learning as an adult that you are not a U.S. citizen after believing for your whole life that you were. Imagine getting deported because the process failed you. Many of us know someone who was adopted from another country. Over 500,000 children have been adopted by American families since the end of World War II. But many of our adopted family members, partners, friends, and co-workers did not have their U.S. citizenship secured when they were children.
Tell Congress to SUPPORT the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2019 by signing THIS PETITION. These signatures will be delivered by Adoptees For Justice, an adoptee-led organization.
Four beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program giving legal protections for young unauthorized immigrants, interrupted Joe Biden’s closing remarks during the Democratic debate Thursday night with chants of “We are DACA recipients! Our lives are at risk!”
“Hearing that there wasn’t much spoken in the debate about immigration, we felt compelled to speak up and say something,” one of the protesters said. “I personally felt that I had been silenced for so long about my status that I couldn’t be silent anymore. It wasn’t planned. It was more emotional.”
Korean Americans are the latest immigrant group in the Chicago area to establish a complete count committee to boost participation in next year’s census. Inhe Choi, executive director of the HANA Center, one of the groups leading the census outreach, said Korean Americans face many of the same challenges as other immigrant communities in the Chicago area.
This year, we celebrate Brisieda Quero Merino’s leadership with the Youth In Action Award at KRC & NAKASEC’s annual fundraiser gala. As a member of the Youth Advocacy Alliance, Briseida demonstrated strong resilience and high motivation to learn, volunteer, and support others in the community.
Prior to the debates, our community leaders and advocates joined the #FreeOurPeople Rally! NAKASEC was excited to join a rally with United We Dream, SEIU Texas, Texas Organizing Project, Workers Defense Action Fund, and Fight For 15 Texas where speakers talked about immigrant and worker justice, and demanded closing all detention centers.
During the debate, our DACAmented leaders let the country know DACA is at risk. On the evening of the Democratic Presidential Debate, September 12, 2019, four DACAmented young leaders from NAKASEC spoke out at the debate to uplift the upcoming Supreme Court case on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
SACRAMENTO — Tenants across California will for the first time have protections against how much landlords can increase their rents after legislators on Wednesday narrowly approved a measure to cap annual rent hikes.
Under Assembly Bill 1482, most yearly rent increases over the next decade will be limited to 5% plus inflation and tenants will receive protections against being evicted without cause. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who brokered the deal that led to its passage, pledged to sign the bill in a statement issued immediately after the vote. The rent caps would take effect Jan. 1.