Asian American civil rights leaders reacted positively to President Obama’s State of the Union address last night. From the President’s calls for safe streets to his push for immigration reform, various groups applauded the President’s message.
“We applaud the president’s vision for passing a commonsense solution to fix our broken immigration system,” said
Mee Moua, president and executive director, Asian American Justice Center. ” We support his call to keep our communities safe — communities such as Oak Creek and Newtown.”
“AAI encourages Congress and the President to address immigration reform fully, and lay out a plan that responsibly keeps families together, produces a pathway to citizenship and reduces administrative backlogs and wait times, ” said Tuyet Le, executive director, Asian American Institute. “The president’s address sets the tone for the year, and we are excited about the emphasis he placed on immigration. It clearly has an important economic, social and cultural impact.”
“Asian Americans have been deeply impacted by the recession, and in California, the number living below the poverty line increased by 50% between 2006 and 2010, said Hyeon-Ju Rho, executive director, Asian Law Caucus. “Yet our community and other communities of color were critical in President Obama’s historic reelection. We call upon the President to strengthen the economy and implement policies that provide opportunity for all, including immigrant and working class communities.”
“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community welcomes President Obama’s commitment to fixing the broken immigration system,”said
Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center. ” In the recent November 2012 election, approximately 82% of Asian American voters in California said that immigration played an important role in how they viewed presidential candidates. “
