Joining the tens of thousands of demonstrators across the country today rallying for immigration reform was Deepa Iyer, executive director of South Asian Americans Living Together.
Iyer wrote in a blog in the Huffington Post
“Taking part in the immigrant rights rally in Washington D.C. on April 10th is significant for me, not only as an immigrant and an advocate for racial justice, but as an Asian American. Despite common perceptions, Asian Americans are neither newcomers nor bystanders in the struggle for equality of immigrants in the United States. We are inheritors of a history of restrictive and racist immigration policies, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to quotas limiting migration from Asian countries to the post 9/11 program called NSEERS (National Security Entry/Exit Registration System).”
She told the stories of four Asian Americans who have courageously risked their own personal lives to support immigration reform.
There’s Kevin Lee, an undocumented immigrant and graduate of UCLA who has stood up for immigration reform.
There’s Lundy Khoy, a legal resident who was finishing her probation for drug possession, when she was incarcerated and now faces deportation.
There’s Bitnhy Roy, A South Asian American who longs to be reunited with his siblings in Bangladesh.
And finally there’s Ian Cainglet. He came to the United States from the Philippines on an H-1B visa only to discover the job that was promised was never there. He sued in a class action suit and won.
You can read about all their stories in the Huffington Post.