CAPAVA Panel: Share Your APA Stories, Lobby – and Cultivate Top Solons’ Aides

By Jennie L. Ilustre

Photos: Jennie L. Ilustre

Do you want to influence law-making and policy-making on important Asian Pacific American issues? Then publicly tell your stories and “visit, call or write your legislators as a constituent–make noise,” advocates and aides to members of the US Congress in Virginia suggested at a recent discussion organized by the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia (CAPAVA).

If you truly want to be a difference-maker, add cultivating the top aides–of influential members of the US Congress in your state–at the top of your list to the advice regarding the Power of the APA Narrative, and lobbying your congressmen or senators. This was one of the highlights at a panel discussion on immigration reform organized by CAPAVA on May 21.
Inviting top aides was a CAPAVA decision that resulted in informed views, as well as up-to-the minute news on the topic at hand. It also resulted in an invitation from Congressman Gerry Connoly’s top aide Sharon Stark to activist Lundy Khoy to “come and see the Congressman” regarding her problem.

Venue of the first in a series of panel conversations was the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) office, located on 6400 Arlington Blvd. in Falls Church, Virginia. CAPAVA President Daniel Choi, who works at the LAJC, acted as moderator. Joe Montano, Regional Representative for Northern Virginia for Senator Tim Kaine (D), called Choi “a catalyst for change” for initiating the series of conversations on a top issue.
The panelists included Linda Khoy and Lundy Khoy, sisters and community activists. Lundy told a compelling story of a Cambodian refugee. Because she was born in a Thai refugee camp, she is a green card holder (permanent resident) and not a US citizen, unlike her siblings.
Lundy is facing deportation. When she was younger, she “made a poor choice” and attended a party with fellow students that involved drugs. She has since become an activist on APA issues. She is urging everyone to “please sign my petition” by visiting her website, www.change.org/petitions. Her email is JusticeforLundy@gmail.com
The problem of AmerAsians, children of Asians married to Americans who served in the Vietnam War, was another topic raised at the event.

 

Panelists
Other panelists were Marita Etcubanez, Director of Programs at the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and Manar Waheed, Policy Director at the South Asian Americans Leading Tomorrow (SAALT). Others who contributed their views on the subject were Ted Gong of the 1882 Project (Chinese Exclusion Act) and Jenny Ho of Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA-DC).

“Call or write your senator or congressmen letting them know you expect them to support the immigration reform bill, make noise,” said Barry Londeree, Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jim Moran (D). He said the staff tallies the numbers of calls they receive on current issues from constituents. The last time the reform bill came up, there were more negative calls than pro-reform, he added. Not so this year.
Londeree commented the political climate has changed since six years ago on comprehensive immigration reform. “The barriers are not as great as they were before. But it’s not a reason to relax, do not let up on your efforts,” he pointed out.
Londeree assured one of the panelists, Lundy Khoy, that “We are fighting to keep it there (in the reform bill),” referring to the provision directly affecting her. S. 744, “The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act,” filed on April 17 by the bipartisan Gang of 8 in the Senate, remained largely intact when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on it on May 21.

 

Family Reunification
The CAPAVA event took place when the Senate Judiciary Committee was voting on the bill proposed by the Gang of 8, a bipartisan group of senators. News was overtaking the panel discussion. Indeed, a floor vote is expected this month on the reform bill, which is expected to pass.
Remarked (AAJC) Programs Director Etcubanez, “It was very hard for us to tear ourselves away from the committee voting to be here. We had to leave at six o’clock, but we have news for you. The committee approved the amendment of Senator Mazie Hirono on family reunification.”
When she was a congresswoman, Hirono (D, HI) kept on filing and re-filing a bill, in vain, that would reunite Filipino American World War II veterans living here, as well as Filipino veteran green card holders, with their married and adult children. Some of these offspring have approved visa petition since 15 years ago. But a yearly entry quota imposed on the Philippines has prevented them from coming here.
The second panel discussion, Vietnamese American Conversation on Immigration Reform, hosted by Boat People SOS (BPSOS) took place on May 22 at the BPSOS office, located at 6066 Arlington Blvd in Falls Church, Virginia. The third event, Korean American Conversation (conducted in Korean), was hosted by NAKASEC.
At the BPSOS, the panelists were: Loan Hanlon, Falls Church Branch Manager of BPSOS, who acted as the moderator; Erin Oshiro, Senior Staff Attorney for Immigration and Immigrant Rights at AAJC, and Tram Nguyen, Associate Director at Virginia New Majority (VNM).
Although the panel spoke in English, the event was geared towards a predominantly Vietnamese-speaking audience and specifically for the Vietnamese American community.

 

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