Issue 78 • APRIL 23, 2024
Good morning, and welcome to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing — your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders. S
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— Edited by Shawna Chen
THE BIG STORY
U.S. Border Patrol agents intercept a large group of migrants in El Paso. Photo: Jaime Rodriguez Sr./U.S. Customs and Border Protection via Flickr
Historic numbers of Chinese and Indian immigrants are crossing the southern border
Fleeing political repression and economic hardship in their home countries, unprecedented numbers of Chinese and Indian immigrants are coming to the U.S. through the U.S.-Mexico border. But staying in the U.S. has proven difficult due to the lack of formal pathways to citizenship and availability of visas and legal work permits for new arrivals.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The southern border has historically been viewed through the lens of Hispanic and Latino migrants, but data on Chinese and Indian migration through the southern border challenges this perspective.
U.S. Border Patrol reported nearly 6,000 encounters with Chinese citizens at the southern border in December 2023—nearly 7 times the number of encounters in December 2022, per data from the Pew Research Center.
Roughly 97,000 Indian migrants reportedly encountered U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the border in the 2023 fiscal year—nearly five times as many compared to the same period from 2019 to 2020, NBC News’ Sakshi Venkatraman reports.
Of note: Indians made up the third-largest group of undocumented immigrants in the United States in 2021, according to Pew Research Center.
How the law works: In order to legally immigrate or enter the U.S., people from foreign countries need a form of “authorized entry,” which comes in the form of travel or business visas. But federal backlogs have created a months-long—sometimes years-long—wait for certain visas and other immigration applications. As a result, many are choosing to come through the border rather than wait for an unknown length of time.
Under U.S. immigration law, anyone who enters without a form of “authorized entry” must prove they have a legal right to remain in the country. This often means that applying for “asylum” status is a migrant’s only means to remain legally in the country.
Applying for asylum, however, can also be a years-long process. Most of the time, applicants are turned down because the threshold to qualify is very high.
To qualify for asylum, an applicant must prove that returning to their home country means facing a “credible fear of persecution” on account of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Behind the scenes: Post-pandemic economic hardship across the globe has, in part, led to global increases in migration. For Chinese and Indian migrants, hopes of better economic outcomes and freedom from identity and religion-based discrimination and persecution has led some to make the journey from Asia to the United States.
“[Chinese migrants] may cite reasons of economic crisis happening in China due to the impacts of the pandemic and/or human rights reasons (being persecuted in China for being LGBT, religious and cultural reasons etc),” San Francisco-based immigration advocate Jose Ng told AsAmNews’ Erin Chew.
In both India and the U.S., civil rights groups and activists have accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pushing a Hindu nationalist agenda, and for implementing policies discriminating against Muslims and other non-Hindu Indians.
Where things stand: Immigration to the U.S. has surged in recent years, and not just for Chinese and Indian ethnic groups. Immigration has also been the main driver for the country’s population growth as domestic population growth declines, a January study by the Brookings Institution found.
Some have had to return to their home countries, however, after facing steep barriers to entry.
— By
Katrina Pham
AAPI NATION
The Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith via Library of Congress
IN FOCUS
WISCONSIN THE LATEST TO REQUIRE ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY IN K-12 SCHOOLS: The bill follows a decades-long push to get Asian American and Hmong contributions recognized in education. It builds on previous legislation that mandates curriculum covering Black, Native American, and Latino history in Wisconsin schools.
Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed the bill into law at an elementary school in Wausau, Wisconsin, where Asian American students comprise 29.7% of the student body. He previously proclaimed May 14 as Hmong-Lao Veterans Day.
Wisconsin is home to the third-largest Hmong population in the U.S., according to a press release from Evers’ office.
“With me being the first and only Asian American legislator in the Legislature, I was able to leverage both the uptick of anti-Asian hate since the COVID pandemic, in addition to having my colleagues recognize how important, especially the Hmong and Lao community, have been to their districts and how powerful they are as a voting bloc,” state Rep. Francesca Hong (D) told NBC Asian America’s Sakshi Venkatraman.
“It allows students who haven’t seen themselves in textbooks to feel safer and to be able to share their stories, and for there to be an understanding amongst students, teachers and administrators about the importance of Asian American stories in our history.”
Similar mandates have been signed into law in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Illinois.
CATCH UP
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
2.3 million
That’s the number of Asian Amercans who are living in poverty, according to Pew Research Center’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Nearly 6 in 10 Asian Americans who live below the poverty line are immigrants.Burmese and Hmong Americans had the highest poverty rates at 19% and 17%, respectively. Filipino (7%) and Indian Americans (6%) were among subgroups with the lowest poverty rates.
The Statue of Liberty. Photo courtesy of Pixabay
👉 Here’s what else is happening across America...
⛑️ The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) extended reimbursements to the state for Maui fire survivors temporarily housed in resort hotels and condos, Honolulu Civil Beat’s Cammy Clark writes. Gov. Josh Green (D) expects those who are eligible for the direct-lease program to be moving into more stable and affordable housing by May 10.
❌ The federal government has nixed Guam and American Samoa’s bid to join the Pacific Islands Forum as members, saying that U.S. territories cannot represent themselves in foreign policy-making bodies, per the Pacific Island Times.
Their stance: “Because the United States is not a member of the PIF and because of the political nature and foreign policy aspects of the PIF, the State Department’s position is that it is inappropriate for U.S. territories to participate in the PIF independently, in any capacity,” the department said.
🛢️ Guam is navigating the aftermath of an oil spill at the Gregorio D. Perez Marina in Hagåtña, Dredging Today’s Eldin Ganic reports.
🦜 Renovations to the historic Preis Building at the Honolulu Zoo have been completed. It will serve as the first native Hawaiian bird rehabilitation facility on O‘ahu.
🎓 The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus has warned that FAFSA delays due to technical glitches could serve as a barrier for AAPI students who depend on financial aid to access higher education.
In their words: “With many universities operating on a first-come, first-served basis for financial aid offers, these delays may mean smaller award aid packages or no aid altogether for the low-income students, students of color, students from mixed status families, English language learners, and first-generation students who qualify for support but are experiencing the disparate impacts of these technical issues,” CAPAC Judy Chu (D-California) said in a statement.
🌊 Some Native Hawaiian surfers are honoring their ancestors’ legacy by highlighting surfing’s significance not just a sport but also a way of life in Hawaiian culture, USA Today’s Kathleen Wongwrites.
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— By
Rachel Lee
+
Shawna Chen