Education is a human right - everyone deserves quality education, no matter their status, income or race. KRC is pushing a bill that will allow more immigrant undocumented students to pay in-state tuition in colleges. (AB1620). Immigrant parents and young people participate in the bill’s first hearing in Sacramento on April 23 to make our voices heard and to share our stories with legislators. The measure passed the Higher Education Subcommittee by a 9 to 2 vote.
Immigrant Rights
04-10-2019
According to the most recent Department of Homeland Security statistics for 2014, out of the 190,000 Korean lawful permanent residents eligible to naturalize, only 7.7% about 14,600 have actually obtained their citizenship. In other words, nine out of ten people are giving up their right to acquire their citizenship. In 2017, a total of 14,643 Koreans obtained their citizenship and 5,057 of them were California residents. The same year, KRC provided free naturalization consultations to 3,350 people and assisted 880 permanent residents to apply for naturalization. In order to participate and vote in next year’s presidential election, naturalization will be an important task for many Korean immigrants.
04-03-2019
The undersigned organizations join together to ask you to co-sponsor the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019. This bill provides a one-time opportunity for experienced agricultural workers to apply for legal status if they show consistent employment in U.S. agriculture and meet other criteria. This bill is a bridge until broader reform can be enacted and will provide desperately needed legal status for farmworkers to stabilize the agricultural economy.
03-26-2019
Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) reintroduced long-stalled legislation Tuesday to create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The legal status of “dreamers,” as those immigrants are commonly known, has been a major flash point in the immigration policy debate since President Trump rolled back an Obama-era order protecting them from deportation. He was later blocked by a federal appeals court, but dreamers still live with uncertainty.
03-26-2019
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and in Emergency (SECURE) Act. This legislation would allow qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients to apply for legal permanent residency. Jonathan Paik, Executive Director of KRC, said, “Termination of the Temporary Status Program (TPS) also impacts Asian Americans. We applaud Senator Van Hollen for advocating for much needed relief for TPS recipients across the country. We understand this is a stepping stone towards citizenship for all.”
03-19-2019
On behalf of our organizations, and in light of the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, where a gunman shot and killed over 50 Muslim worshipers, we ask the Department of Justice, in conjunction with relevant law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to address the alarming rise of white supremacy and neo-Nazi ideology by establishing a more robust system of hate crime data-collection and security measures of Muslim houses of worship and affiliated properties.
03-18-2019
On March 12, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard introduced H.R. 6, The Dream and Promise Act, to protect Dreamers and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) recipients. The bill allows Dreamers and individuals with TPS and DED status to contribute fully to the country they love and know to be their home by providing a pathway to citizenship. Congressmember Katie Porter has not yet co-sponsored the Dream and Promise act. We are urging our members to call the congressmember and ask her to co-sponsor the Dream and Promise Act.
03-12-2019
House Democrats are teeing up their next major piece of legislation: an immigration bill that would allow as many as 2.5 million people to apply for legal status and put them on a path that could ultimately lead to US citizenship. The Dream and Promise Act would allow DREAMers to apply for legalization, and TPS holders to apply for green cards. The bill won’t pass into law in its current form. But it reflects a new Democratic consensus.
02-19-2019
A new PRRI/The Atlantic survey on Americans’ feelings about the health of our nation’s democratic institutions reveal significant partisan divisions over racial diversity and religious pluralism. “Divergent attitudes about the very desirability of ethnic and religious pluralism are one of the key drivers of partisan polarization today,” said PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones. “Compared to Americans who identify with the Republican Party, Americans who identify with the Democratic Party are twice as likely to affirm a preference for an ethnically diverse country and are four times as likely to prefer a religiously diverse country.”
02-14-2019
We are gravely concerned by the steps taken today by the United States Congress and the president. Jonathan Paik, director of the Korean Resource Center, a NAKASEC affiliate, stated: “This is a reckless move and endangers the future of our country. Our democracy is in incredible danger- this is the true national emergency. We call on all our fellow Americans to resist these abuses of power and reclaim our democracy!”