Asians Represent at Large Seattle Rally for Immigrant Rights

A large contingent of Asian Americans joined an 8,000 strong rally in downtown Seattle on April 10 for immigrant rights demonstrations. People came from every corner of Washington state.

Among the Asian American leaders were Pramila Jayapal, executive director of OneAmerica, Diane Narasaki of Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Dori Peralta Baker of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Yakima Valley, and Thu Van Nguyen of the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition. Narasaki declared the reasons why Asian Americans must fight for immigration reform - the one million Asian American undocumented, two million Asian Americans caught in the family reunfication visa backlog, and 9,000 Southeast Asians facing deportation.

Jayapal identified four points that are critical in any immigration bill: legalization for undocumented immigrants, clearing the visa backlogs so families can be together, protecting migrant workers’ rights, and ensuring due process in the system.

Many immigrant leaders, impatient about the progress of immigration legislation, called for President Obama and Congress to introduce an immigration reform bill by May 1.

Many labor leaders and Democratic office-holders were present, including Congressman Jim McDermott.

The event was organized by the Washington Immigration Reform Coalition (WIRC) for America, an alliance of over 60 community organizations, faith groups and unions. The event was as a part of a National Day of Action.