Statement on Recent ICE and Federal Enforcement Activity

Written By Anh-Vy Phan

Dear LEAP Community,

Our trust in democracy is strained.

Our belonging is questioned.

Our communities are hurting.

Asian and Pacific Islander communities are often mischaracterized as unaffected by immigration enforcement, yet increasingly, many of us know family members, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues who have been impacted, directly or indirectly, by these actions. With nearly 12 million Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in the U.S. – almost one-third of the total immigration population – the reality is that our communities, which include native and foreign-born U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, undocumented individuals, refugees and asylum seekers, adoptees, and student and work visa holders, are scared, anxious, and alarmed. With the escalation of unfettered enforcement activities against immigrant communities intensifies, it reverberates through schools, faith spaces, businesses, and healthcare networks, shaping how people move, speak, and show up in public life.

As a leadership organization founded by and rooted in the values of Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant and indigenous Native Hawaiian communities, we are heartbroken at the immeasurable loss of lives, livelihoods, and security as result of the ICE raids, detention without due process, and suppression of dissent and protest.


“If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”

Fred Korematsu, an American civil rights activist who stood up to the U.S. government’s wrongful incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast during WWII. 

January 30th was Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution


From our home in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles where we experienced the first immigration enforcement surge to Minneapolis where enforcement has become heavy handed and Southeast Asians are disproportionately targeted, these actions are not abstract policy choices – they are lived realities. Families are disrupted, workplaces destabilized, and fear deepened in communities already shaped by generations of displacement, exclusion, and silence. API-serving and API-led nonprofits in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro region are stretched thin and are under-resourced. A Twin Cities Rapid Response Fund has been set up to support the on-the-ground work of these organizations. Click here to contribute.

This moment calls for leadership that is grounded, humane, and courageous. Leadership that recognizes immigrant communities as neighbors, contributors, and culture-bearers who belong, and not as problems to be managed. Leadership that chooses transparency over fear, care over coercion, and long-term community wellbeing over short-term political gain. Today, leadership is not about proximity to power. It is about how we show up for one another when it matters most.

We will continue to stand with community leaders, educators, and advocates working to protect our rights, ensure our inclusion and belonging, and safeguard our communities. LEAP is committed to supporting you, our community by serving as a connector to various community resources for anyone in need of help or support.


In Solidarity,

The LEAP Team


RESOURCES






Anh-Vy Phan
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