The Fight For Immigration Reform

Youth Highlights How Immigration Laws Tear Families Apart
Along with other immigrant rights advocates, NAKASEC and its affiliates traveled to Washington D.C for the National Immigration Reform Lobby Day on Sept. 20 and 21. Joining NAKASEC was Andrew Jung, a 15-year-old Korean American who was featured at a town hall event attended by over 400 people. Andrew shared his personal story about how the unfair immigration policies led to his mother being held in detention for over six months and the eventual deportation of his loving parents. After over 20 years of living in the Toledo, Ohio community, his parents made the difficult decision to leave their only son behind understanding that America offered more opportunities for Andrew.
Over the course of the two days, NAKASEC and its affiliates met with members of Congress from California, Illinois, Ohio and New York to urge them to pass fair and humane immigration reform legislation, in particular the Senators McCain-Kennedy Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005.

“Dollar-A-Person” National Immigration Reform AD Campaign
The NAKASEC Action Fund wrapped up its grassroots campaign to raise funds in order to place prominent ads in major newspapers urging the President and Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The AD Campaign has been tremendously successful raising over $73,000 with contributions from thousands of individuals and over 250 organizations nationwide. The ads will feature profiles of individuals who are separated from their families, living in the shadows, and losing loved ones because of our nation’s unworkable and outdated immigration system.

In Chicago, KRCC joins other immigrant communities to raise their voice for immigration reform.

March for Reform
On Sept. 17, the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center in Chicago joined the Mano y Mano Community Center and other immigrant community groups for a march and rally in the Chicago suburb of Round Lake. The march was in support of comprehensive immigration reform and called upon Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) to support the McCain-Kennedy bill. Community members voiced their support for the bill and also reminded Bean about the large immigrant community in her district.

KA Power In Local Elections

Korean Americans will have their voices heard in the 2005 local elections. YKASEC – Empowering the Korean American Community and the Korean Resource Center have launched comprehensive civic participation campaigns for the New York City primary elections and the California special statewide election respectively.
YKASEC urged Korean American voters to participate on the Sept. 8 primary elections through phone banking and assisted them via an election hotline. Additionally, several forums were held at community senior centers to inform the Korean American community about how to vote, and the electoral process.
KRC is gearing up for the Nov. 8 elections, which will include important measures that will affect state budget decisions among other issues. To educate voters on the measures, KRC, in conjunction with Liberty Vote, published 20,000 bilingual voter guides that were mailed to 13,000 Korean Americans voters in Los Angeles. Other activities will include precinct walks, phone banking and workshops.