AAJC Responds to the President's State of the Union Address

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Asian American Justice
 Center President and Executive Director Karen K. Narasaki issued the
 following statement in response to President Bush's State of the Union
 address:
     "The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) appreciates President Bush's
 call to enact comprehensive immigration reform. He has long recognized that
 our broken immigration system must be fixed, and that it cannot be fixed
 piecemeal or by enforcement measures alone. We were pleased to see members
 of Congress on both sides of the aisle respond enthusiastically to the
 president's call for a long-needed overhaul of our nation's immigration
 system.
     As the legislative process moves forward, AAJC will pay careful
 attention to the elements and details of comprehensive immigration reform.
 These will include a workable path to legal status and eventual citizenship
 for undocumented immigrants and for future immigrant workers; reduction of
 the unconscionable backlogs in the family immigration system; meaningful
 labor protections for all workers in the United States and due process and
 justice for all those who go through our immigration system.
     President Bush acknowledged the need to bring undocumented immigrants
 out of the shadows. This is good news for the Asian American community:
 there are approximately 1.5 million undocumented immigrants from Asia who
 are currently vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers, or by
 criminals who take advantage of their fear of being discovered. Successful
 comprehensive immigration reform will offer these immigrants opportunity to
 earn their way to legal status and eventual citizenship.
     Another element of comprehensive immigration reform that is
 particularly important to the Asian American community is the elimination
 of tremendous backlogs in the family immigration system. Immigrants from
 Asian countries suffer from the longest backlogs. For example, a U.S.
 citizen who petitions for a son or daughter from the Philippines must wait
 approximately 14 years before he or she can legally immigrate to the United
 States join the parent. We hope that the administration will take an active
 role in addressing the plight of these separated families.
     AAJC also applauds President Bush for welcoming new immigrants and
 acknowledging their contributions to the United States. AAJC shares the
 president's belief that additional resources are needed for English and
 civics classes to facilitate the integration of immigrants.
     Finally, President Bush called for an immigration system that is
 "worthy of America." AAJC believes that an integral element of such an
 immigration system is honoring the American tradition of making due process
 and a fair day in court available to all who come in contact with our
 immigration system.
     AAJC looks forward to working with President Bush and Congress to make
 workable and just comprehensive immigration reform a reality."
     The Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org) is a
 national organization dedicated to defending and advancing the civil and
 human rights of Asian Americans. It works closely with three affiliates -
 the Asian American Institute in Chicago (www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law
 Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) in San Francisco, and the Asian Pacific
 American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) in Los Angeles - and more than 100
 community partners in 47 cities and 24 states in the country.
 
 

SOURCE Asian American Justice Center