OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership in Ohio

03/19/2026

Join us on April 4 to be empowered and build stronger communities together with other Bhutanese-Nepali women and LGBTQ+ folks!

We will hear directly from an inspiring panel of local South Asian women leaders, learn about our rights when voting or interacting with law enforcement, and talk about issues impacting our community here in Central Ohio. The conversations and information shared will primarily be in English.

Date & Time: Saturday, April 4, from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Venue: 676 Brook Hollow, Columbus, OH 43230
Cost: Free! Lunch will be provided.
Registration is open to Bhutanese-Nepali women and LGBTQ+ people. Please RSVP by Tuesday, March 31: https://bit.ly/4lfFsSq

03/11/2026

What: Stop HB 200 Testimony Workshop
When: Thursday March,12 7-8pm

Join OPAWL, Ohioans against Extremism, Young Latino Network and other partners for a Virtual Testimony Writing Workshop to Stop House Bill 200. HB 200 is a dangerous bill that would make being undocumented in Ohio a felony and forces local police to cooperate with ICE in DHS. Join a community of like-minded Ohioans to learn all you need to know to write and submit a testimony to the Ohio House Public Safety Committee. Protect your neighbors and put an end to government overreach!

Register at bit.ly/stopHB200

02/23/2026

OPAWL Co-Director Jona Hilario delivered testimony at last week’s Columbus City Council hearing on federal immigration enforcement. She spoke about how the threat of ICE is impacting AAPI communities, the importance of more dollars for the Columbus Families Together Fund, and the need to cut ties with mass surveillance companies like Flock Safety which endanger all of us.

Contact your city Councilmembers to demonstrate that Columbus residents support immediate robust action to protect our communities!

02/17/2026

Please join us this Wednesday, February 18th, at 6pm EST for an informative Constitutional Observers Training, in collaboration with our partners at MN8. Visit bit.ly/feb18-training to register for this event on Zoom.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

02/03/2026

In collaboration with MN8, please join OPAWL on Wednesday, February 18th, at 6pm EST for an informative Constitutional Observer Training.

This event blends basic “Know Your Rights” education and “rapid response” protocols in a practical, hands-on learning experience.

We all have different roles to play in order to protect immigrant communities. It is our hope that this training may better equip community members with the history, legal context, and constitutional foundations behind people’s rights during interactions with law enforcement and government officials. The training will also oversee topics such as observational procedures, tools for staying calm, on-scene effectiveness, and how to protect yourself while supporting community accountability.

Please visit bit.ly/feb18-training to register for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

12/11/2025

Join us next Thursday at Two Dollar Radio HQ for the latest in our monthly Community Conversation series.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1573290063802864

12/11/2025

"No one deserves this cruelty. Mohan must be allowed to be reunited with his beautiful family." - Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

Mohan Karki's family and others with Nepali ancestry were persecuted and driven out of Bhutan in the 1990s. Karki himself was born in a refugee camp in nearby Nepal. Yet, the U.S. government claims he is a Bhutanese citizen and seeks to deport him there.

12/11/2025

Thank you Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for uplifting Mohan and Tika's story!

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

Take action here to bring Mohan home: bit.ly/BringMohanHome

And consider donating to Mohan’s GoFundMe at bit.ly/bringmohanhomeGFM, as his wife Tika fully intends to continue fighting to bring Mohan home — no matter what happens.

Days before Mohan Karki was set to appear in federal court, his attorneys learned that U.S. authorities plan to deport the Ohio resident to Bhutan on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Emergency appeals have since been filed, while attorneys and advocates work to see if Karki will be able to meet with his wife and hi...

12/01/2025

Call to Action: ICE is planning to imminently deport Mohan while he still has multiple active legal cases pending to challenge his detention and deportation, which require due process and his presence — his day in court. This deportation attempt comes days before Mohan was scheduled to appear in person on December 3rd for a habeas petition challenging his detention.

If deported, as a Bhutanese refugee, Mohan faces statelessness and expulsion from Bhutan, where other Bhutanese refugees who were deported based on very old final orders of removal are now in hiding — and at least one person has died.

Join us for an urgent power hour on Zoom TODAY, December 1st at 12pm EST to learn about the most recent updates in Mohan’s case and make phone calls together to stop his imminent deportation. In the face of government cruelty, let’s take action and build community. Register at bit.ly/bringmohanhome

Here is a quick action link to email the ICE Field Director with 1 click: bit.ly/BringMohanHome

And if you have the means, please make a donation to Mohan’s GoFundMe at bit.ly/bringmohanhomeGFM, as his wife Tika fully intends to continue fighting to bring Mohan home — no matter what happens.

11/26/2025

OHIO: Take action to protect Mohan from deportation before he gets his day in court!

On the day before Thanksgiving, ICE has threatened to imminently deport Mohan Karki while he has multiple active legal cases pending to challenge his detention and deportation, which require due process and his presence—his day in court. We need your help!

Mohan is a refugee, worker, beloved community member, and a caring husband and new father to U.S. citizens. He has been detained for over 6 months, hundreds of miles from his family, and has been denied in-person visits where he could finally hold his infant daughter for the first time.

If deported, as a Bhutanese refugee, Mohan faces statelessness and expulsion from Bhutan, where other Bhutanese refugees who were deported based on very old final orders of removal are now in hiding — and one person has even died.

This removal attempt comes days before Mohan was scheduled to appear in person on December 3rd for a habeas petition challenging his detention.

Please join us in taking collective action for Mohan by contacting the ICE Field Director and Ohio’s Members of Congress to stop this unjust deportation!