ASPIRE - Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education

06/22/2020

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The 2020 Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards – the Virtual Edition – is honoring Immigrant Essential Workers who sacrifice and serve on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn is one of those Frontline Heroes who is accepting our award. New was born in Bangkok and came to the U.S. at the age of 9 where he lived in daily fear of being deported. Today New is the first undocumented medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also an immigrant rights advocate, a role forged from his own struggle to attain an education and later joining the fight for the DREAM Act to help other undocumented youth. Read more about New’s inspiring story. And join us for the online starting June 25th!

https://www.haasjr.org/perspectives/first-person-stories/new

06/18/2020

This morning, by a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration terminated the program in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner. DACA will remain in place until DHS figures out its next steps. Until then, those who have never applied may be able to shortly, and aspects of the program, including Advanced Parole, will be restored following USCIS guidelines.

We acknowledge that our membership has greatly benefited from the program as it continues to move people towards economic stability. We also recognize that much of it rests on the criminalization and murder of Black and Indigenous lives under the police state.

Now more than ever, we as undocumented API immigrants need to look inward to examine our values and practices beyond a superficial statement of solidarity. We know by experience that Anti-Blackness rooted in capitalism and settler-colonialism is global, that its manifestation is multifold. We perpetuate practices and beliefs that are harmful to our communities. Our collective liberation is thus also dependent on us holding ourselves and each other accountable to meaningfully support, love, and honor those impacted.

As DACA remains effective, we are calling on our community members and our allies to follow the leadership of abolitionists and take hold of those possibilities because reformist solutions will always engage in the act of othering and leave out our loved ones. And that's no way to freedom.

There will be an emergency gathering in front of 630 Sansome at noon. Please join if you can, or tune in online.

05/18/2020

More on California Disaster Relief Assistance for Immigrants (DRAI) and how to apply through your local nonprofit organizations:

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, California is providing one-time state-funded disaster relief assistance to undocumented adults who are ineligible for other forms of assistance, including assistance under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and pandemic unemployment....

04/01/2020

Hi everyone! If you're reading this post, we're really glad you're still here. We hope you're staying well, doing things that fill you with joy and calm, and knoow that however tough it will be in the months and years to come, we'll be with each other.

These times are challenging. No one should expect normalcy during a pandemic. And we know we're not set up to address a public health crisis, and that's why we've always advocated for community care practices and .

Members of our communities are still having to risk their health in an unreasonable exchange for economic and housing security, with many more who are already on their way to lose that kind of stability.

To address this, ASPIRE has partnered with California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, Centro Legal de la Raza, ROC the Bay: Restaurant Opportunities Center Bay Area, UNITE HERE! Local 2850, The Unity Council, Street Level Health Project, and East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy to set up OUR Fund for undocumented workers in the Oakland area.

If you have any means, please considering donating to OUR Fund at $25, $50, or $100, or your local efforts that help undocumented families and others stay afloat during this time. If you need help, please reach out to us and we may be able to provide referrals and resource sheets. We will continue to update our page to include existing funds for undocumented workers in the Bay Area.

While we encourage everyone to continue to practice physical distancing, we do not have to be socially isolated as well. We especially need each other during this time. Please check on your neighbors and friends via video calls, texts, or even a simple wave-bye if you live close.

Oakland Undocumented Relief Fund Partners About Centro Legal de la Raza, along with community partners, created the Oakland Undocumented Relief Fund to provide critical support to immigrant Oakland workers who have lost their jobs and income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the

03/13/2020

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Calling all organizations! We know medical neglect inside detention centers is rampant, and they are a public health threat to our communities. In the midst of the growing concern and inadequate government response to , join us in demanding the immediate release of all people detained in ICE custody by signing onto our organizational letter. Add your organization’s name here: bit.ly/ReleaseThemAll

02/25/2020

Community members are gathering in front of 100 Montgomery to demand prosecutorial discretion for Valeria and for all others detained and criminalized by the state.

Freedom is roots, and we have roots by living, growing, and thriving with our families and communities

Share this post via social media and help us

02/25/2020

Valeria is a fierce community leader, organizer, who was wrongfully detained by Puerto Rico CBP last year while traveling, and is now in removal proceeding to be deported to a country that is known to criminalize q***r folks.

Stay updated with us and and join us to keep Valeria free!

01/11/2020

Victory for all of us! Governor Newsom has included Senior (65+) in his latest budget proposal, following the expansion of Medi-Cal access to undocumented young adults up to age 25.

As we celebrate this win for and by the community, we also want to take the time to remember the loved ones we lost to this access disparity. Undocumented communities have fought long for this expansion; ASPIRE has been a partner in the Health for All campaign to advocate for a care system accessible by all members of our communities, regardless of their immigration status, income, race, or housing status.

The proposal also includes many sweeping changes that promise a more inclusive, caring, and equitable California. Let's keep working together to achieve the version of California that recognizes the dignity and humanity of all.

From the budget summary: "The Budget proposes to make additional progress towards universal coverage by expanding eligibility for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits to all persons aged 65 years and older, regardless of immigration status, no sooner than January 1, 2021... The Budget includes $80.5 million ($64.2 million General Fund) for this expansion, including In-Home Supportive Services costs. It is anticipated that most undocumented persons aged 65 and older who will be eligible are already receiving federally required coverage for emergency care. This expansion will provide preventative care to an estimated 27,000 undocumented persons in the first year. Full implementation costs are projected to be approximately $350 million ($320 million General Fund) in 2022-23 and ongoing."

Follow this for summary:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced his 2020-2021 budget proposal Friday, including a new fund to address the homelessness crisis, more money for Cal Fire to fight wildfires, and a plan to create a generic drug label for the state.

10/13/2019

On Friday, Governor Newsom signed AB 32 into law, making California the first state to end private prisons. This is a win for the people, by the people. Thank you to all the undocumented folks whose abolitionist vision has continuously guided us towards a future without cages or borders. California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, thank you for your fearless leadership.

We need you now more than ever to donate to the emergency fund to help us . The government used to tell us the only option for the incarcerated folks is to transfer them to another detention center and away from community, and they will continue to tell us that to profit off our labor and bodies.

Please consider donating and sharing.

On October 10, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 32 into law. The law bans the private prison industry from operating in the state, which will result in the closure of immigration detention facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has the power to release people from immi...

07/16/2019

07/16/2019

It’s up to all of us to keep our communities safe from deportation. Thank you for everything that you do.
Please ONLY use these numbers to report ICE activity and enforcement actions