|
|
|
CCH Member attends National Southeast Asian American Conference
From July 23 to 25, 2007, more than one hundred Southeast Asian Americans met in Washington, D.C. for the 10th Southeast Asia Resource Action Council (SEARAC) conference. Dr. Christine Su, Secretary and Director of Public Relations for CCH, was one of the attendees. The conference focused on contemporary topics that affect Southeast Asian Americans: immigration, deportation, physical and mental health, and education. In particular, the deportation issue is affecting Cambodian communities in the United States. In 1996, Congress passed the �Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act� (AEDPA) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), which broadened the number of offenses considered to be aggravated felonies to include minor crimes. Under these acts, any non-citizen convicted of an aggravated felony is deportable�without due process�that is, no trial, no thought given to individual circumstances, no consideration as to whether the punishment fits the crime or whether the U.S. would be better served by a different result. While awaiting deportation, moreover, those arrested are automatically incarcerated, often without their families being notified, for indefinite periods of time in prisons under deplorable circumstances. �No hearing, no second opinion, no judge. You�re gone and nobody knows? (Liberty & Justice for All, National Campaign Priorities for 2007, p. 2). 
No hearing, no second opinion, no judge�many Khmer Americans, both young and old, now live in a land they do not or no longer know, separated from those they love. Dr. Su spent some time with the legislative staff in the office of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, to discuss deportation and immigration issues. While the Senator�s office is sensitive to these issues and sympathetic to those affected by them, in general, Capitol Hill is not. Dr. Su met Many Uch, a Cambodian American directly affected by the new laws. Having been arrested and jailed during his youth, Many, now in his 30s, can be deported at any time--despite the fact that he fulfilled his entire sentence, was released, and then set out to live a normal life. During one of the conference sessions, participants strategized about how to 1) make Many�s story known; and 2) how to help to restore due process to the immigration system. For more information on Many Uch and the documentary �Sentenced Home,� click here. Dr. Su also met with U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka on behalf of CCH, to thank him for his support and encouragement. Senator Akaka joined CCH of the Khmer New Year celebration in 2006, and has continually made time in his busy schedule to meet with CCH representatives when they come to Washington, D.C. The conference was disheartening and inspiring, discouraging and stimulating, all at the same time. As Cambodian Americans, we have much work to do for the sake of our community and our culture. In 2005, Christine and CCH President Savouth Chea attended a leadership development training program also sponsored by SEARAC. |
About Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact Us |