Adhikaar’s Newsletter: May-June 2023 (Part 2)
Immigration: Our Fight for TPS Justice Continues!
Services
A huge win recently was that we helped one of our labor trafficking survivors and Domestic Worker members receive her green card through T-visa after almost three years of support and advocacy. Our member is now able to reunite with their family after many long years of separation. We also finally filed for a T-visa for one of our survivor members after two years of vetting and paperwork.
Advocacy
On June 13, after months of campaigning for TPS redesignation for Nepal by our members - calling and writing letters to their electeds urging them to support, attending rallies, and sharing their stories - we won a TPS auto-extension for Nepal until June 24, 2025, which was initially set to expire at the end of this year. We also continued with the Ramos v. Mayorkas lawsuit, which has helped 300,000 TPS holders from Ramos countries — Nepal, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to remain in the U.S. after the initial TPS termination by the Trump administration in 2018.
On the same day, Adhikaar member leader and TPS holder, Rajbin Shrestha and his two U.S.-born daughters Shakshi and Shikshya met with the Biden administration officials at the White House along with partner organizations. Together, they urged President Biden to keep their families together by redesignating TPS for all Ramos v. Mayorkas countries. Rajbin along with his daughter Sakshi shared their stories, about why an extension of TPS was not enough, and urged the Biden administration to redesignate TPS for Nepal.
Adhikaar staff, Ramos v. Mayorkas plaintiffs, and Adhikaar member leaders Keshav Bhattarai and Sajjan Pandey (plaintiffs representing Nepal) convened in Seattle for the TPS lawsuit en banc hearing before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. They also took part in a rally where Keshav urged the Biden Administration to redesignate TPS for Nepal and all Ramos countries and extend TPS protection to new countries that are currently campaigning for TPS designation.
We hosted a Q&A with lawyer Emi MacLean live on Facebook following the Seattle hearing to further explain what happened at the hearing, the White House trip, and answer questions from TPS holders online about the TPS auto-extension. We also shared a call to action to continue our fight for TPS redesignation for Nepal.
Organizing
Adhikaar staff and member leaders from New York and Virginia participated in our first Communities United for Status and Protection (CUSP) regional convening in NYC, joining a diverse group of TPS holder members from other countries. During the convening, our members learned about people-powered movements for immigrant justice and liberation and brainstormed winning tactics and strategies.
Our members also learned about the history of anti-blackness, immigration advocacy, and shared their personal journeys as TPS holders. This was an educational moment for our members to unlearn their internal biases on anti-blackness, and the power of diverse communities fighting in coalition for our larger community.
Healthcare Program: Closing the Health Disparity Gap and Advancing Language Justice
Our healthcare team has been busy this summer supporting our community members to update their health insurance plans and also register with a primary care physician. We continue to support undocumented members to enroll in the NYC Care program which provides free access to quality primary healthcare across the NYC Health and Hospital system. We also enrolled qualified individuals in the “Grocery to GO” program where they receive a stipend from the city and get discounted prices on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Youth: Organizing the Next Generation!
In May, our youth leaders organized an event to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Together, they shared their experiences and knowledge of AAPI history. They also took part in a letter-writing activity where they wrote letters to their parents expressing their AAPI identity and the role it played in their development. We then concluded the event with our signature activity — a panipuri eating competition.
To celebrate and stand in solidarity with our LGBTQI2S+ communities, we marched at this year's #QueensPride alongside our community members and partner organizations.
Call us at (718) 937-1117 if you’d like to learn more about our youth program, immigration/TPS, and healthcare program.
Stay tuned for the next and last part of the newsletter which will cover our Nail Salon program, Community Safety work, and org-wide highlights.
Check out the first part of the newsletter highlighting our Domestic Worker, Adult Literacy, and New Immigrant Navigation program.
Click here to sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter
