OCA AND OVER 160 ORGANIZATIONS URGE WHITE HOUSE AND ELECTEDS TO STOP BANNING CHINESE STUDENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4 June 2020

Contact: Maddie Schumacher | Senior Policy and Advocacy Associate
202.223.5500 | maddie.schumacher@ocanational.org

Washington, DC – OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates and a coalition of 162 co-signed elected officials and national, state, and local organizations sent a letter to the White House, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Representative David Kustoff (R-TN) urging them to rescind the President’s Proclamation discriminating against Chinese students and abandon the Senate SECURE CAMPUS Act and companion legislation. The proclamation and bill are alarmist actions that not only constitute an immigration ban, but also hurt Asian Americans who are facing a spike in hate incidents due to COVID-19. 

OCA Executive Director Rita Pin Ahrens made the following comment on the presidential proclamation:

“President Trump is pushing an unfounded conspiracy theory that all Chinese students are agents of China's government, and openly discriminating against Chinese students. The President is focusing on xenophobic immigration and asylum bans while Americans suffer from financial instability and the loss of loved ones. We call on the President to rescind his proclamation before it causes more damage to the nation’s economy, research institutions, employers, and Asian American communities.”

We thank the signed organizations and elected officials for their solidarity and support in standing up to these xenophobic attacks on our communities. You can personally tell your elected officials to block the proclamation by texting ‘Sign IZXOCW’ to 50409.

OCA encourages victims and/or witnesses of hate incidents to contact Matt Nguyen-Ngo for more resources and to share their stories at aapihatecrimes.org. 

OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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