Press Release
Statement from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
New York, NY — Today, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) released the following statement in response to the reelection of Donald Trump.
Bethany Li, executive director of AALDEF:
“Trump’s return to the White House threatens the safety and civil rights of Asian Americans, and we are ready to use every tool at our disposal to organize and defend our community.
“As one of the nation’s first Asian American civil rights organizations, we stood up to injustice during some of the darkest chapters of American history. We demanded reparations for Japanese Americans incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. We defended Muslim Americans who faced government surveillance and harassment after 9/11. And we represented and continue to represent immigrants and refugees whose lives have been torn apart by our broken immigration system, including the raids in Southeast Asian communities by the first Trump administration. In moments of crisis, we have defended our community—and with our community we are stepping up again as Trump returns to office.
“As we head into this next period, we will litigate, advocate, and educate to protect our communities. We’re ready to march in the streets. We’re ready to defend the right to organize. We’re ready to expand our work at state and local levels. And we’re ready to counter Trump’s Islamophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric that incites violence against us all. We’re ready to stand in strong solidarity with the people in our communities most marginalized and at risk. We’re ready to fight.”
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AALDEF Media
Stuart J. Sia
Communications Director
212.966.5932 x203
ssia@aaldef.org