Join the Family Unity Campaign! STOP the Deportations of Cambodian American Refugees!
- Target:
- United State Homeland Security of Deportation of Immigration
- Region:
- Cambodia
- Website:
- www.deporteddiaspora.org
Many of these Cambodian Nationals arrived to the United States before the age of 12 as Refugees, escaping from the Khmer Rouge Genocide in Cambodia. Most have grown up and have lived in the United States for more than 20 years.
Among those who have already been deported or await deportation, many were born in refugee camps and have never set foot in Cambodia. They barely remember their journeys to America. America will lose much by deporting them; all are assets to their communities as fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, grandchildren, and community leaders, all of whom reside in the US.
Their ability to survive in Cambodia is uncertain; due to the Khmer Rouge Genocide, they have little or no surviving family.
This petition is to raise awareness of the climate of Fear and Paranoia that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has created in Cambodian-American communities across the United States, AND to call attention to the 47 Fathers, Husbands, Brothers, and Community Leaders recently torn apart from their families, to be deported at the end of August, and in September.
These Refugees have been residents in America since before they were 12 years old, and have very little memories of Cambodia. Many are unfamiliar with the language and culture of Cambodian society. Unjustly deporting these Refugees will drive them and their U.S. Citizen families into poverty.
Since the passage of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), both in 1996, detention and deportations have increased exponentially. These laws replaced a discretionary system with mandatory detention and deportation, and expanded the grounds of Deportation to include minor offenses. The 1996 laws are also retroactive. All 47 Khmer-American Refugee detainees have already served time for past crimes. However under current immigration law they are "Criminal Aliens" and are deportable. This is inhumane and unjust. Double punishment is wrong!
The community is stepping up and demanding CHANGE! It is 2010 and detentions and deportations are dramatically increasing. We must act NOW for LOVE, JUSTICE, and FAMILY UNITY!
Join us! Take action and make a difference! Join the Family Unity Campaign! STOP the Deportations of Cambodian American Refugees!
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Join the Family Unity Campaign! STOP the Deportations of Cambodian American Refugees! petition to United State Homeland Security of Deportation of Immigration was written by Chantho Hul and is in the category Government at GoPetition.