July 2023
Supporting Monterey Park
On the evening of January 21, 2023 during the Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, a gunman took the lives of eleven people and injured nine others. As news of this senseless violence broke, we worked quickly in coordination with local government agencies and 30 AAPI organizations to launch the Monterey Park Lunar New Year Victims’ Fund. The Fund raised over $1 million in donations from across the country, and we’ve distributed the first-round payments to survivors and families. In support of those impacted by the violence, we are also providing legal services, such as estate planning, probate and tax services, and connecting members of the community to social services and counseling. If you would like to help, please consider donating to the Monterey Park Community Healing Fund as the Victims’ Fund is now closed.
Policy Priorities
We defend civil rights and fair representation. Through policy advocacy, we seek to change existing laws and institutional policies to widen inclusion and promote representation of AAPI communities. For 2023, we have introduced four bills to combat Asian invisibility and direct resources towards those who need it the most.
Bystander Intervention
Do you know how to safely intervene when confronted with racially based hate? Have you been a bystander to harassment, and didn’t know how to speak up? Since 2021, we have trained over 9,2000 individuals across the US on tangible techniques used to safely intervene. Recently, we’ve partnered with Chinatown Service Center and Asian Youth Center to host in-person, in-language trainings covering the various types of disrespect from microaggressions to violence, de-escalation techniques, and shared stories from community members.
Read more about our trainings and attend upcoming trainings
Asian Language
Legal Intake Project (ALLIP)
In 2022, our legal resource hotline received nearly 8,500 calls and opened over 4,500 legal cases on behalf of those in the AAPI community. Most of our callers are low-income, have limited English proficiency, and are immigrants who would otherwise have no access to services. We help break down these barriers through culturally sensitive services in eight Asian languages – the most comprehensive offering of any legal service provider in the US. With the rise in anti-Asian hate, we’ve seen in an increase in cases opened. In turn, we’ve expanded our hotlines and added caseworkers to assist in non-legal support such as access to health care, mental health care, and temporary housing.
Citizenship & Immigration
One of the most integral components of a good quality of life for an immigrant and person of color in America is stability. We provide immigration and citizenship legal support to approximately 1,200+ clients a year. We help those seeking humanitarian aid, asylum, family reunification, and victims of domestic violence. Through these services, we continue to provide families stability by helping them remain in the US.
Anna's Story
Here’s a letter from our Citizenship Project client, who with the help of our staff attorney, was able to achieve US citizenship and build a stable life for her family.
Dear Faith,
I’ve finally completed the journey we began long ago. From U-Visa to Resident and now, Citizenship. Wow! I still can’t believe this is finally real! I never thought it would be possible in a million years with so many odds stacked against me. But here WE ARE (me & my girls). I just wanted to share all the good news with you. I’ve been able to keep my job, have my own car, and recently bought my own house. Please pinch me it’s all too much!
I want you to know that your work has made all the difference for me and my girls. I know that your line of work can be frustrating and disappointing at times, but I am proof that you are doing it right and truly impacting lives. You are a truly a treasure in my story and I remain forever grateful for your work.
I can now raise my children with all the necessary tools available to us, free of violence, and without the fear of deportation. Home Sweet Home at last.
God Bless You Faith,
Anna
Survivor and
Family Empowerment (SAFE)
Our legal team completed over 800 new family law cases in 2022 and filed nearly 200 restraining orders on behalf of our clients – AAPI survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence. Through laws like the Violence Against Women Act, we’ve been able to support DV victims with restraining orders, child custody, child support, divorce, and obtaining legal status without the help of their abuser. Through this work, we provide a SAFE space for some of the most vulnerable members of our AAPI community.
Mei's Story
The names in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.
Ms. Mei came to Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) after she was sexually assaulted and strangled by her husband. Their daughter, a minor, was also injured by the abuser when she tried to call 911 to protect her mother.
After the police intervened and the court granted a temporary 7-day restraining order, Ms. Mei wasn’t sure what her next steps would be. With limited English, she didn’t understand how to navigate the court system and deeply feared retaliation by her husband. The physical, emotional, and sexual abuse Ms. Mei suffered had been longstanding, and she was terrified to report him. Ms. Mei had no immediate family members or friends whom she could turn to for help. She found AJSOCAL through word-of-mouth, right before her emergency protective order was due to expire.
Through the SAFE program, we filed for a DV restraining order and obtained a temporary protective order until her hearing date. During this time, Ms. Mei’s husband stalked her and her daughter, following her home and to school, and sent harassing emails to our staff for our involvement. Her husband also began filing multiple false police reports and restraining orders against her, claiming abuse. Our SAFE lawyers and staff worked quickly to get these charges dismissed.
Ms. Mei and her daughter were understandably distressed by these events, and her daughter began exhibiting symptoms of self-harm and trauma. Our legal advocates reached out to Ms. Mei and her daughter regularly and connected with her daughter during court appearances where she shared her artwork and her passion for drawing in the hallways of the courthouse.
Through months-long effort, our attorneys were able to help Ms. Mei secure full legal custody of their daughter and a 5-year protective order for both mother and daughter, putting Ms. Mei’s mind at ease. Ms. Mei’s husband has no visitation rights with their daughter until he demonstrates rehabilitation through anger management courses and counseling. At the time of this writing, our attorneys are working with Ms. Mei on the dissolution of marriage. For years, she was hesitant to pursue a divorce because she didn’t understand the process and didn’t have the resources to seek help through an attorney. Through long-standing work with our SAFE staff, she felt empowered to begin the divorce process. Ms. Mei not only feels safe, but free from abuse as a way of life. Her daughter has shown significant signs of improvement, and both are enrolled in therapy.
Daughter’s sketches before five year restraining order granted:
Daughter’s art sketches after victorious court proceedings:
Health Access Program
Health care for all remains a critical need. Yet many AAPIs continue to face serious challenges in accessing it because of language and cultural barriers, mixed-immigration and citizenship status, and low health literacy rates. This is a crisis. Through a state-wide collaborative, we lead the way in health care education and insurance enrollment in safety net programs such as Medi-Cal and Covered California.
Read more about our Health Access Program
Demographic Research
The Asian Resource Hub provides a nationwide directory of agencies that work with our community to provide legal services such as immigration and naturalization support, healthcare, senior services, workforce development, youth programs, housing support, and behavioral health and counseling.
Our Demographic team continues to work with lead local and national data collection agencies, such as Stop AAPI Hate, to present the latest demographic data about our shifting communities.
In 2022-23 our team kicked off the Asian Resource Hub, a website that features interactive maps, provides a comprehensive resource guide, highlights salient data findings, and provides downloadable, accessible demographic information about AAPI communities.
Read more about our reports & research
