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My Ong Noi, grandpa, fought in the Vietnam War

Reasons why they left:

Education, Job opportunities, Safety, Stability

My Ong Noi, Ba Noi, dad, uncle, and auntie were apart of the second wave of immigration in 1982

Settled at a refugee camp in Hong Kong for about a year

They seeked Asylum and got it then settled here in Oakland

Lived in the same Apartment for 40+ years

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What does the future look like for Southeast Asian Immigration?

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What does the future look like for Southeast Asian Immigration?

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Southeast Asians need:

Proper protection, resources, and services from the U.S.

The future of immigration to the U.S. for this group would look like hopefully not as refugees, but as families who voluntarily leave their country seeking for a better future.

As well as this process being much smoother for not only this group but all immigrants coming to the U.S.

Current Needs:

Reuniting families, no more deportation & detention, & access to culturally responsive healthcare

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Southeast Asian Americans are also perceived as the false belief of being “successful and well adapted—that render them invisible in discussions of race and prejudice in America.”

“Often been hailed as the new "model minorities" for their strong academic achievements, gang violence often plagues these communities.”

“The generation gap between immigrant parents and their U.S. born children also divides the community, especially regarding their divergent attitudes toward the homeland and communism.”

Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees have become productive citizens in American society, contributing as laborers, professionals, and business owners to the nation's economy.

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Introduced in 2017, then reintroduced in 2019, had a dramatic impact on Southeast Asians who “heavily benefit from family based immigration”

“This bill proposed major cuts to lawful immigration and a huge blow to family immigration.

“The RAISE Act would limit sponsorship to only spouses and children, and would revoke green card status for the parents of adult children.”

“In April 2020, Trump temporarily suspended immigration to the U.S. due to COVID-19 & paused admission by refugees & suspended some visa services

The proclamation is even more restrictive than the RAISE Act, blocking permanent residents from bringing their families to the U.S. on green cards. The proclamation also favors immigrants from Western countries and blocks roughly 34% of immigrants from the Middle East, and most parts of Asia.

Today, roughly 1.4 million Asian individuals are waiting to reunite with their families

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Lawful Southeast Asian Residents in the U.S. and their reasons why they migrated

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Distribution of Southeast Asian Immigrants in the U.S. shown on the map

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Resettlement of Southeast Asian Immigrants in the U.S.

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Population from this area increased

Southeast Asian population were by 38%

Between 2000-10, nearly four times the average rate (10%). Vietnamese and Hmong Americans are the fastest-growing SEAA ethnic groups with growth rates

Over 2.5 million Southeast Asian Americans live in the United States

Over 50% of Southeast Asian Americans live in California, Texas, Minnesota

California remains home to the largest population of SEAA; 36% of Southeast Asian Americans reside there

Current factors influencing immigration to the U.S.:

Seeking a better life, education, job, stability etc.

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Unlike other Asian immigrants, Southeast Asian immigrants did not voluntarily leave their country -- they were forced to

leaving hundreds of thousands of people to fend for themselves as targets of political persecution

So coming to America, most Americans were unaware of the Vietnam War because it was not “popular” in the U.S. & were treated with hostility

Those who aided the U.S., never received the proper protection b/c “the U.S. failed to implement promised contingency plans”

Without understanding the unique needs & special circumstances of refugees, they were seen as voluntary migrants

who were expected to achieve economic self-sufficiency and independence very quickly

Besides hostility and racism, they’ve also struggled with extreme blight

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Aftermath of the Vietnam War, desperate need for change in American policy

Between 1975-79, 300,000 of those refugees were able to come to the U.S. through Presidential action

Wanted to create a more regular system of immigration & resettlement that would establish a “clear & flexible policy”

“Passed unanimously by the Senate in late 1979 and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in early 1980”

It raised the annual arrivals of immigrants from 17,400 to 50,000

Also, it changed the definition of “refugee” to a person with a “well-founded fear of persecution”

The Refugee Act of 1980 amended the earlier Immigration and Nationality Act and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act

It also funded a new Office of U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs and an Office of Refugee Resettlement

Plus, they built on already existing public-private partnerships that helped refugees settle and adjust to life in their new country.”

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1975, Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia fell to communist forces

U.S. gov’t had been heavily involved these countries to combat the spread of communism

Led to conflict resulting in the Vietnam War lasting for 20 years

That was when the first wave of refugees fled to the United States

The first wave of refugees greatly outnumbered earlier immigrants in the U.S. from the 1950s & 60s

1978-1982, the second wave of refugees: land people and boat people

Second wave, immigrants w/more diverse backgrounds and social circumstances

They wanted to escape horrible conditions of newly installed communist governments

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Countries it includes:

Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Brunei, Philippines, and Laos

Population: 665,298,044 people

7,000 higher education institutions with around 12 million students

GDP (PPP): $9.727 trillion

National Poverty Rate: 11.3% overall

Out of all 11 countries, 3.36% people are unemployed

Main Industry is Agricultural Processing

Other industries Southeast Asia thrive in:

Electronics, Info & Communications tech, textiles & apparel, and medical devices