TAAF Statement on Recent Actions Against Immigrant Communities

TAAF is deeply alarmed by recent actions that are sowing fear and uncertainty for immigrant communities across the United States. From visa revocations affecting Chinese international students to expansive travel bans and restrictions in Laos and Myanmar to sweeping immigration raids targeting people of various legal statuses across the country, these actions have created a climate of anxiety and distrust that disproportionately impacts Asian Americans and other communities of color. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we stand together with these communities. 

Immigrants and refugees have been essential to the growth, vitality, and success of America, and nearly 90% of the Asian population in the U.S. comes from an immigrant household. Our labor, cultures, and ideas have shaped the nation’s identity and defined the American Dream. Yet despite these contributions, immigrant communities have long been subject to racial profiling, scapegoating, and exclusion, especially during times of political or economic uncertainty. Our communities have experienced this repeatedly in the past century, including the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982, and the violence against Sikh, South Asian, and Muslim American communities after 9/11.

Five years after the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, history is once again repeating itself, as anti-immigrant and anti-Asian rhetoric continues to rise. According to our 2025 STAATUS survey, a quarter of Americans believe Chinese Americans are a threat to this country, and four out of 10 Americans feel that Asian Americans are more loyal to their countries of origin than to the U.S. 

TAAF calls on all of our nation’s leaders to refrain from inflammatory language or actions that harm immigrant communities, and instead work to deescalate tensions and hostilities. We believe there is a right way to approach immigration and other national issues—one that upholds the rule of law while honoring the dignity, humanity, and contributions of our communities. As history has shown, the consequences of xenophobia and racism are all too real, and when hate is normalized, no community is truly safe.