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AAPA Statement on Family Separation at the Southern US Border

By Announcements, Press Release, Statements

The mission of AAPA is to advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities. In response to community and world events, AAPA has found it necessary to ally with other communities, as it is impossible to function as an ethical body if we speak solely about issues of health and policy that directly impact Asian Americans or behavioral and mental health professionals. AAPA is committed to the promotion of health and equity for the benefit of all, particularly those most vulnerable. As an organization whose members are comprised of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, we are particularly pained by the events witnessed at the southern U.S. border, which reveals breaches in international standards for children’s rights (https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx).

Decades of psychological research on child and caregiver attachment unequivocally demonstrate the crucial role of attachment in child health and well-being. In particular, disrupted caregiver attachment for children under age 5 contributes to lifelong negative developmental consequences. The psychological impact of family separation policies as well as inhumane detention conditions is causing needless and irreparable harm to migrant children. Prolonged exposure to the stressors of such conditions can cause both short and long term health consequences (https://www.srcd.org/policy-media/statements-evidence/separating-families).

AAPA is a non-partisan organization that promotes mental health; this includes the welfare of children. We advocate for a world that supports health and ethical practices. This mission is even more urgent when those enduring harm are children who are unable to care for themselves—children who are separated from their adult caregivers and without the supervision of qualified pediatric and psychological experts. We stand firmly with other professional organizations (such as the American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Social Workers) against family separation as a matter of policy within the asylum process. In addition to the negative impact upon individual children and families, current policies threaten overall public health as explained by the American Public Health Association.

https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2019/01/29/separation-of-immigrant-and-refugee-children-and-families)

As a member organization of the National Council on Asian Pacific Americans, AAPA recommends the rejection of an enforcement-only approach to immigration. Such an approach only results in anti-immigrant initiatives, scapegoating of refugees, harmful family separations, and increased vulnerability of survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and other crimes.

What can we do to help?

Speak Up.

Write an op-ed in your local paper, or send an email to your member of Congress about your concerns. 

You can call your representatives as well- 202-224-3121 and the switchboard will connect you to your local representatives. 

Ask to end the zero tolerance inhumane policies punishing families for seeking asylum.

Call upon the Federal Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Demand the appropriate use and maintenance of data to facilitate reunification of separated children and caretakers.

Share behavioral health facts and concerns within your personal and professional circles.

Act locally.

Volunteers are not allowed in detainment centers, but you can find out about your local refugee resettlement agencies and what they need here:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/state-programs-annual-overview

Support Civil Rights

ACLU’s national site: https://www.aclu.org/action 

We call upon AAPA members to share their regional resources and allied programs as well.

AAPA Statement Against Religious Hate Crimes

By Announcements, Press Release, Statements

We are horrified and grief-stricken by the multiple tragedies that have taken place in the last two weeks. AAPA leadership was still processing and working on our words of solidarity in response to the Sri Lanka murders (Sunday, April 21, 2019) when the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue (Saturday, April 27, 2019) occurred in San Diego, CA.

As an organization we unequivocally condemn such acts of hate and violence and commit to supporting victims, families, and communities during these difficult times.  For many individuals and communities religion and spirituality are fundamental components of psychological and community health. As such,  we are especially concerned about the persistent onslaught of violence impacting ethnic, racial, and religious communities both within the U.S. and abroad. We urge our membership to remain vigilant in considering the impact of losing a sense of safety in one’s spiritual home. Whether in Christchurch or Louisiana, Oak Creek or Pittsburgh- these cowardly attacks are an affront to us all.

As an organization committed to advancing the mental health and well-being of Asian Americans, we are cognizant of the media’s highlighting of mental illness as a precipitant to some of the tragedies. We are intent on differentiating mental health from acts of hate and violence. Facts indicate that the vast majority of those living with mental health conditions do not commit acts of violence.

In the wake of recent tragedies, we advise that each of us remain mindful not to give in to divisiveness by stereotyping entire communities for the hateful actions of a few. We also advise you to acknowledge history and systems of oppression that implicitly or explicitly perpetuate such hate and violence. We need to stand together, united in combating hatred and denouncing acts of violence.

If you or your family are impacted by these events, we encourage you to make yourself a priority and make space for your personal self-care and that of your community. We also encourage you to consider reaching out to your family, friends, religious and spiritual institutions, mental health professionals, and local community and support groups.

For allies and supporters, we encourage you to reach out to folks within your network to allow space for sharing, venting, grieving, fear, and any other emotions that might arise. Make your allyship local and visible. Note that it is important to provide validation for those communities most impacted. At this critical time, we encourage continuing to build a sense of strength through love and community– all of which have been shown to support healing and mental health.

In Solidarity,

Executive Committee

Asian American Psychological Association

RESOURCES

Managing your Distress in the Wake of Mass Shooting

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting

Building Resilience to Manage Indirect Exposure to Terror

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/terror-exposure

How to talk to Children about difficult news

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/talking-to-children

HATE CRIME RESOURCES

American Psychological Association on the Psychology of Hate Crimes

https://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/hate-crimes

Southern Poverty legal Center – Resources for Fighting Hate Groups and Teaching Tolerance

https://www.splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance

Southern Poverty legal Center -10 ways to fight hate – Community response

https://www.splcenter.org/20170814/ten-ways-fight-hate-community-response-guide

SRI LANKA RESOURCES

Sri Lanka Red Cross

https://slredcross.give.asia/campaign/support-the-victims-of-sri-lanka-bombings

Kind Hearted Lankans

https://www.kindheartedlankans.com

If you need assistance with locating a missing relative, please contact your local Red Cross office here  and ask to speak to a case worker.

CHABAD POWAY DONATION SITE

https://www.chabadpoway.com/templates/fundraising/default_cdo/aid/4365672/jewish/Campaign.htm

AAPA Response to APA Racism Video

By Press Release, Statements

Friday, August 24, 2018

Dear APA and OEMA,

We, the Executive Committee of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), are writing in response to the recently released first web video titled “Racism in American” in a series on Race and Health (http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/diversity/default.aspx). It has come to our attention that there is a glaring omission of Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences of racism in the video. We are thankful that Dr. Jude Bergkamp, an AAPA member, was included in the video. However, AAPI experiences of racism were not explicitly discussed in this video, leaving us with images but remaining “voiceless.”

It is our understanding that  APA requested feedback from AAPA members and had previously received critiques of the missing AAPI experiences and experts. Recommendations were made, yet unheeded, to include additional images and voices that reflected AAPI experiences of racism, including the  targeting of Sikhs, deportation of Asian Americans, killing of Vincent Chin, exploitation of labor, and examples of hate crimes. We are especially disappointed to hear that APA received this feedback prior to the video’s release. However, it appears as though the feedback was not implemented.

We believe that the omission of Asian American experiences from this first video is fixable and request that APA and OEMA follow through with remedying this situation. Tiffany Townsend has been tireless and gracious in describing the process that led to the introductory video, we understand the information that has been provided about the process that led to the invisibility of our members and their experience, we respectfully request that APA acknowledge its omission and correct this error. We understand that Asian American psychologists and experiences will be included in subsequent videos. However, the omission of these experiences from this first video perpetuates the invisibility of AAPIs as a racialized group that experiences racism and the misnomer that AAPIs are “honorary whites” and perpetuates the “model minority” myth instead of recognizing us as a compilation of ethnic communities of color.

AAPA recognizes and applauds the value of this video effort. We do intend to share this resource with our membership but would be remiss in doing so without addressing the hurtful invisibility of AAPI experiences. As a group we have already endured decades of being “othered” or nonexistent in psychology research and efforts. Our community’s representation is especially important, particularly as South Asian, refugee, and undocumented AAPI’s are particularly targeted in the current political climate.

We remain committed to ongoing dialogue and constructive shared efforts.

Respectfully,

Executive Committee

Asian American Psychological Association

AAPA Press Release: DACA Repeal Is Harmful for Immigrant Mental Health

By Press Release, Statements

DACA Repeal Is Harmful for Immigrant Mental Health

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 6, 2017

Contact: Kevin Nadal, Ph.D.,

President, Asian American Psychological Association

kevin.nadal@aapaonline.org | aapaonline.org

NEW YORK: The Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) strongly condemns the repeal of Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals. With this recent decision, 800,000 DREAMers, who arrived to the U.S. as children, will no longer be protected under federal law and may be deported after 6 months. It is estimated that 16,000 young Asian Americans are currently DACA recipients, and that only about a quarter of eligible Korean (24%), Filipino (26%), and Asian Indians (28%) even applied for the program in the first two years. Thus, there are thousands of other undocumented Asian Americans who could have benefitted from this program.

AAPA recognizes that Asian Americans have experienced many discriminatory immigration laws throughout history- including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (which was the first ban of immigrants from any country and had permanently prevented all Chinese people from entering the US); the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924 (which limited the number of immigrants to 2% of the total number of people from that country already in the US); the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 (which set a quota of 50 Filipinos per year); and the Luce–Celler Act of 1946 (which set an annual quota of 100 for Asian Indians and Filipinos). Due to anti-Asian sentiment, the Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935 provided government funding for transportation to Filipino who promised to never return to the US. However, the majority stayed because they wanted the chance to fulfill their American dreams, and the Supreme Court found the legislation to be unconstitutional.

 

While the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 put an end to immigration quotas, we must remember the history of immigration for Asian Americans – in order to contextualize, and empathize with, DACA recipients and other DREAMers today. Like these earlier immigrants from Asia and other countries who came without documentation, DREAMers merely want the opportunity to thrive in the land of opportunity. DACA recipients are teachers, attorneys, community organizers, health care workers, students, and more. They came to this country as children; they are just as American as those who are born in the US. While there is no logical reason to repeal this program, there are dozens of reasons of why it would be bad for our country – economic loss, dismantled families, mental health consequences for all involved, and more. These Americans should not be criminalized. They did nothing wrong. They cannot be “sent home”; the US is their home.

 

AAPA calls on our U.S. Congress to stop the repeal of DACA, as it threatens the mental health of undocumented families and of all immigrants in general. In his recent essay, Dr. E.J. David, an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska describes the detrimental impact of discrimination on the mental health of immigrants.  He urges: “The U.S. Congress has the power to relieve at least 800,000 people and their families the burden of carrying unnecessary stress. Our elected representatives have the power to stop the stress and its many negative consequences. They have the power to stop the oppression.”

 

Finally to all DREAMers and other undocumented Americans, AAPA pledges to support you; stand with you; and fight with you. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently stated, “No one is free until we are all free.”

 

The mission of the Asian American Psychological Association is to advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy.

(http://aapaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/AAPA-Statement_DACA-Repeal.pdf)