Today, we launched a new project called “Say it Loud: South Asians Share Stories for Immigration Reform“. This spring, as Congress and the Administration debate immigration reform, we are working with the South Asian community around the country to collect stories that show how our community is affected by the broken immigration system. The US immigration system can be fixed and we are working to effect policy change on a national level. Your stories and personal experiences with the immigration can be powerful tools to lend support to immigration reform. We are...

As Census 2010 approaches, SAALT is committed to making sure South Asians  accurately complete and return the Census forms. We have launched a new campaign - Census 2010: South Asians Count! and we encourage you to check out the resources we have available for the South Asian community. Our Census 2010 factsheet is available in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, and Urdu. The factsheet answers questions including: Why should you participate in Census 2010? Can I get help to complete the Census form? What does the Census form ask? What does the Race...

MetroPCS is a pay-as-you-go cell phone service that serves select areas of the US (it seems to be mostly concentrated in the Easter Seaboard and California based on their service maps) and they’ve been airing some interesting ads about a new service plan. We want to hear what you think, check out the video below and share your thoughts:

South Asian Workers Supporting CIR at 2006 Rally Even during these economic times, America continues to shine as the beacon of opportunity for many around the world. It is no surprise that immigrants have come to this country in order to open new doors for themselves and their families. But Asian Pacific American workers, along with all immigrant workers, arrive here not only to improve their own lives; they are also part of the backbone of the American workforce. Within the South Asian community, immigrant workers – ranging from computer engineers to taxicab drivers to...

Join SAALT during the Asian American and Pacific Islander Week of Action for Immigration Reform between January 12 and 20th! The week of action is a collaborative effort among national, state, and local AAPI organizations and allies to demonstrate the collective power and voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the comprehensive immigration reform debate. Coordinated outreach and events across the nation will engage community members in the broader Reform Immigration FOR America campaign and show Congress that the AAPI community is serious about demanding reform...

Read a statement from SAALT and other South Asian organizations about the troubling new TSA guidelines for international travelers: South Asian Organizations Express Concerns About New Airport Security Screening Standards Organizations that work closely with Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian communities, express serious concerns regarding the new screening standards announced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). We believe that these standards, made effective on January 4, will lead to the racial and religious profiling...

The Transportation Security Administration announced sweeping new guidelines Sunday to guide how international travelers will be screened. While most of the details have come from unnamed government sources, the new procedures seem to lay out mandatory screening for passengers who are coming from or through a number of “state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest,” a list purported to include countries from Cuba and Somalia to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The announcement has been greeted with a fair amount of caution from civil rights groups who feel...

Watch the second SAALT Community Corner segment on DarshanTV here. This month’s piece features Nadia Firozvi from the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center and Rajdeep Singh Jolly from the Sikh Coalition talking about bias and discrimination. Tune in every month for more discussions about important issues facing the South Asian community in the DC area and around the country! SAALT Community Corner on Darshan TV

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Swati Mylavarapu, a founding member of the South Asian Giving Circle, a group seeking to advance South Asian philanthropy in the United States. By pooling members’ talent and resources, SAGC will work to support the needs of innovative South Asian organizations in the US that are facing funding and/or technical challenges. This “experiment in philanthropy,” started by a group of young professionals in the Bay Area earlier this year, aims to increase charitable giving and community involvement among South Asians. The Circle...

On December 15, Congressman Gutierrez introduced the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity” (CIR ASAP). This bill is a promising step forward towards fixing the country’s broken immigration system and lays a foundation for policy discussions in early 2010. Through a series of blog posts starting this week, SAALT will be featuring different pieces of CIR ASAP and what it could mean for the South Asian community. This post highlights detention reform provisions within the bill. Rakesh*, an Indian professional came to the...