Sweeping implications for immigrant families and communities

For Immediate Release: January 23, 2025
Contact: Lasamee Kettavong, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, sending the bill to President Trump’s desk. This legislation requires the mandatory detention of any undocumented immigrant–including children and DACA recipients–who is arrested, charged with, or convicted of a crime.  

The Laken Riley Act fundamentally undermines due process, stripping immigrants of protections that ensure fairness and justice. It paves the way for indefinite detention, a practice widely condemned as a violation of international human rights. This law includes no minimum age, meaning even children are at risk of mandatory and indefinite detention. 

“Today’s House vote unfairly assigns blame to our immigrant communities, under the guise of ‘public safety’ concerns, despite the lack of evidence to justify these actions,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF Executive Director. “Let’s be clear: the Laken Riley Act is a backdoor to mass detention and deportation. It endangers the lives of 1.7 million undocumented Asian immigrants who are vital to this country’s fabric.  It strikes at the very core of our constitutional protections and our shared humanity.”  

For immigrant AAPI women, gender-expansive individuals, and their loved ones, this bill creates yet another barrier to living and thriving without the looming threat of separation. It is not about public safety—it’s about perpetuating fear and injustice. 

As President Trump continues to advance his anti-immigrant agenda through both executive actions and legislative efforts, NAPAWF urges lawmakers, advocates, and allies to reject the xenophobia and fearmongering driving the Laken Riley Act. Now more than ever, we must come together to fight for policies that honor human dignity, uphold due process, and protect immigrant families from this chilling assault on their rights.

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The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.