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Be Informed, Stay Safe

Updated January 22, 2025

In times of uncertainty, we find strength in those who step up to help—and we strive to be among them. The inauguration signals a moment of significant change, leaving many in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and beyond, feeling fear and uncertainty about the road ahead. Yet, we remain steadfast in our mission: to build collective power with AAPI women and girls, ensuring full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.  

In response, the NAPAWF team has assembled a comprehensive list of resources outlining your rights as they stand today. As the political landscape shifts, we will closely monitor proposed policies impacting AAPI women and gender-expansive individuals, mobilizing and advocating fiercely to defend our communities and our rights—just as we always have.  Together, we will persist, resist, and rise.

Read more about NAPAWF’s commitment to advancing the rights, safety, and dignity of AAPI women and gender expansive individuals and join the movement by adding your name to our solidarity statement.

Immigration

Immigrant Rights

AAPI immigrants constitute over 30% of the U.S. immigrant population and face significant obstacles to healthcare and economic security under restrictive immigration policies. Many AAPI women and gender expansive individuals work in low-wage, essential jobs without adequate protections, leading to disproportionate poverty rates among Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Donald Trump is expected to follow through with his threats to expand detention and deportation on January 20, releasing multiple Executive Orders to accelerate federal agency action on deportation, immigrants, and healthcare. Every person in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, has rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. This is a collection of resources that can help you exercise those rights.

Your Rights with Immigration Enforcement

The Immigrant Legal Defense Project has produced Know Your Rights posters and flyers that you can keep at home or in your car. The “at home or on the street” flyer is translated to a variety of Asian languages.

Red Cards – A red card is a small notecard that helps people declare their rights and protect themselves from immigration enforcement. They are often printed on red paper.

On one side, it tells a person what to do if they encounter immigration enforcement agents:

  • DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door. 
  • DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent. 
  • DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer. 
  • If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.

On the other side, there is a written message for law enforcement that says the person is exercising their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has translations of these cards, including to several Asian languages, available for download on their website. 

Immigrant Rights in the Workplace

Legal Aid at Work has a collection of know-your-rights materials about immigration status and the workplace. These materials outline both California state law and Federal law, which applies in all US states. These materials are also translated to Spanish and Simplified Chinese.

For employers, the National Immigration Law Center has created a guide on what to do if immigration comes to your workplace. This resource is also available in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and Thai.

In Health Care 

Know Your Rights: Protections From Discrimination in Sexual, Reproductive, and Transgender Health Care – this factsheet outlines protections against discrimination in sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming care under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Produced in partnership with the National Health Law Program, this resource is available in the following languages:

Health care providers and patients have legal rights in Protected Areas, which are designated areas, such as medical and mental health care facilities like hospitals, doctor’s offices, health clinics, urgent care centers, and similar places, where ICE and CBP are directed to refrain from enforcement by DHS. NILC has provided a list of these rights: 2024-Health-Care-Providers-and-Immigration-Enforcement-Know-Your-Rights-Know-Your-Patients-Rights.pdf.

Abortion Access and Reproductive Rights

Abortion Access & Reproductive Rights

AAPI communities, including gender expansive people, face unique and often invisible barriers to reproductive healthcare. More than 60% of AAPI women report difficulty accessing essential services like birth control and cancer screenings, compounded by exclusions from critical healthcare programs due to immigration status, language barriers, and systemic neglect. We will resist any attempt to restrict reproductive healthcare access and will fight for inclusive policies that honor and protect the bodily autonomy of all AAPI people.

Understand Your Reproductive Rights

The Repro Legal Helpline answers legal questions about abortion, pregnancy loss, and birth, and can be called at 844-868-2812. On their website, you can find abortion laws by state, information for providers, lawyers, and advocates, and a secure contact form. Their website is available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. The Repro Legal Helpline is run by our allies in the movement at If/When/How.

Find Abortion Care 

Your local abortion fund is on the front line of ensuring that any person, regardless of who they are, can get an abortion. If you need financial support for abortion care, or if you are in a position to help others reach care, find your local abortion fund at abortionfunds.org/find-a-fund/.

Learn how to protect your privacy if you are seeking an abortion with this guide from The Markup.

iNeedAnA.com is a website that can help you find verified abortion clinics and abortion pills by mail safely and privately.

PlanCPills.org provides up-to-date information on how people in the United States can access abortion pills.

NAPAWF’s Asian Abortion Glossary is a collection of words that are useful in conversations about abortion and reproductive freedom translated to eight Asian languages: Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Cambodian, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Download the glossary as a PDF here.

Women, LGBTQ+ People, and Gender Expansive Individuals

Protections for Women, Gender Expansive Individuals, and LGBTQ+ People

Find Support and Community

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) has published resources on coming out as an LGBTQ+ AAPI person and on family acceptance, each translated to a variety of Asian languages. nqapia.org/resources

DeHQ is a confidential helpline for LGBTQ+ South Asians. They have an online contact form, and a hotline available on Thursday and Sunday nights. deqh.org

Exercise Your Rights

Human Rights Campaign created an FAQ and resources page that details protecting one’s online privacy and safety, legal protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people, identity document procurement advice, gender affirming care readiness, and more. HRC | Facing the Future Together: FAQs, Guidance, and Resources

The ACLU has a Know Your Rights webpage about gender markers and protection from discrimination for LGBTQ people: aclu.org/know-your-rights/lgbtq-rights

Anti-Asian Racism and Hate Crimes

Combat Anti-Asian Racism and Hate Crimes

The alarming rise in anti-Asian violence has deeply affected AAPI communities. AAPI individuals, including women and gender expansive communities, face escalating hate incidents that threaten their safety and well-being. We unequivocally denounce all acts of hate, violence, and discrimination against our communities. We are steadfast in our efforts to promote policies that protect all AAPI individuals, including increased funding for community-based safety programs, culturally responsive mental health resources, and strengthened hate crime reporting systems.

Stop AAPI Hate Resources: 

The National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) has resources on racism and mental health as well as informative articles. www.naapimha.org