05/11/2026
At the March Congressional staffer briefing on South Asians and Immigration, Rajiv Narayan, co-lead of ASATA-Power ( ) – a SAC convenor – spoke powerfully about why immigration is a critical issue for South Asian communities.
During his remarks on how undocumented South Asian community members have been impacted by shifts in immigration policy, Mr. Narayan noted that of the 6.5 million South Asians in the United States, as many as one in eight are undocumented. He shared specific stories of individuals impacted by immigration enforcement, including deaths in detention, sudden deportations, and U.S. citizens subjected to due process violations.
Narayan outlined a clear set of demands to policymakers that would protect all immigrant communities:
+ Oppose increases in funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including providing funds for detention facilities, and amplify and support calls to invest in civil infrastructure for education, health, and housing.
+ Support and amplify calls to increase oversight and conduct investigations into the use of profiling, violations of due process, and barriers to access to legal representation.
+ Support and amplify an end to family and child detention, which is separating families and subjecting young children to abhorrent conditions in detention facilities.
+ Pass legislation like the “Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act” (H.R. 6397), which would create basic, humane safeguards around immigration detention.
Learn more:
💡 Read ASATA-Power’s “Undocumented South Asians Under Attack” policy brief: https://www.asatapower.org/take-action/undocumented-south-asians
💡 Read the SAC’s post on “The First 100 Days and the Impact on South Asian Groups and Communities”: https://southasiancoalition.org/the-first-100-days-and-the-impact-on-south-asian-groups-and-communities/
