The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO supports President Obama's major change in immigration policy that will now allow eligible undocumented students to remain here under two year review. Very significantly, the directive allows
DREAM-eligible students to apply for temporary work permits, which
allows immigrants who have been toiling in the underground economy to
have greater workplace protections.

APALA Seattle member and undocumented student Yuki Suren said, "This is a tremendous opportunity for me and for 800,000 other youth who have been living in the shadows. I look forward to being able to stay here, apply for a temporary work visa, and live a normal life like all of my friends. This will allow me to have protections at the three jobs that I work, without fear of wage theft or sexual harassment."

APALA National President Johanna Hester (United Domestic Workers of America, AFSCME) said, "APALA has always fought for immigrant, worker, and civil rights. We applaud the President's leadership and Secretary Janet Napolitano's judicious decision. These youth are our members, friends, students, and coworkers. We look forward to this momentous policy change and see it as a first step towards comprehensive immigration reform that reunites families and protects workers." 

On June 12, the ambassadors of the Philippines, Honduras, Peru, and Ecuador signed partnership agreements ensuring the protection of migrant workers' rights. At the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, Ambassador Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro of Honduras, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. of the Philippines, Ambassador Harold W. Forsyth of Peru, and Ambassador Natalie Cely of Ecuador convened to discuss workers' safety and the implications of partnership.

The signing of Joint Declarations outlined the collaborative efforts between U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and these nations' embassies and consulates to educate both migrant workers and their employers about their rights and U.S. labor laws. During the signing ceremony, Ambassadors also signed Letters of Agreements with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) to address worker safety and wage theft. Secretary Solis says that the motivation in seeing these negotiations proceed is clear: "If we allow some employers to jeopardize, exploit and underpay their workers, we encourage other companies to do the same to stay competitive. When that happens, all working people lose. Our partnerships with embassies and consulates help us enforce laws that protect all workers, including U.S. citizens. They remove the incentive to hire and exploit workers who are unaware of rights or afraid to complain."

According to the Bureau of Statistics, approximately one U.S. worker dies every two hours from a work-related injury. The agreement with OSHA will provide worker protection through health and safety standards, especially in construction and maintenance. The agreement with WHD assures that all workers receive the pay that they are owed. These measures will allow for migrant workers to feel more comfortable with approaching their consulates with problems, without fear of retribution or doubts about government support.

Due to significant unemployment rates in the Philippines, Filipino workers have migrated to the Western Hemisphere. While groups like the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) have managed programs to prepare and protect their labor workers abroad, these programs are limited to the country's borders. The signing of these agreements will enhance these efforts with initiatives at the host country. According to Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr., "We are very pleased to sign these joint declarations and letters of arrangement with DOL. We assure DOL we will do our part in ensuring the dissemination of helpful information to Filipino workers concerning their right to a safe and healthy working environment, and fair wages and working hours in the U.S., and in assisting them to seek redress when such rights are disregarded or outright violated." This joint effort between the Philippines and the U.S. marks a special moment for the DOL as Secretary Solis hopes that this will be the start of partnerships with other Asian nations; and the beginning of other success stories on the quest to protect all workers' rights. 

Those gathered believed that Stop and Frisk was a policy made to single out minorities and perpetuate racist stereotypes - a fact that Lenny Moy, APALA NYC President, emphasizes: "This policy creates nothing but animosity and distrust between those who are sworn to protect and the community of color... We are not criminals by our skin color."   

In what is known as one of the largest cooperative efforts between regional organizations, unions, religious and ethnic groups, the crowd moved in silence across the bustling city. While the march ended with a struggle with the police, the turnout left an echo on New York City streets for the world to hear that the people will not sit still to unfair treatment and unjust legislation.   

As part of the Department of Education's plan to improve access for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), the agency has announced that it is seeking to gather information on how state education agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions disaggregate data on AANHPI students. The Department of Education will then use the information to develop best practices and policies to improve and increase data disaggregation by AANHPI subgroups. APALA, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), are leading the effort to ensure that community members know about and respond to the request.