A group of community nonprofits is hosting an immigration conference tailored for the Southeast Asian community.

The conference and legal consultation clinic aim to offer information on naturalization, a Know Your Rights workshop, legal help and what to do if a loved one is detained by immigration agents. Empowering Marginalized Asian Communities, Asian Pacific Self-Development and Residential Association, Catholic Charities, The California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center are sponsoring the event.

The conference will be from 2-5 p.m. May 19 at 3830 Alvarado Ave., Stockton.

The conference is intended for people who speak Khmer and Vietnamese, said CaseyAnn Carbonell, a community organizer with EMAC. A lot of the resources for immigrant communities are in Spanish, which is a population in need, but the Southeast Asian community also needs help, she added.

Organizers said attorneys who speak other languages, such as Hmong, will be available if there are requests from the community.

People interested in attending are encouraged to register to provide details about what information and services they need, as well as what language they speak. To register, visit bit.ly/seaiconference or call (209) 944-1700.

The issue of immigration’s impact on Southeast Asian communities became national news after many Cambodian and Vietnamese deportations last year.

More than 200 Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants living in the U.S. were detained by immigration agents in October, a crackdown that advocates say was the largest raid to ever affect the Southeast Asian community.

Nikki Chan with EMAC said during a December rally in Stockton that Asians are often forgotten in this issue. Yet, the Trump administration is targeting this community, she added.

Many of those being deported came to the U.S. as refugees from war-torn countries and are suffering from trauma, Chan said. Some Cambodians being removed from the country weren’t even born in Cambodia, but in refugee camps all over Asia.

Organizers said the event is free and open to the public.

The event is so important, especially during these times of deportations and immigration crackdowns, Carbonell said.

Almendra Carpizo
The Record