Washington–Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) leaders met last month with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss issues of critical concern to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Founded in 1994, CAPAC is composed of members of the U.S. Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and members who are committed to promoting the well-being of the AAPI community.

Congresswoman Judy Chu (D, CA-32) and CAPAC Chair said the meeting was “an important first” for the Caucus. “Nearly 60 percent of all Asian Americans are foreign born, and immigration issues are a top priority for our caucus. We appreciate the critical work the Secretary has done to tackle issues on racial profiling, enforce prosecutorial discretion, and ensure that language access and cultural sensitivities are taken into consideration.”

She thanked her leadership, adding CAPAC looks forward to working with her to ensure that immigration and homeland security concerns that impact the AAPI community are not overlooked.

Secretary Napolitano said the Department of Homeland Security was committed to working with CAPAC on issues that affect the AAPI community. “The inaugural meeting with CAPAC was a good opportunity to continue this critical dialogue with members of the AAPI community and I look forward to working with CAPAC in the future,” she stressed.

Congresswoman and CAPAC Vice Chair Madeleine Bordallo (D, GU) said she appreciated “the Secretary’s willingness to discuss expansion of the Guam-CNMI visa waiver program.” She looked forward to working with DHS and the Department of Defense “to bring a resolution to this matter.”

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15), CAPAC Immigration Taskforce Chair, said the meeting “was a critical step in highlighting issues that are of importance to CAPAC and the millions of AAPIs that we represent, including the deportation of AAPI undocumented immigrants, racial profiling of the Muslim and Sikh communities, and comprehensive immigration reform.”

“We reminded the Secretary that such reform needs to include family reunification, as nearly half of the 4.7 million individuals waiting to reunite with their loved ones are AAPI,” he added.

Congresswoman Laura Richardson (CA-37 said as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, she has worked closely with the Secretary, and thanked her “for her commitment” to working with CAPAC.

Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (CNMI) said in the Northern Mariana Islands, a transition to federal management of immigration is underway. He noted, “The transition is not easy, but the resources that the Secretary has devoted to guiding the process and the dedication of her staff on the ground are helping the transition be as least difficult as possible.”