Washington, DC Wednesday, 01 June 2011
“We want [Congress] to know that this is not justice for our people.”
Cambodian-American representatives from various US states went before Congress last month, in an intensified lobbying effort to get representatives to understand the hardships and struggles faced by Cambodian immigrants today.
Cambodian immigrants who fled the Khmer Rouge, as well as their children, face myriad issues, from post-traumatic stress or poor health, to the threat of deportation or the prospect of a poor education.
Fifteen Cambodian-Americans traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington May 24 and May 25 to bring such issues to members of Congress through the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Judy Chu, a Democratic House representative from California and a Chinese-American, led the caucus.
As leader of the House Education and Labor Committee, she said she sees a number of hardships for Asian-Americans. Around 35 percent of Cambodian-Americans do not have a high school diploma, she said, along with 40 percent of Hmong and 30 percent of Lao immigrants.
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