The (South) Asian Case for Immigrant Justice
By Anshu Shah, 2025
Background: On February 5, 2025, over 20 UNC student organizations, including Monsoon, Siembra, Mi Pueblo, Southern Student Action Coalition, and others, organized a protest/rally for immigrant rights. The rally took place on the steps of South Building with an estimated 150+ attendees. The protest was called in response to Chancellor Lee Roberts’ announcement that the University would voluntarily ‘comply’ if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sought undocumented students on campus during the Trump administration — a decision which the ACLU ‘denounces.’ Roberts’ announcement came after newly-inaugurated President Trump signed an executive order rescinding colleges and universities’ status as “sensitive areas” which had previously prevented ICE from operating freely in those areas.
Presented here is the speech written by and delivered by Monsoon Senior Advisor and former President/EiC Anshu Shah during the rally advocating for South Asian, Asian-American, and all immigrant groups, along with a call for solidarity between all our communities as we fight against xenophobia and anti-immigrant policies:
“We are gathered here today to stand for what is right—to stand for justice, for dignity, and for the fundamental rights of immigrants to not just live here, but to exist. Because when immigrant communities are under attack, it is not just a policy issue—it is a human issue. It is a matter of whether families stay together or get torn apart, whether workers get fair wages or are exploited, whether people can live with dignity or are forced into fear and silence.
And for South Asians and Asian Americans at large, this is not an abstract issue—it is deeply personal to our communities.
Many of our families came to this country in search of better opportunities, stability, or refuge from political and economic hardship—hardship that was too often created by Western colonial and neocolonial exploitation itself. And then the West has the AUDACITY to try and turn us away? SHAME!
The only reason we’re allowed to be here is due to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which removed racist immigration quotas and allowed Asians to enter America in larger numbers. This Act came around the same time as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as Civil Rights leaders like MLK Jr supported the push for racial equity and a minority-inclusive America. Some came through high-skilled work visas, while others came as students or small business owners with dreams of success. Regardless of motive, a common thread bound our immigrant families: searching for a new home.
But no matter how we arrived, our communities have never been immune to the dangers of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. From post-9/11 surveillance, the racial profiling and hate crimes of Brown peoples, to the discriminatory visa restrictions and labor exploitation, we have felt the direct impact of xenophobia. Today, Asians make up a significant portion of both high-skilled immigrant workers and undocumented laborers. According to the Center of Migrant Studies, as of 2017, there are 1.7 million undocumented Asians in America — to put that into perspective, that means 1 in every 7 Asian immigrants is undocumented. The Asian undocumented population has more than tripled in the last 15 years, and the most common country of origin for Asian undocumented immigrants is India. Of those 1.7 million, around 458,000 are from India and 49,000 from Pakistan (CMS, Ramakrishnan & Shah, 2017).
Let’s not even get into how America purposefully keeps these people undocumented through bureaucratic immigration processes, expensive immigrant lawyer fees, and etc. These people, OUR people now face deportation threats, work insecurity, and a lack of legal protections. Let’s not forget the South Asian domestic workers, cab drivers, gas station clerks, tech workers, and hospitality employees who struggle under low wages and exploitative conditions because of their immigration status, yet they are the ones who uphold the consumerist culture of American society.
The attacks on immigrant rights—whether it’s increasing visa restrictions, family separation, indefinite detentions, or outright bans—do not just harm one group. They harm ALL OF US. When undocumented immigrants are criminalized, everyone including Asians are at risk. When H-1B visa restrictions tighten, South Asian workers are disproportionately affected. When family-based immigration is threatened, our communities are torn apart.
But let’s be clear: This is not just about individual struggles. Anti-immigrant policies are about maintaining a system of exclusion and hierarchy, where certain groups are deemed ‘undeserving’ of rights, dignity, and protection. And if we don’t stand up now, we will be complicit in allowing these injustices to continue. Our people are not bound by borders created by nationalist or (neo)colonial governments, but by our shared humanity.
That is why us Asians must be at the forefront of the fight for immigrant justice. We cannot afford to be silent. We cannot stand on the sidelines while Black and Brown immigrants, Latinx and African asylum seekers, and our very own community members are targeted. We reject the ‘model minority myth’ that tells us to keep our heads down, stay quiet, and assimilate. Because the truth is, the SAME structures that criminalize and deport undocumented immigrants are also the SAME ones who surveil and scapegoat South Asians. The same system that devalues the lives of migrant workers also exploits South Asian laborers.
Immigrant justice is our fight. Whether we are here on visas, as naturalized citizens, or as the children of immigrants, our liberation is tied to the liberation of all immigrants. We recognize that true justice means justice for every immigrant, no matter their status, class, or background. Our ancestors crossed oceans, fled colonial rule, and built new lives in the face of oppression. Now, it is our turn to fight—to ensure that EVERY immigrant, no matter where they come from, has the right to stay, to work, to thrive, and to live without fear in this so-called ‘land of the free.’
We stand together. We fight together. And we WILL WIN TOGETHER. Thank you.”
Click here to see Mi Pueblo’s full statement (co-signed by 18 student organizations including Monsoon) about Chancellor Roberts’ announcement; our organizations’ demands for what Roberts must do to apologize for the harm he caused and how the University can better serve our immigrant communities; and a list of resources to support immigrants.