South Asian Coalition

Statement about Executive Orders from South Asian Groups (January 2025)

As members of the South Asian American Policy Working Group – an emergent network of local and national organizations across the United States that serve, advocate, and organize with South Asian communities in the United States – we are profoundly alarmed by the executive orders being issued by the Trump Administration.  Since the inauguration, community members have shared with us their deep concerns about how the Trump Administration’s executive orders will threaten their families, livelihoods, rights, safety, and well-being.

Within a matter of days, the Trump Administration’s policies have unraveled decades of progress. The executive orders make drastic changes, including the dismantlement of refugee and asylum pathways, mass deportations, and the elimination of birthright citizenship to rollbacks in civil rights and equity, the end of DEI programs in federal agencies and attacks on the rights of trans community members to national security proposals that create vetting and ideological screening tests for entry and establish statewide Homeland Security Taskforces. The language used in the executive orders is also dehumanizing; using invasion rhetoric to justify mass deportations, redefining gender to enable discrimination towards trans and nonbinary individuals, and vilifying DEI programs as sources of “prejudicial hostility” all contribute to an environment of deep polarization.  

Below are a few examples of how the executive orders could harm South Asians:

  • Deportations and raids: While numbers are not readily available for all South Asian groups, Indians comprised the third largest undocumented population – around 725,000 people – in the US in 2022.  (Pew Research Center). Additionally, the Administration has granted immigration enforcement authority to various law enforcement agencies and rescinded a prior policy that prevented immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations” such as places of worship, hospitals, and schools, and restricting access to public benefits for undocumented immigrants. In total, these cruel measures will take a significant toll on all undocumented South Asians, particularly those who are poor and working class, and create a climate of fear and anxiety.
  • Elimination of and changes in immigration programs: South Asians utilize various immigration pathways to enter the United States. The end of asylum pathways bar South Asians who face political persecution or domestic and sexual violence from seeking protection in the United States. Given worsening conditions for minority groups in South Asian countries, particularly India where Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, and Christians face persecution, more South Asians have been seeking asylum in recent years. Additionally, Nepalis rely on the Temporary Protected Status program and over 1.2 million Indians, including dependents, are waiting in line for green cards. Changes in or eliminations of these immigration pathways will have a harmful impact on thousands of community members.
  • Expansion of extreme vetting and national security policies: The executive orders on national security and immigration signal another Muslim ban, denaturalization efforts, and extreme vetting and ideological tests for immigrants. These policies will undoubtedly compound the harms that many community members have already faced since 9/11 through the War on Terror infrastructure.
  • The rollback of civil rights protections: The Trump Administration’s executive orders also dismantle a vast swath of programs and policies intended to support marginalized communities. These include an end to DEI programs in the federal government, a rollback on protections for trans and nonbinary people, the redefinition of gender identity, and the denial of federal funds for public schools that teach children about racism or gender inequities.
  • Scrutiny of federal funding programs: The Trump Administration has signaled that federal funding programs might be under scrutiny and even cancelled if they do not align with the President’s agenda. Organizations that rely on federal funds to support South Asian immigrant survivors of gender-based violence, research health disparities or provide basic social services to South Asians could be particularly affected.

The policies of the Trump Administration also perpetuate divisive narratives that pit immigrants against each other and create a hierarchy for belonging in America. This dynamic is already taking shape in alarming ways. Recent reports reveal that the Indian government has offered to receive thousands of undocumented immigrants in return for assurances of H1B programs and economic partnerships with the Trump Administration. It is also deeply disappointing that many of these policies will be implemented by members of our own communities who are poised to serve at high levels in the Trump Administration.

In spite of the tidal wave of challenges before us, and what we can expect to come over the next four years, our organizations remain unwavering in our deep commitment to advocating for all members of our communities. 

In this moment, South Asians can anchor ourselves in our cherished values of community care and solidarity by:

  • Reaching out to vulnerable community members to provide resources from know your rights to mutual aid (see below for links)
  • Organizing community awareness sessions at places of worship, community centers, and organizations and networks
  • Writing op-eds and letters to the editor to advocate for policies and practices that uplift equality and inclusion
  • Asking elected, faith, and civic leaders to protect and support all people
  • Documenting community impact by collecting and sharing stories
  • Disrupting dehumanizing and divisive narratives that pit South Asian immigrants against each other and other communities of color
  • Supporting South Asian organizations with time, skills, funds

Resource List:

Endorsing Members of the South Asian American Policy Working Group

ASATA Power

Chhaya CDC

Dalit Solidarity Forum

Hindus for Human Rights

India Civil Watch International

Jahajee: Indo-Caribbeans for Gender Justice

Manavi

Muslims for Just Futures

Raksha, Inc

Sakhi for South Asian Survivors

SEWA-AIFW (Asian Indian Family Wellness)

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund 

South Asian Legal Defense Fund

South Asian Network

South Asian Public Health Association

South Asian SOAR

The Sikh Coalition

For more information: The South Asian American Working Group is an emergent network of local and national South Asian organizations that address policy issues affecting South Asian communities, with a commitment to collective liberation, human dignity, and collaboration.  Please visit www.southasiancoalition.org or email southasianjusticecollective@gmail.com.

To endorse this Statement as a supporting organization, please complete the form here.