Trump’s second term poses immediate dangers to our people; we must stand firm with BIPOC, queer and trans, immigrant, and working class communities, young people, and women. With Biden nearing the end of his presidency, he has a critical window to set durable protections for those likely to be most harmed after Trump is inaugurated.

With our partners at Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network of Massachusetts, we are mobilizing now to demand urgent action by the Biden Administration to enshrine our rights and reduce or slow the threats posed by the Trump administration.

Sign this letter to add your voice: President Biden, protect our rights.

We're calling on the president to take urgent steps to protect those most impacted by right-wing policies set to be enacted in the next administration. Add your voice to our petition to protect our vulnerable communities. While our partner groups are based in Massachusetts, the recommended protections will support marginalized communities nationwide.

Petition text and demands are as follows:

Dear President Biden,

The Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network of Massachusetts, on behalf of our coalition and allied partners across the Commonwealth, is calling on you to take swift action as your term comes to a close to ensure working class; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), including AANHPIs; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer+ people (LGBTQ+); and immigrant and refugee communities are protected as we transition into a second Trump Administration.

With the start of the lame-duck session following the federal elections, we urge you to take immediate steps to protect those most impacted by right-wing policies set to be enacted in the next administration. This includes ensuring the rights and safety of immigrants, young people, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, working class, and women and non-binary people. Your administration was elected based on your commitment to those most marginalized. You ran on one of the most progressive platforms, ushering in a new era of policies focused on fighting climate change, building out America’s infrastructure, supporting the care economy, protecting LGBTQ+ youth, fighting for reproductive freedoms, and championing a working-class agenda.

The undocumented immigrant population in Massachusetts is approximately 209,000, with 22% born in Asia, 28% from South America, 38% from Central America and the Caribbean, 6% from Africa, and 7% from Europe, according to the Migration Policy Institute.¹ Massachusetts is also home to a sizable group of people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), approximately 8,600, and a significant refugee population, estimated at 59,800.² In the City of Lowell, for example, there are over 15,000 residents of Cambodian ancestry, making it the second-largest Cambodian community in the United States.³ Similarly, Boston’s Chinatown, one of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in the Northeastern United States, supports the over 34,000 Chinese-identifying residents of Boston. The threats posed by the Trump administration’s policies will spell disaster for our working-class, immigrant, and BIPOC communities.

In order to protect our most vulnerable communities, we call upon your administration to enact policies and regulations to protect working class, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities in the following ways: 

1. Immigration justice: Close detention centers to reduce Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity. Halt all efforts to expand the ICE detention system by freezing all negotiations and rescinding all Requests for Proposal (RFP) and Requests for Information (RFI). Release people from detention, starting with vulnerable populations those eligible for parole, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or other protections.⁴ 
2. Economic justice: Preserve and enshrine federal and state public benefits programs, including housing protections and SNAP and WIC, and forgive student debt. Create legislative pathways for rent stabilization, namely through cap rent increases on existing units at 5% or risk losing current valuable federal tax breaks.⁵
3. Protecting global peace: Cement the United States’ role in promoting global peace and protecting human rights by enforcing a full arms embargo on weapons trades to Israel, and calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to ensure the safety and welfare of Palestinians. 
4. Reigning in corporate power: Take action to limit energy use of AI and tech corporations, including infrastructure such as data centers, as this threatens to reverse our climate progress.⁶ Support the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory agencies to accelerate rulemaking around antitrust, anti-monopoly, and data privacy.

President Biden, we recognize your leadership and commend your vision of progressive change over the past four years. With your tenure coming to a close, we call on you to once again stay true to your values and commitment to the progressive movement, led by Black women and women of color, working class communities, and immigrants who helped elect you. 

We demand you take these actions within the remaining days of your administration – to not only preserve your legacy, but to protect the safety and survival of our collective communities as we face another four years of uncertainty.

In partnership,
Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network (APIs CAN)

MA Endorsing Organizations:
Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW)
Asian Community Development Corporation
Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) 
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center 
Chinese Progressive Association
Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA)
South Asian Workers Center, Boston
Springfield No One Leaves
Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID)

National Allied Partners Endorsing Organizations:
Asian Law Alliance, California
Kairos Action  

Sources:

1. “Profile of the Unauthorized Population: Massachusetts,” Migration Policy Institute, 2019.
2. “Immigrants in Massachusetts,” American Immigrant Council, 2024, 
3. “American Community Survey: Cambodians in Lowell,” U.S. Census, 2024.
4. “Act now to protect immigrant communities,” Detention Watch Network, 2024, 
5. “FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Major New Actions to Lower Housing Costs by Limiting Rent Increases and Building More Homes,” The White House, July 16 2024,
6. “Coalition Responds to NTIA on Data Center Growth Threatening Climate Progress,” Athena News, October 31, 2024,