Founded in 1972, the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) is the United States' first legal aid and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian-Pacific American communities.
[7] Since the majority of Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) in America are immigrants[8] and refugees, the Caucus seeks to create informed and educated communities that are then empowered to assert their rights and to participate actively in American society.
Recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, the Asian Law Caucus is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society, with a specific focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved APIs.
[2] The Asian Law Caucus advocates on behalf of low income residents, workers, and small businesses in the areas of housing and community development.
[12][15] ALC focuses primarily on gateway communities for new immigrants, such as San Francisco Chinatown, where large numbers of tenants and seniors are in danger of displacement due to gentrification and other economic pressures.
[17] The suit further argued that HB 56 is an anti-immigrant legislation predominantly focused on outlawing any and all dealings with undocumented immigrants, including the most basic rights to personal business like housing and utilities contracts.
[20][22][23] ALC serves hundreds of clients each year, providing services in a wide variety of languages through partnerships with community organizations from San Francisco to Sacramento on local and policy levels.
Within the first six months of providing these services, the Caucus helped workers recover more than a quarter million dollars in back wages and settlements, not including unemployment benefits won.
"[42][43] The NSCR Program utilizes a broad range of strategies including direct legal service, litigation, policy advocacy, community organizing, and education in an effort to impact the larger social and institutional dynamics that prevent the realization of equal rights.
[45] The two organizations issued a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to understand how immigration authorities' internal lists designating individuals from "special interest countries" may be used to stop innocent citizens and non-citizens for indiscriminate searches and questioning.