Asian Wisconzine Section/Heidi M. Pascual
News from Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
CAPAC Demands Accountability Following ICE Response at Delaney Hall Facility
May 26, 2026, WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Grace Meng, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued the following statement regarding conditions at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, and the pepper spraying of U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents:
“Members of Congress have a constitutional right and a duty to conduct oversight of federal detention facilities, particularly when lives are at stake. Over the past several days, members of the New Jersey congressional delegation visited the Delaney Hall detention facility and heard disturbing accounts from detained individuals and their families, including reports of inedible food, denial of medical care, and barriers to due process.
“During one of these visits, ICE deployed an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents who tackled civilians and fired pepper balls and pepper spray into the crowd — including at CAPAC Executive Member Senator Andy Kim. It is a disgrace and an abuse of power that should alarm every American. If this is how ICE responds to elected officials, it raises grave concerns about how detainees are being treated behind closed doors.
“These inspections are more important than ever amid mounting reports of abuse and civil rights violations in federal detention centers. CAPAC members will not be intimidated, and will continue exercising our oversight authority to demand accountability from this lawless agency.”
Chair Meng Condemns Reckless Green Card Policy Change
May 22, 2026, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), issued the following statement condemning the Trump administration’s new memo that will force immigrants seeking permanent residency, or a green card, to return to their home countries to apply — a drastic change from longstanding policy:
“The Trump administration is once again proving that they are not going after the ‘worst of the worst.’ Instead, they are blatantly attacking legal immigration, with family separation at the center of its agenda. This new policy will rip apart families, spouses, and children from their parents. For immigrants from more than 100 countries affected by Trump’s immigrant visa and travel bans — including over a dozen countries in Asia — these separations could last for years, if not indefinitely.
“Students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and other temporary visa holders who followed the law and built their lives in the United States would be forced to abandon their livelihoods in order to apply for permanent residency. This reckless policy shows a stunning disregard for the human cost it will impose on hundreds of thousands of people each year. We will pursue every avenue to fight against this reprehensible decision and push for its reversal.”
