Author | Lightnews

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Sep 13

We loved seeing so many people from our communities at our anniversary party last night!

Will Gross @willgross.bsky.social · Sep 13

Congrats to @apipennsylvania.bsky.social on 5 tremendous years of supporting and protecting the API community here in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania!

Here’s to the next 5 and beyond 💪🏼❤️‍🔥

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 26

We wish you a happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Today, Hindus celebrate Ganesha, the god of new beginnings and the remover of obstacles. We’re wishing for obstacles to be removed on our path to building a better world, and celebrating the people who work to achieve this brighter future.

Lord Ganesha statue sitting in front of illustrations of flowers. "Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! May Lord Ganesha remove all obstacles from our path to a brighter future!"

Reposted by Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA)

Katrina Eames @katrinaeames.bsky.social · Aug 16

ICE didn't even tell her family that they were deporting her. They just took her away from her kids - she didn't even get to say goodbye to them. Her kids only found out because she was able to call them right before being put on the plane.

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 15

💔 Heartbreaking news out of Lancaster today. After 25 years of calling Pennsylvania home, Ester Soliman was deported to the Philippines.

#KeepFamiliesTogether #ImmigrantJustice #EndDeportations

www.witf.org/2025/08/15/e...

Ester Soliman, 25-year Lancaster resident, deported by ICE | WITF

Ester Soliman was deported to the Philippines on Friday after living in Lancaster for 25 years, her family said. Her family said they received a […]

www.witf.org

71 130

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 15

Now her children are left without their mom, and a community is left grieving the loss of one of its own.

No one should be ripped away from their family. We need an immigration system that is rooted in dignity, compassion, and keeping families together - not tearing them apart.

3 9

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 15

Her son Sam has been one of our volunteers for years and is so loved by our community. It is devastating to learn that the family only learned what was happening when Ester called from the airport moments before ICE put her on a plane. ICE never told them she was being deported.

1 3 8

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 15

💔 Heartbreaking news out of Lancaster today. After 25 years of calling Pennsylvania home, Ester Soliman was deported to the Philippines.

#KeepFamiliesTogether #ImmigrantJustice #EndDeportations

www.witf.org/2025/08/15/e...

Ester Soliman, 25-year Lancaster resident, deported by ICE | WITF

Ester Soliman was deported to the Philippines on Friday after living in Lancaster for 25 years, her family said. Her family said they received a […]

www.witf.org

1 6 10

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 7

He was someone’s family member, friend, neighbor - and we grieve for him.

Use this form to call your member of Congress now to demand they take action to shut down the Moshannon Valley Processing Center - lives are on the line. secure.everyaction.com/grO1rib08Uet...

Tell Your Member of Congress: Shut Down Moshannon Valley Processing Center

secure.everyaction.com

2 3

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 7

No one should be put in a life-or-death situation because of their citizenship status. But that’s exactly what’s happening in ICE custody.

Chaofeng Ge had been in custody for just five days at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. He was awaiting an immigration hearing when he died.

Philadelphia Inquirer
Headline: ICE detainee found hanging in Moshannon shower room, was awaiting immigration hearing, officials say

Body: An ICE detainee was found hanging by his neck in a shower room at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on Tuesday morning and pronounced dead shortly afterward, the agency said late Wednesday night.

Chaofeng Ge, 32, a Chinese national, had been in ICE custody for five days, and was awaiting a hearing before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, ICE said. He was pronounced dead by the Clearfield County coroner at 6:03 a.m.

3 21 32

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 7

Join us for food, community, and updates on API PA’s work in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 14! As we navigate new challenges and attacks against our communities, let’s come together to build power and protect each other.

Join us: secure.everyaction.com/npIH-E4iR0aH...

Eight Asian Americans posing in front of a brick wall. "API PA Philadelphia General Meeting. Thursday, August 14. 7 PM - 8:30 PM, API PA Office"

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Aug 4

Anou is a business owner and a pillar of our community in Germantown. He is facing deportation to Laos, a country he left as a refugee when he was a small child. We're coming together on Saturday to demand ICE release Anou and bring him home to his family.

secure.everyaction.com/x_EAnd5NDkOh...

Germantown says: Keep families Together! Bring Anou home! Anou is Laotian and has been in the country for 45 years. He was taken by ICE on 7/29. Anou is detained and faces deportation unless a stay is called within 30 days. Stand with Germantown and demand the release of Anou! Rally Saturday, August 9th 1 PM at 322 W. Chelter Ave, Das Good Cafe

1 1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 17

Chinatown deserves better.
Our families, elders, and small businesses deserve leaders who act with urgency and fight for the people who call this neighborhood home.

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 17

What’s worse? Local leaders like Councilmember Mark Squilla are saying we should just wait for the next election and hope that people change their mind about funding us when they're running for office - instead of fighting for our communities right now.

2

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 17

Frustrated but not surprised: Donald Trump pulled funding for the Chinatown Stitch Project. This vital project was meant to reconnect a neighborhood and make our communities safer.

Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · Jul 16

Philadelphia had been preparing to begin construction in the next two or three years on the Chinatown Stitch.

Yet President Donald Trump’s tax bill appears to have rescinded more than $150 million committed to the project by the Biden administration last year, putting it in limbo.

Over $150 million in federal funds taken from Chinatown Stitch project by Trump’s tax bill

The project involves capping the highway from 10th to 13th Streets to create a park and more developable land to reconnect Chinatown with the neighborhood to its north.

www.inquirer.com

2 1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 9

AFSCME 33 has reached a deal that better honors their essential work!

Let’s celebrate the union that fought for fair wages, dignity, and respect! We were proud to stand with them because their fight for a city that works for everyone is our fight too.

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 4

We are fighting for our right to exist, to take up space, and to thrive in this country. Now is the time to come together, stand up, and fight to protect our democracy because liberty and justice should be for all.

Join us: www.apipennsylvania.org/join

Join API PA — Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance

www.apipennsylvania.org

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 4

It's Independence Day-- but the fight for our freedoms continues on. This Fourth of July, more than ever, we are working to defend our communities against predatory billionaires, to keep families safe and together, and fight for for our access to healthcare and basic necessities.

Illustration of the Statue of Liberty. "Happy Independence day from the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance"

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 3

Republicans in Congress just sold us all out. They just cut Medicaid and SNAP - taking away health care and food from our families. They did this so that they can fund Trump’s cruel immigration plan that rips apart our families and communities.

www.reuters.com/world/us/how...

How the Republican spending bill super-charges immigration enforcement

The major tax-cut and spending bill that Republicans hope to bring to final passage in the U.S. House of Representatives this week would devote an unprecedented $170 billion to immigration enforcement, according to an analysis by the pro-immigration American Immigration Council and a Reuters review of the bill text.

www.reuters.com

2

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 2

Not represented by Brian Fitzpatrick?

Don't worry - use this link to find your rep and give them a call about protecting Medicaid! secure.everyaction.com/XdYepmQeUU23...

Call Your Reps: Protect Medicaid, SNAP, and Working Families

secure.everyaction.com

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 2

These are our neighbors, our grandparents, our kids - and they’re being put at risk by reckless proposals to slash healthcare funding.

Call Rep. Fitzpatrick and tell him that his constituents are watching, and that he needs to stand up for our communities and protect Medicaid: 215-579-8102

Call Rep. Fitzpatrick and tell him to vote no on Medicaid Cuts. Picture of Brian Fitzpatrick with a speech bubble "Call me: 215-579-8102"

1 1 1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 2

Cuts to Medicaid would hurt thousands of families right here in Pennsylvania - let’s take a closer look at who would get hurt just in the first district represented by Brian Fitzpatrick. Over 104,000 people in PA-01 rely on Medicaid for their health care.

Who would get hurt by Medicaid cuts in PA's 1st congressional district?
1. Children - 31,000 children in Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district rely on Medicaid for their healthcare.
2. People with Disabilities - 21,600 people with disabilities in Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district rely on Medicaid for Healthcare.
3. Seniors - 11,200 seniors in Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district rely on Medicaid for Healthcare.
4. Workers - Medicaid funds the jobs of hospital workers, home care providers, and school staff. When it's cut, it's not just coverage that disappears - it's paychecks.
5. Health Care Systems - Medicaid pays for 13% of inpatient hospital care - it's a foundation of our healthcare system.

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 1

Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to over 72 million Americans and covers 75% of publicly funded family planning services. Cutting it means shutting down access to birth control, prenatal care, cancer screenings, and more.

This is not about budgets. It’s about control and cruelty.

Call Your Reps: Protect Medicaid, SNAP, and Working Families

secure.everyaction.com

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 1

Senate Republicans just passed a bill that would defund Medicaid - a direct attack on millions of families who rely on it for healthcare, including reproductive care. They're playing politics with our health and our lives. Call your reps to stop this bad bill! secure.everyaction.com/XdYepmQeUU23...

Photo of Asian mom playing with a baby. Headline from the Pennsylvania Independent "Cuts to Medicaid would affect access to reproductive care for millions of women: Two-thirds of the 70 million Americans enrolled in Medicaid are women of reproductive age, between the ages of 19 and 49."

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 1

We want our community to be protected, an affordable Philadelphia for everyone, protections for our communities, and development that lifts communities up. We’re ready to engage - and we look forward to working together to make this a win for all of Philly, not just for billionaire developers.

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 1

Real community engagement means more than private meetings and press releases. It means a seat at the table for our neighborhoods and language access so everyone can fully participate in the decision-making process.

1

Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance (API PA) @apipennsylvania.bsky.social · Jul 1

Big news: Sixers’ owner and Comcast move to buy Market East building.

We’re hopeful that the billionaires behind this project have learned from the last few years and that this time, they’re ready to do things differently.

www.phillytrib.com/news/busines...

Sixers' owner and Comcast move to buy Market East building

It’s been reported that Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the owner of the 76ers, and Comcast Corp. are moving forward to revitalize the Market East area of Center City.

www.phillytrib.com

1