Dr. Kirin Macapugay came to the United States when she was two years old as an immigrant.
She expressed that Asian immigrants are also impacted by harmful biases that influence immigration policies.
“What’s important is that we don’t see immigration as just a Latino issue. It affects all of us,” Macapugay said.
In honor of Filipino History Month, San Diego City College’s Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Association club (AANHPI) hosted the Immigration 101 Teach-In, educating students about the Asian immigration experience and Asian history.
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The teach-in was led by Macapugay, who is also a professor of Human Services and Social Work at City College.
She began the teach-in by highlighting how Asian participation in American history is hardly taught or acknowledged.
“The system isn’t fair,” Macapugay said. “People from some countries can immigrate quickly, while others wait decades. Filipinos are one of the longest-waiting groups for visas.”
Shimika Belias, a 22-year-old nursing major and immigrant from the Philippines, learned new things about the immigration experience that she had never thought of before.
“Some people don’t have the same privilege that I have,” Belias said. “They don’t have a new phone. They don’t have a way to contact their families.
“As an immigrant student from the Philippines, San Diego City College is a very open space to talk about being an immigrant,” Belias said.
City College’s environment and diverse community make Belias feel comfortable about being an immigrant.
“It makes me feel heard, and it makes me feel like I belong,” Belias said.
This story was edited by Venkateswar Rao Vadlamudi, Chrisdan Peralta and Tresean Osgood.