return to sender

But hold up... Speaking of the White House's "What's Your Story" video contest winners, here's one video that inexplicably did not make the cut...

Studio Revolt's short film My Asian Americana, which tells the stories of Asian Americans who have deported and ordered into exile, was a finalist in the contest and actually won the popular vote. However, they were not invited to attend the "Champions of Change" event at the White House.

They've made this follow-up piece, Return To Sender, a video letter addressed to the President -- not so much as a gripe about the unfair treatment, but as part of their continued efforts to inform the public about the devastating effects of "criminal alien deportation." It's pretty powerful. take a look:



Here are some more details about the video:

Our previous video "My Asian Americana" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxtfCz4B1o) was a finalist for the White House AAPI's "What's Your Story" video contest. We won the highest popular votes by a landslide. But the White House decided to disregard the votes and silence our voice in this election year. They formally refused to invite our movement's representative to the event.

Despite the fraudulent treatment, we intend to keep on informing the public of the devastating effects of so called "criminal alien deportation" which allows no appeal in the court. Many of the deportees, whom we began to call "exiles", were living respectable lives after their incarceration, having their own business, going to school, starting their own family.

And one day, I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) would come pick them up, detain them in some cases up to 2-3 years without any charge or trial, and send them back to their supposed homeland, like Cambodia, leaving wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, and their young children in utter financial and psychological devastation. Often these K.E.A.s (Khmer Exiled Americans) had never seen Cambodia until they were escorted off the airplane by the agents at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

Please ask the White House why they try to silence this issue in manners that do not honor democracy.

For further information on Exiles in Cambodia, go to the Spoken Kosal website here. For family members who are under the threat of deportation, go to the One Love Movement website here.