Combatting the AAPI Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype

Although nearly 45 percent of all foreign-born Asian American and Pacific Islanders have lived in the United States for more than 20 years, the rise in anti-Asian bias attacks has revived a wave of cultural tropes against members of these communities. According to findings from the New American Economy, 1 in 3 Asian American and Pacific Islanders were born in the United States, even though immigration from Asia remains substantial. Many of those who were born abroad have taken steps to become naturalized as American citizens. Counting naturalized immigrants and the U.S.-born, there are over 10.7 million Asian American and Pacific Islander eligible voters in the U.S., making up 4.7% of all eligible voters in the nation. The report also points out that there were approximately 1.8 million undocumented AAPI immigrants in 2019, who contributed $49.3 billion in earnings to the U.S. economy. These statistics directly counter the perpetual foreign stereotype that paints AAPI individuals as outsiders regardless of where they were born, how long they have lived in the United States, and how much they have contributed to the American economy and society. (Flora Meng for The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)