"There is no need to answer the question on deportation (of Nikki Haley as being demanded by some of the Trump supporters). It (such a demand) is silly," Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund, said yesterday.
Indian-American Republican Governor Haley on Wednesday faced flak from the supporters of her party's presidential candidate Donald Trump, as she cited her family's immigrant experience to warn against rhetoric that could make hardworking people feel unwelcome in the US.
"The (Asian American) community is up in arms about it (what the Republican frontrunner has said). Absolutely. But it is unfortunately not entirely unexpected," Dilawar Syed, co-founder and vice chairman of the AAPI Victory Fund, said.
"We have heard some horrible things this election season. There is a frankly shocking narrative of division, absolutely hate and total bigotry. That is un-American. That is dangerous... It is time for the community to step up," Syed said.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said the comments against Haley are "very unfortunate" so is the kind of rhetoric coming from some of the campaigns.
Syed said there has been a rise in this type of rhetoric, from the use of racial slurs or the mocking of Asian accents, to misdirecting blame to entire AAPI communities for concerns ranging from economic competition from Asia to terrorist acts committed by extremists.