MN8

MN8 was born from Southeast Asian organizing and resistance against the hate that came directly from the last Trump administration in 2016. The #ReleaseMN8 Campaign was created to advocate and free 8 Cambodian-Minnesotans from ICE and respond to the larger problem of Southeast Asian mass deportations across the nation. This crisis tore families apart and forced refugees to face double punishment and displacement.

Today, MN8 is a nonprofit fighting for Southeast Asian liberation. We work to return dignity and justice to our people by ending detention and deportation in Southeast Asian communities. We believe that proactively disrupting the cycles of trauma perpetuated within our communities will create a world that is centered on our collective joy, justice, and right to exist. The need for anti-deportation advocacy has only grown in tandem with the rise of anti-immigrant and mass deportation rhetoric.

Our deep commitment to our community and movement moves us to build leadership, powerfully organize, and bring real, lasting change. By addressing both immediate needs and long-term change, we strive to create sustainable, deep-rooted transformation that allows Southeast Asian communities to thrive independently with abundant access to resources and support. 

MN8 Programs & Services:

• Direct Support: MN8 works with deportation-impacted Southeast Asian individuals and their support networks to find resources, safety planning, and receive case support. As the only organization in Minnesota providing specialized deportation defense support for Southeast Asian communities, our work fills a critical gap in existing services and ensures culturally-appropriate responses to this crisis.

• FAIM: MN8 provides a Family Assets for Independence in Minnesota (FAIM) program, a matched savings project designed to help our communities build assets.

• Housing Trust: MN8 provides housing assistance to support community members with rent and housing stability. 

• Advocacy: MN8 advocates in campaigns and with coalitions. We mobilize, craft narratives, uplift impacted voices, and take action. 

• Freedom Village: MN8’s political home for community members fighting for the liberation of Southeast Asian & Asian Americans. 

• ReGENerate Youth Program: ReGENerate is co-created by youth, for youth, to deepen their leadership to shape our world towards justice.