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ARU teaches cultural classes to refugee children. 2 The organization has several programs that promote LGBT issues and oppose the Trump administration’s immigration-enforcement policies. 3 4
Background
Asian Refugees United was established in 2016 to improve the health and wellbeing of Asian immigrant and refugee communities. It says it does this by “building voice, visibility and power.” 1
ARU has a satellite program in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where many Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees from Oakland relocated. 5
The organization says its work focuses on Vietnamese and Bhutanese refugees who fled persecution in their home country but face “new and shared struggles resettling in East Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area, California and Greater Harrisburg Area, Pennsylvania.” 1
ARU is a member of the Asian Americans of Civil Rights and Equality network, which collaborates with ten other California organizations serving East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian Muslim communities; LGBT Asian American communities; and currently and formerly incarcerated Asians. 1
ARU says its staff are entirely by first- and second-generation immigrant and refugee artist activists. 1
ARU says it uses “traditional and contemporary music and movement, storytelling, cultural rituals and practices, visual art-making, and media production to provide healing and leadership development opportunities for Asian refugee youth and adults.” 1
The group says it wants to operate in solidarity with communities fighting for issues like “land back, demilitarization, gender and queer justice, healing justice, and abolition of oppressive systems including caste discrimination.” 1
Programs
Asians Refugees United has an ARU Youth Fellowship, established in 2023, which describes itself as a “safe and creative space for immigrant and refugee Asian American/Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+*-identifying youth and youth of color to engage in leadership and mentorship for personal growth, advocacy towards social change, and substance-use prevention.” 5 3
The group’s “Justice + Belonging” program is a collaboration with Asian Prisoner Support Committee to engage currently and formerly incarcerated Asians. 5
In Pennsylvania, ARU runs the Soccer for Success league for Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee children. 2
The Camp for Emerging Leaders is a year-long development program launched in 2018. 3
Connect, Reflect, Enact is an art therapy project focused on “integrating body knowledge and art creation.” 3
The QTViet Cafe Collective is dedicated to Queer and Trans Viet (QTViet) advocacy. 3
The Alameda County Asian & Pasifika Queer Trans Youth Art Storytellers Program is for LGBT-identifying Asian American/Pacific Islander students. 3
Art & Storytellers: Mero Geet, Mero Yatra is a storytelling performance of Bhutanese-refugee youth. 3
Leadership
Robin Gurung came to the U.S as a refugee and co-founded Asian Refugees United for East Oakland Asians immigrant community. 6 She is the co-executive director. 7
Trang Tran is the co-executive director of ARU. 7
Dohee Lee is the director of arts and healing for ARU. 7
Hai Vo is the director of development for ARU. 7
Nawal Rai is the coordinator of the program known as “We Belong Here Campaign, Storytelling.” 7
Advocacy
The organization strongly opposes enforcement of federal immigration law by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents against Bhutanese migrants. The group claimed those being deported faced ethnic cleansing in their homeland. 4
In December 2025, the Asian Law Caucus filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit on behalf of itself and Asian Refugees United against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE, the U.S. State Department, and other federal agencies to uncover information regarding the increase in the arrests and deportations of refugees across the United States. 8