#381 3/24 Mass Surveillance Webinar; AASF Update; Citizen Diplomacy; Birthright Citizenship

In This Issue #381

·       03/24 Webinar: What AAPI Should Know About Mass Surveillance

·       Update from Asian American Scholar Forum

·       USHCA: Advancing Subnational and Citizen Diplomacy

·       More Amicus Briefs to Oppose Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

·       Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake?

·       News and Activities for the Communities

03/24 Webinar: What Asian Pacific Americans Need to Know About Mass Surveillance

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 2, 2026, Mike German announced an upcoming webinar titled “Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know,” scheduled for March 24 at 4 p.m. Pacific (7 p.m. Eastern).

The webinar aims to raise awareness about mass surveillance programs—particularly the reauthorization of Section 702 and related national security authorities—that are fueling aspects of the current Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown. The Asian American community has long been unfairly targeted as a national security threat, including during the China Initiative, and that these surveillance programs continue to disproportionately impact the community.

The event is intended to educate the public about how ICE uses technology and law enforcement information, what is being done to address these practices, and how community members can support ongoing advocacy efforts.

APA Justice is deeply grateful for Mike, retired Fellow of the Brennan Center for Justice and former FBI Special Agent, for taking a break from his retirement to help organize this webinar.

Please save the date and time and look for further details in the coming days.

Update from Asian American Scholar Forum

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on Monday, March 2, 2026, starting at 1:55 pm ET. Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum, highlighted three major updates from AASF.

First, she discussed the recent hearing in the case involving Dr. Jane Ying Wu 吴瑛 and Northwestern University. Although Dr. Wu was not charged following a 2019 National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigation, her family has alleged that the university took damaging actions against her, including limiting her work, closing her lab, reassigning grants, isolating her, and involuntarily admitting her to a psychiatric unit. The court allowed several claims—including a discrimination claim—to move forward, and written discovery will proceed. AASF is closely monitoring the case, has organized support from more than 1,000 faculty signatories, is preparing a nonprofit letter with Advancing Justice | AAJC, and will host an educational webinar featuring Dr. Wu’s daughter. Gisela emphasized that the case reflects the broader employment and institutional ripple effects of the China Initiative.

Second, she noted that AASF is monitoring reports of potential efforts to bar individuals of Chinese descent, including permanent residents, from certain federal employment roles. AASF is assessing these developments and will keep the community informed about any actions requiring response.

Finally, Gisela ended on a positive note, announcing AASF’s inaugural AIX Summit in New York City on April 17, 2026. The summit will highlight Asian American leadership in artificial intelligence and research, featuring prominent scholars and scientists, and aims to celebrate achievements while strengthening the pipeline of future talent in the United States.  For more information, visit https://www.aasforum.org/2026/02/17/inaugural-aasf-aix-summit/

A summary for the March 2 monthly meeting is being prepared at this time.

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On March 4, 2026, NPR reported on the story of Dr. Jane Ying Wu 吴瑛, interviewing a number of scientists and researchers, as well as her daughter Liz Rao.  Read or listen to the NPR report:   https://n.pr/4cNobOr.

USHCA: Advancing Subnational and Citizen Diplomacy

According to the U.S. Heartland China Association (UCHCA), from October 23 to November 2, 2025, a Heartland Leaders Delegation organized by USHCA traveled to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Xianyang, engaging with local governments, universities, and businesses to explore cooperation in healthcare, education, environmental governance, and sustainable economic development.

This delegation included six local elected officials representing communities across the Mississippi River Basin and beyond.

The delegation's meetings and exchanges coincided with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, where Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were holding high-level discussions. While national leaders set the tone for the bilateral relationship, the delegation demonstrated how local and regional actors can also advance constructive engagement on the ground — often operating ahead of, and in support of, broader national conversations by sustaining dialogue, trust, and cooperation at the community level.

Amid evolving U.S. federal engagement in subnational diplomacy and a shifting geopolitical landscape, the visit highlighted how state and local leaders play a vital role in promoting understanding and advancing diplomacy through local-to-local cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for their communities.

Across all four cities, Heartland leaders moved beyond symbolism to engage in substantive, place-based exchanges on healthcare innovation, environmental stewardship, education, advanced manufacturing, and cultural heritage — areas where local governments are uniquely positioned to deliver tangible outcomes.

The visit also highlighted the growing recognition among Chinese private-sector leaders of the critical role local relationships play in successful international business development. Engagements with companies such as Nongfu Spring and Gotion underscored how Chinese firms seeking to expand in the United States increasingly prioritize understanding local contexts, workforce needs, regulatory environments, and community expectations in the American Heartland — reinforcing that economic cooperation is driven not solely by national policy, but by sustained dialogue with state and local leaders.

In 2026, the Yangtze-Mississippi River Dialogue will return to the U.S. in the fall, with USHCA planning to host a reciprocal Chinese delegation.

Read the USHCA report: https://bit.ly/46EwbNK

More Amicus Briefs to Oppose Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

On February 27, 2026, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Howard University School of Law's Civil Rights Clinic filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, Equal Justice Society, the National Urban League, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, urging the Court to strike down President Trump's executive order 14160 on birthright citizenship.

The brief debunks the Trump administration's claim that the Reconstruction Congress intended birthright citizenship to apply only to freed slaves and their children, arguing that the 14th Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act clearly grant birthright citizenship to all people born in the United States, regardless of the legal status of their parents.

The groups warn that if upheld, the executive order would resurrect a time in American history when only certain people could be declared a citizen by birth, and would further expose communities of color to harmful policies — with immigration enforcement tactics that hearken back to a time when newly freed Black people had to carry their manumission papers.

On March 2, 2026, the American Bar Association (ABA) filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that Executive Order 14160 violates the birthright citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. The ABA urges the Supreme Court to affirm the lower court's judgment invalidating the executive order and preserve the settled rule that birth in the United States confers citizenship.

Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake?

On March 17, 2026, the Committee of 100 will host a webinar as part of its Equity Pulse series: “Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake?”

On April 1, 2026, the Supreme Court will hear arguments that could redefine what it means to be a U.S. citizen. It is a battle Chinese Americans have fought before. In 1898, Wong Kim Ark sued for his right to reenter the United States after being denied because of his Chinese ancestry. His Supreme Court victory established birthright citizenship as we know it.

Now, that precedent is under attack in Trump v. Barbara.

Join attorneys Wendy Feng, Arjun Shenoy, Tony Wang, and Jennifer Wu on Monday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT, as they break down the legal arguments and discuss what this case could mean for AAPIs and civil rights. They were directly involved in the drafting of the two amicus briefs filed by the AAPI community in this case.

Even if you are a U.S. citizen today, this case could affect generations to come. Hear from top legal experts, ask questions, and engage on a constitutional right.

Register to attend: https://bit.ly/4aVpBDC

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:

2026/03/17 Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake?

2026/04/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

2026/04/14 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Anla ChengVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

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APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community.  For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org. We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org.