#385 Rep. Grace Meng Remarks; 3/24 Webinar; DHS Leadership Change; Birthright Citizenship+

In This Issue #385

·       Remarks by CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng

·       03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know

·       Leadership Change at the Department of Homeland Security

·       04/01 Supreme Court Hearing on Birthright Citizenship

·       News and Activities for the Communities

Remarks by CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 2, 2026, Congresswoman Grace Meng 孟昭文   thanked the APA Justice team for convening monthly meetings that allow community leaders to collaborate and support one another. She offered special gratitude to Mayor Kaohly Her, praising her “fearless leadership in the face of adversity and chaos” and noting that while the road ahead will be long, the mayor shared practical ideas that can be advanced both locally and nationally.”

Turning to national politics, Rep. Meng criticized the president’s recent State of the Union address, saying it focused more on himself than on helping the American people. She pointed to what she described as broken promises, particularly to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities—such as pledges to lower costs, protect Medicaid, and allow legal immigration. Instead, she said, the administration attempted to eliminate the Minority Business Development Agency (which House Democrats preserved) and is seeking to change Small Business Administration loan rules in ways that would make it harder for community members to access capital. She also condemned intensified immigration enforcement actions that, as described by Mayor Her, have separated families—including those here legally and without criminal records. Rep. Meng said people are being unlawfully arrested, detained, or deported by masked agents, sometimes based on accent or appearance, leaving many afraid to leave home without carrying identification.

Rep. Meng stressed that despite efforts to signal that AAPI communities do not belong or to erase their contributions from American history, their role is foundational to the nation. As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, she highlighted historic milestones—from Filipino sailors arriving in Morro Bay in 1587, to Chinese laborers building the transcontinental railroad, to Asian American athletes representing the United States at the recent Winter Olympics. She underscored that “our history is American history” and said both the good and the bad should be told for generations to come. She referenced legislation she authored, signed into law in 2022, establishing a commission to study the creation of the first national museum dedicated to AAPI history in Washington, D.C., noting that the bipartisan commission is traveling the country to advance that vision.

Rep. Meng said the goal is not merely survival but ensuring families can thrive, lead, and leave the next generation better off. She highlighted the work of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in advancing equity, defending rights, and promoting economic opportunity. Marking the nation’s 250th anniversary since the Declaration of Independence, she affirmed that whether families arrived through Ellis Island, worked on Hawaiian plantations, or came as refugees, their stories embody the American dream. At this critical moment, she said, the community “won’t back down” but will continue fighting for an equitable and affordable America where the American dream is within reach for all, closing with Lunar New Year and Ramadan greetings and wishes for safety and health.

Watch Rep. Meng’s remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffpdOHXYaKQ (6:45)

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Rep. Grace Meng recently led a virtual press conference with the Minnesota State Asian Pacific Caucus and Minnesota-based community organizations to highlight the devastating impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on Asian communities.

CAPAC Chair Meng was joined by Minnesota State Representative Ethan Cha, Chair of the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus; Minnesota State Representative Liz Lee, Secretary of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators; Xay Yang, Executive Director of Transforming Generations; Quyen Ðình, Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); Chhaya Chhoum, Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN); and ThaoMee Xiong, Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders.  

Read the post at the Minnesota House of Representatives by Rep. Liz Lee at: https://www.house.mn.gov/members/Profile/News/15576/41342.

03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know

On March 24, 2026, starting at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT, APA Justice, Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, and Committee of 100 will co-host a webinar on “Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know.”

Moderator: Michael German, Retired Fellow, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice.

Speakers:

·       Kaohly Her, Mayor, St. Paul, Minnesota.

·       Saira Hussain, Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation.

·       Xiaoxing Xi, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics, Temple University.  

·       John Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.

REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3N5BbEy

RESOURCES:

· APA Justice: Timeline Visualization of U.S. Mass Surveillance

· APA Justice: Warrantless Surveillance

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her — St. Paul's first woman and first Asian American mayor — spoke candidly about ICE operations in the Twin Cities at a recent invitation-only APA Justice monthly meeting. Her remarks are now publicly available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k850qWZ6ZWs (11:29)

Do not miss the chance to hear more from Mayor Her alongside a distinguished panel of civil rights advocates, legal experts, and community leaders at our upcoming webinar.

Founded in 1990, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.

Together, these four voices — a mayor, a civil liberties litigator, a wrongfully targeted scientist, and a civil rights leader — will help our community understand what is happening, why it matters, and what we can do about it.

Leadership Change at the Department of Homeland Security

On March 5, 2026, President Trump fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem following mounting criticism over her leadership, handling of immigration enforcement, and controversies regarding spending and conduct.  The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Senator Markwayne Mullin, nominated to replace her, appeared for his confirmation hearing on March 18, 2026.

According to AP News, Senator Mullin faced one of the most combative confirmation hearings in recent memory — and the sharpest attacks came not from Democrats, but from the Republican chairing the committee.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has made clear he will vote against Mullin, opened the hearing with a direct challenge rooted in a long and bitter personal feud. Years ago, Mullin had sided with the neighbor who physically attacked Paul while he was doing yardwork, leaving the senator with multiple broken ribs. Mullin had called Paul a "freaking snake" and said he could "understand why your neighbor did what he did." Paul used his chairmanship to demand a public reckoning: "Tell it to the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted. Explain to the American people why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and border patrol agents."

Mullin, a former mixed martial arts champion, was unapologetic. "I am not apologizing," he said flatly. "If I have something to say, I'll say it directly to your face." He reiterated his earlier comments about Paul's neighbor and showed no sign of backing down — a combativeness that, paradoxically, may be precisely why Trump has chosen him to lead the agency at the forefront of his mass deportation agenda.

Beyond the personal drama, the three-hour hearing exposed significant gaps in Mullin's policy depth. He is not a specialist in immigration enforcement, FEMA, or DHS operations, and his management experience is largely limited to running the family plumbing business before entering politics. What he brings to the job, by his own description, is a personal friendship with the president and a reputation as an affable relationship-builder.

Senators on both sides were also left puzzled by Mullin's references to a secret trip he claimed to have made to a foreign country with warzone-like conditions — a trip for which the FBI, which conducts background checks on nominees, had no record. Committee leaders insisted Mullin meet them afterward in a secure facility to explain what they called his "super secret" mission. "I didn't say it was 'super secret,'" Mullin snapped.

Despite Paul's opposition, Mullin was expected to narrowly survive a committee vote, with Democratic Senator John Fetterman signaling openness to crossing party lines to support his advancement.

For the AAPI community, the hearing is a reminder that the agency responsible for ICE enforcement — and the surveillance and deportation operations that have disproportionately targeted communities of color — is headed toward new leadership whose defining qualities appear to be personal loyalty to the president and a willingness to fight.

Read the AP News report: https://bit.ly/3NPPmxL.

On March 19, 2026, in an 8-7 vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent Mullin’s nomination forward.

04/01 Supreme Court Hearing on Birthright Citizenship

On April 1, 2026, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality of a January 20, 2025, executive order 14160 by President Trump aiming to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or non-permanent resident parents.

You can listen to the live oral argument audio at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx

On March 26, 2026, starting at 3:00 pm ET, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) will host a webinar titled “SCOTUS Oral Argument Preview: Who is Allowed to be a U.S. Citizen? Defending Birthright Citizenship and the Role of Asian American History.”

NAPABA - along with a broad coalition of bar associations throughout the country - participated as amici and objected to the executive order.  Now that the matter has reached the Supreme Court, please join NAPABA for a thoughtful discussion on its position defending birthright citizenship both in the lower federal courts and the Supreme Court, the importance of Asian American legal history, and how that history informs the arguments in this case.

ACLU will be at the Supreme Court to defend birthright citizenship on April 1.  It is calling for supporters to sign a petition at: https://action.aclu.org/petition/birthright-citizenship-scotus-your-voice-matters

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:

2026/03/23 America’s China Talent Challenge: Investing in Deeper American Understanding of China

2026/03/24 Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know

2026/03/25 The Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: New Data on Asian American Experiences

2026/03/26 Who is Allowed to be a U.S. Citizen? Defending Birthright Citizenship and the Role of Asian American History

2026/04/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

2026/04/08 Perspectives on Careers in Arts and Entertainment

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

2. USCET: America’s China Talent Challenge

WHAT: America’s China Talent Challenge: Investing in Deeper American Understanding of China

WHEN: March 23, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 am ET

WHERE: Hybrid Report Launch Event

·       Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street, NW Washington DC

·       Online on Zoom

HOST: U.S.-China Education Trust

Moderator: Rosie Levine, USCET

Speakers:

·       Nicholas Burns, Former U.S. Ambassador to China

·       David Lampton, Johns Hopkins SAIS & Working Group Chair

·       Madelyn Ross, Senior Advisor & Rapporteur

·       Mark Lambert, Formerly State Department China House

·       Neysun Mahboubi, University of Pennsylvania

·       Jean Oi, Stanford University

DESCRIPTION:  The United States is losing its bench of China expertise at a moment when it can least afford to. With fewer than 2,000 Americans studying in China today, the talent pipeline feeding our government, universities, and private sector is under serious strain. The US-China Education Trust’s expert working group was constituted in the fall of 2025 in response to these dynamics. Through engagement with over 50 organizations and individuals in China and the United States, the report offers concrete, actionable recommendations for reversing the decline.

Join USCET for a hybrid public launch to hear from working group members and explore key findings from the report. The event will also feature virtual opening remarks from former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.

REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/47axCUq

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In a first-person account published by Business Insider, American writer Catherine Work offers a rare comparative perspective on higher education in China and the United States, having studied at universities in both countries — first in Wuhan in 2015 and again in Shijiazhuang in 2025 while completing a graduate degree in global health.

The differences in cost, campus culture, and career pathways made her rethink American universities. On the question of affordability, the contrast is stark. Tuition in China is subsidized by the government, especially at public universities, making it relatively affordable compared with many Western countries — and many students she met were not going into debt to study.

Campus life also differed in notable ways. Students on the campuses she studied entered by scanning their faces and were tracked by cameras. Politics felt more openly present in academic life — most of the professors and physicians she worked with were active members of the Communist Party and often wore pins on their lapels to signify it. One local friend offered a telling observation: having one state party means policies do not change every four years, which in their view creates a certain stability for universities.

Read the Business Insider report: https://www.businessinsider.com/american-studied-china-universities-cheaper-2026-3

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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.