#322 4/7 Monthly Meeting; Texas Rallies; Litigations; NAPABA/ABA statements; AAPI History +
In This Issue #322
· 2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting
· 2025/03/29-30 Texas Tri-City Rallies
· Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions
· NAPABA and ABA Statements on Rule of Law
· C100 Updates Data on Laws Requiring The Teaching of AAPI History in School Curricula
· News and Activities for the Communities
2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting
The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 7, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Judith Teruya, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Joanna YangQing Derman, Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are:
· Mark Takano, First Vice Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Member, U.S. House of Representatives
· Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
· Cindy Tsai, Interim President, Committee of 100
· X. Edward Guo, President, Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE)
The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org.
Congressman Mark Takano will make his remarks via recorded video on unprecedented challenges to our communities.In a recent opinion published by the New York Times, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky raised an alarming question: "if Trump defies the Courts, then what?" He also commented on President Trump's unprecedented demands on Columbia University. Dean Chemerinsky will share his thoughts on these recent developments and more.The Committee of 100 (C100) is a nonprofit leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans dedicated to advancing U.S.-China relations and promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in American society. On April 25-26, 2025, it will host its annual conference and gala in Los Angeles to share insights on the state of Chinese Americans and the current and future condition of the U.S.-China relationship. Interim President Cindy Tsai returns to update us on recent developments with C100 and the annual event. Professor X. Edward Guo, Stanley Dicker Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Medical Sciences at Columbia University, is current President of Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE). Professor Guo will introduce AAASE and comment on recent developments in higher education and research communities.
2025/03/29-30 Texas Tri-City Rallies
Texas grassroots groups with support of diverse national organizations will hold rallies in all three major cities this weekend to oppose Alien Land Bills - Senate Bill 17 (SB17) and House Bill 17 (HB17):
· Saturday, 3/29 at 11 a.m. Texas Capitol Grounds East Steps, Austin, TX
· Sunday, 3/30 at 2 p.m. zTAO Marketplace, 2049 Coit Rd #300, Plano, TX
· Sunday, 3/30 at 2 p.m. 9015 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX
In an open letter addressed to Texas state senators and representatives, the groups denounce SB17, HB 17 and similar legislation as unconstitutional and discriminatory, as they target individuals based on their national origin, infringing upon rights protected by both the U.S. and Texas constitutions. It further argues that such legislation could discourage foreign investment and talent, leading to economic drawbacks for the state. In addition, the letter highlights concerns that these bills conflate individuals with foreign governments, potentially penalizing those without political affiliations, and lack factual evidence to justify their implementation. The organizers warn that enacting these laws may foster discrimination against Asian and immigrant communities.Drawing historical parallels, the letter references the 59th Texas Legislature's 1965 decision to abolish "alien land laws," cautioning against repeating past mistakes. It concludes with a call to action for legislators to oppose these bills to uphold constitutional protections and promote inclusivity within the state.
Read the coalition open letter posted by United Chinese Americans: https://ucausa.org/ and call your legislators in Texas.The Yellow Whistle™ with the message "We Belong" will be distributed at all three rallies in Texas. The Yellow Whistle Project was launched in April 2022 after an Asian woman was brutally attacked in anti-Asian hate incident in front of a building in New York when the doormen closed the door instead of intervening. The Yellow Whistle is a symbol of self-protection and solidarity in our common fight against historical discrimination and anti-Asian violence. The whistle is a simple gadget with a universal purpose—to signal alarm and call for help—for all Americans.We shall not remain silent, because WE BELONG™.
Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions
As of March 27, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 146 (3 closed cases). According to the New York Times Tracker, at least 53 of the court rulings have at least temporarily paused some of the administration’s initiatives.These are some of the latest developments:
· Block on Alien Enemies Act Deportations Upheld. In a 2-1 decision, the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., today denied the Trump administration’s request to lift the temporary restraining order against Trump's executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act. The Plaintiffs led by ACLU, Democracy Forward, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia. have filed a Notice that they intended to file a new Motion for Preliminary Injunction on Friday, March 28, to incorporate “additional factual material so that there is a more complete record.”
· Deportation of Columbia University Student Blocked. On March 24, 2025, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald of the Southern District of New York granted Yunseo Chung's attorneys a temporary restraining order, preventing her from being arrested or deported. Chung is a 21-year-old Columbia University student and legal permanent resident who has been involved in pro-Palestinian protests. She came to the U.S. with her family from South Korea at the age of 7. On March 27, TIME Magazine reported these other students targeted by Trump’s immigration enforcement over campus activism:
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish international student on a valid F-1 visa for her PhD studies at Tufts University in Boston, became the latest high-profile target of ICE after her arrest, which witnesses caught on video, outside her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 26.
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen studying and teaching at Georgetown University on a valid J-1 visa, was detained by ICE on March 17. A lawsuit, Suri v. Trump (1:25-cv-00480), has been filed in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia.
Momodou Taal, a 31-year-old Cornell University graduate student and dual U.K. and Gambian citizen, had his student visa revoked on March 14 and now faces the threat of deportation.
Mahmoud Khalil was arrested at his home by ICE agents on March 8, 2025, and remains in custody as of March 27 at a Louisiana detention facility. Khalil, a Palestinian, moved to the U.S. in 2022 to attend Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, completing his master’s degree studies in December 2024. He married an American woman—making him eligible for a green card—who is eight months pregnant with their first child.
Preservation of Signal Records on Military Strikes Ordered. On March 25, 2025, American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog organization, filed American Oversight v. Hegseth (1:25-cv-00883) against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior Trump administration officials, seeking a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to prevent the deletion of critical national security communications related to a Signal group chat discussing U.S. military operations about a planned strike against Yemen's Houthis on March 11-15, 2025. Administration officials made apparently misleading or false claims that were contradicted by the Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic. On March 27, Chief Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia ordered the Trump administration to preserve the Signal messages. The case raises serious concerns about potential violations of national security protocols and federal records laws.
NAPABA and ABA Statements on Rule of Law
On March 7, 2025, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) issued an advocacy update. It reaffirmed "[o]ur mission is broad. NAPABA is both a national civil rights organization and a preeminent bar association. We are the national voice for the AANHPI legal profession, promoting justice, equity, and opportunity for AANHPIs. We foster professional development, legal scholarship, advocacy, and community involvement."The NAPABA statement outlines significant legal and policy developments impacting the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. The organization is closely monitoring threats to the rule of law, including government intimidation of judges, law firms, and federal attorneys. It highlights recent executive orders that have targeted major law firms and restricted their access to government buildings and officials. The report expresses concern over the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies, including the elimination of the White House Initiative on AANHPIs and restrictions on DEI programs in private institutions. NAPABA argues that these actions undermine fundamental rights, erode professional protections, and reverse decades of progress in ensuring equal opportunities for underrepresented communities.
The NAPABA update also focuses on policy rollbacks affecting vulnerable populations. The revocation of Executive Order 13166, which previously mandated language access guarantees for limited English proficient individuals, creates uncertainty for AANHPI immigrants who rely on government services. The administration's restrictive immigration policies, including expanded expedited removal authority and curtailment of asylum rights, disproportionately impact immigrant communities. NAPABA further condemns recent executive actions targeting the LGBTQ+ community, stating that such measures promote discrimination and weaken legal protections. In response to these challenges, the organization reaffirms its commitment to defending civil rights, advocating for equal justice, and ensuring that marginalized communities are not left vulnerable to government overreach.Read the NAPABA statement: https://bit.ly/424d6BlOn March 26, 2025, NAPABA joined the American Bar Association and a coalition of bar organizations across the nation in the following statement to defend the rule of law and reject efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession:
"We endorse the sentiments expressed by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in his 2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary, '[w]ithin the past year we have also seen the need for state and federal bar associations to come to the defense of a federal district judge whose decisions in a high-profile case prompted an elected official to call for her impeachment. Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.'"We support the right of people to advance their interests in courts of law when they have been wronged. We reject the notion that the U.S. government can punish lawyers and law firms who represent certain clients or punish judges who rule certain ways. We cannot accept government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice in this manner."We reject efforts to undermine the courts and the profession. We will not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not. Words and actions matter. And the intimidating words and actions we have heard and seen must end. They are designed to cow our country’s judges, our country’s courts and our legal profession."There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear. We call upon the entire profession, including lawyers in private practice from Main Street to Wall Street, as well as those in corporations and who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation."If lawyers do not speak, who will speak for our judges? Who will protect our bedrock of justice? If we do not speak now, when will we speak? Now is the time. That is why we stand together with the ABA in support of the rule of law."Read the ABA statement: https://bit.ly/43zP97z
C100 Updates Data on Laws Requiring The Teaching of AAPI History in School Curricula
On March 25, 2025, the Committee of 100 (C100) released updated data on its public policy research project that identifies and classifies state-level statutes, ongoing bills, and academic standards of K-12 curriculum pertaining to the study of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, as well as other non-white racial and ethnic groups. It includes an interactive map where users may select and filter among statutes, academic standards, and pending bills to meet their needs using the dropdown menus. As of March 25, 2025,
· 12 states have statutes that require AAPI studies curriculum (no change since October 3, 2024 data)
· 7 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require AAPI studies curriculum (an increase of 3 states since October 3, 2024 data)
· 16 states have academic standards that require AAPI studies (an increase of 1 state since October 3, 2024 data)
· 23 states have statutes that require ethnic studies curriculum (an increase of 1 state since October 3, 2024 data)
· 12 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require ethnic studies curriculum (an increase of 9 states since October 3, 2024 data)
· 37 states have academic standards that require ethnic studies (an increase of 4 states since October 3, 2024 data)
· 6 states have no statutes, recently introduced bills, or academic standards that require or make optional AAPI studies or ethnic studies curriculum (a decrease of 2 states since October 3, 2024 data)
Visit the C100 announcement and interactive map: https://bit.ly/4l351FE
News and Activities for the Communities
1. APA Justice Community Calendar
2025/03/29 No to Discrimination and Alien Land Bills - Austin, Texas2025/03/30 No to Discrimination and Alien Land Bills - Plano, Texas2025/03/30 No to Discrimination and Alien Land Bills - Houston, Texas2025/03/30 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/15 China Connections: A Conversation with Emily Feng2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit 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.
March 28, 2025