#248 FISA Renewal Goes Down; C100 Conference; SB 264 Rally in Miami; Kurt Campbell; AAASE

In This Issue #248

• House Strikes Down FISA Renewal Measure

• Update on Committee of 100 Conference

• China Town Hall with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell

• Justice in Property Rights Rally in Miami

• Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering

• News and Activities for the Communities

House Strikes Down FISA Renewal Measure

According to multiple media reports, by a vote of 193 to 228, the House of Representatives voted against a procedural measure that would have begun debate to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The bill, titled the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), would reauthorize Section 702 of FISA for five years and aims to impose a series of reforms.

The law as it stands allows the US intelligence community to collect the communications records of foreign persons based overseas, but it also allows the FBI to search the data it collects for Americans’ information in what critics have called a “backdoor” search.

The current FISA tool allows the government to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign nationals, without needing to obtain a warrant, with a higher bar for targeted American citizens. The new House Republican bill calls for a number of reforms but does not go far enough in the eyes of privacy and civil liberties advocates, on both the right and left.

The searches of US persons’ information are governed by a set of internal rules and procedures designed to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, but critics say that loopholes allow the FBI to search the data it collects for Americans’ information — as opposed to from foreign adversaries — without proper justification.

The complicated politics surrounding the law have united strange bedfellows: Some conservative Republicans have joined forces with progressive Democrats to push for reforms to the authority, while security-focused Democrats and Republicans have opposed major new restrictions.

One major sticking point is whether the FBI should be required to obtain a warrant before querying the database for information on US citizens. Latest development may involve a shorter reauthorization period of 2 years instead of 5 years.

Current authorization of Section 702 will expire on April 19, 2024.

Read these media reports: AP News: https://bit.ly/3UeNFuh; CNN: https://cnn.it/3JfQzc0; Voice of America: https://bit.ly/3TXNTV6; CBS News: https://cbsn.ws/4avJzDD; Fox News: https://fxn.ws/4cQWAJF; ABC News: https://bit.ly/3Udp4G9; NBC News: https://nbcnews.to/3Q1Bmil

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 8, 2024, Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, reported a flurry of activities related to the reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA. Multiple bills and amendments were floated. There was not a lot of clarity. It has already happened twice that a bill to reform warrantless surveillance was pulled before it could pass the Rules Committee. Without knowing the specifics, CAPAC has not taken a position on RISAA at that time.

A summary for the April 8 meeting is being prepared at this time. 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.

According to ACLU, in May 2015, FBI agents came into Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi’s house with guns drawn and led him away in handcuffs in front of his wife and daughters. The government accused Xi of sharing information about a superconductor device known as a “pocket heater,” relying on email exchanges between Xi and scientific colleagues in China that the FBI had obtained.

Professor Xi is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China.

The intercepted emails, however, were not about the pocket heater, but concerned a different kind of superconductor technology that has been public for years. In September 2015, prosecutors were forced to drop the charges. But the damage to Xi and his family was already significant. As a result of the charges, Xi was placed on administrative leave, suspended from his position as the interim chair of the Temple Physics Department, denied access to his lab and the graduate students working under his supervision, and had to pay substantial legal fees to defend himself.

The government spied on Xi using orders issued under FISA, which is intended for spying on foreign agents. As the complaint alleges, he was also spied on without any court order under Section 702 of FISA and Executive Order 12333, both of which are used by the government to conduct warrantless surveillance of international communications, including those of Americans.

The government has reportedly engaged in extensive warrantless surveillance of Chinese universities and scientific research centers. It has siphoned communications off servers, computers, and major internet networks that connect many of China’s most prestigious academic institutions.

The ACLU represents Professor Xi, who is suing the government over its dismissed prosecution. The lawsuit, filed in 2017, challenges the FBI’s baseless arrest of Xi and its surveillance methods as well as its discriminatory targeting of Chinese American scientists.

Read the ACLU summary of Professor Xi's case: https://bit.ly/3GlCCqS

Update on Committee of 100 Conference

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 8, 2024, Cindy Tsai, Interim President of the Committee of 100 reported on the upcoming C100 annual conference to be held at Marriot Marquis in New York City on April 19. There will be a double track with over a dozen sessions on AAPI domestic issues and US-China relations.

Cindy highlighted four sessions of the conference:

1. Bringing AAPI history and stories such as the alien land laws into K-12 education and classrooms,

2. Community response to rising anti-Asian hostility as a group and direct services since it is difficult to predict when to stand up for your rights,

3. U.S. national defense policies have impacted researchers and academics as well as technology such as AI. What does foreign influence really mean? What is appropriate response without discriminating certain groups?

4. Impact of US-China tension on Asian Americans in government. While we encourage Asian Americans to have representation, become politically engaged, and work for the government, there are glass ceiling, security clearance, lack of assignment, and similar deterrents.

Visit the conference website at: https://bit.ly/4ccKQkj. Contact Cindy at ctsai@committee100.org if you have interest about the C100 conference, including any questions and topics that should be brought to these sessions.

China Town Hall with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell

On April 9, 2024, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations hosted the 18th annual China Town Hall from over 70 venues including Shanghai, China. The first part of this year's China Town Hall featured a live interview by NCUSCR President Stephen A. Orlins with U.S. Deputy Secretary of States Kurt Campbell, who was confirmed and sworn into office in February 2024.

During the town hall, Dr. Hua Wang, Co-Chair of the New England Chinese American Alliance, raised a question, "as a community organization, we are concerned about increasing suspicion of the loyalty and integrity of Chinese Americans such as the China initiative. Such suspicions not only hurt the racial minority, we all know about the Japanese American internment, but also tear apart the fabric of American society such as during the McCarthy era. So how to protect the equal rights of the Chinese Americans and avoid stereotyping Chinese culture and people while managing the complex US-China relations?"

Watch Deputy Secretary Campbell's response and the rest of the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypg6X4bC8MQ (1:10:05)

Justice in Property Rights Rally in Miami

WHAT: Justice in Property Rights Rally

WHEN: April 19, 2024, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Eastern Time

WHERE: In-person event, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, 99 NE 4th ST, Miami, FL 33132

HOSTS: FAAJA, UCA, ACLU, AALDEF, Stop Asian Hate

DESCRIPTION: April 19 will be a decisive day as we face a crucial appellate hearing aimed at challenging SB 264, which targets the Chinese community. This bill has sparked widespread concern and opposition as it unfairly targets the Chinese, threatening the rights and freedoms of our community members. This is a call for all who care about justice and equality to stand up and collectively oppose this discriminatory legislation.

LINK: https://bit.ly/3VW6SlO

Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE)

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 4, 2024, Columbia University Professor X. Edward Guo, introduced the Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE) and described its mission and activities.

AAASE is a relatively new organization. It is 2 years old. Princeton University Professor Yiguang Ju was the Founding President. Professor Guo is the second President.

The mission of AAASE is to focus on the next generation of leaders in the STEM field, promote Asian American team leadership in STEM, and also work with the broad Asian American community.

Professor Guo announced that AAASE will host two summer academies for high school students interested in science and engineering in 2024. One will be a day camp at Princeton University, and the other a resident camp at Stanford University. The summer camps are one-week long. The students will also promote Asian American leadership contributions in science and technology.

The AAASE also plans to honor 100 top leaders as Academy Fellows. AAASE has selected 23 fellows in 2024. They are going to be inducted at the National Academy Science Conference in Irvine, California, on November 15-17.

The AAASE has also engaged with the Committee of 100 on its upcoming conference on April 19 and will hold its annual Board of Directors retreat at Columbia University on April 21.

Professor Guo is pleased and proud to work with this community. Contact AAASE at aaase.org@gmail.com for additional information. Visit the AAASE website at https://www.aaase.org/.

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:

2024/04/17 Racially Profiled for Being A Scientist: A Discussion of the US DOJ's China Initiative

2024/04/18 Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice

2024/04/19 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala

2024/04/19 Appeals Court Hearing on Florida SB 264

2024/04/19 Justice in Property Rights Rally

2024/05/02 AAGEN 2024 Executive Leadership Workshop

2024/05/04 Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice

2024/05/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting

Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details.

2. White House Celebration of AANHPI: Lasting Legacies

WHAT: White House Celebration of AANHPI: Lasting Legacies

WHEN: May 13, 2024, 1:00 - 5:00 pm Eastern Time

WHERE: In-person event, The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

HOST: White House and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI)

DESCRIPTION: This landmark event in the heart of our nation’s capital will commemorate 25 years since the creation of the White House Initiative and the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. For the first time, current and former leaders spanning five presidential administrations will gather to honor this historic milestone and reflect on the progress AA and NHPI communities have achieved over the past 25 years. This event is open to the public. Individual registration is required to attend in-person. Please share this invitation with your networks.

REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3TX1IDg