#324 4/7 Meeting; Rallies and Hearing in TX; US Data Integrity; Rule of Law; Litigations;+

In This Issue #324

·        2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

·        Texas Tri-City Rallies Against Alien Land Bills and Hearing

·        Threats to U.S. Statistical Data Integrity

·        Opinions: Advocate to Safeguard the Rule of Law

·        Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions

·        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.

Texas Tri-City Rallies Against Alien Land Bills and Hearing

Hundreds of concerned Texans gathered in Austin, Dallas, and Houston on March 29-30, 2025, to protest the discriminatory and unconstitutional proposals of State Bill 17 (SB17) and House Bill 17 (HB17). Their demonstrations received extensive local media coverage:

·        2025/03/30 KTRK (ABC13) @Houston: Eyewitness News at 5:30pm - March 30, 2025 (starts at 7:33)

·        2025/03/30 WFAA (ABC9) @ Dallas: Protestors gather in Plano against bills in the Texas House, Senate

·        2025/03/29 KVUE (ABC24) @ Austin: 'Who gets to be American?' | Texans protest bills that would ban some foreign land ownership

In an open letter to Texas legislators, a coalition of 49 Texas-based organizations and 32 national and other organizations outlined their concerns:

·        These bills are unconstitutional and discriminatory, as they target individuals based on their nation of origin. In other words, individuals are being targeted and rights taken away, not because of something they did, but because of where they came from. In so doing, these bills threaten the protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and Texas constitution.

·        These bills will discourage foreign investments and talents from coming to Texas, leading to loss of jobs and economic opportunities – when the bills aim to punish some of Texas’ largest trading partner(s). This is especially the case when President Trump specifically stated, “we want them to invest in the U.S.” (Feb. 26, 2025).

·        These bills falsely equate individuals with governments; and will punish individuals who may have no political affiliation in their former or current countries.

·        These bills are based on paranoia and have no legitimate basis in reality. There have not been any realistic data or facts that support the implementation of these restrictions, or how these bills will actually support national security.

·        These bills will provoke discrimination against the Asian and immigrant community.

Similar discriminatory alien land law was repealed by the 59th Texas Legislature in 1965. The coalition urges lawmakers not to repeat past mistakes and to reject SB17 and HB17.SB17 passed the Texas Senate on March 19. A public hearing for HB17 took place on April 2 before the Texas House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans Affairs Committee. After about five hours of testimonies, the bill was left pending.  

Threats to U.S. Statistical Integrity

According to the government website https://www.statspolicy.gov/, relevant, timely, credible, and objective statistical information is part of the foundation of democracy and the fundamental responsibility of the U.S. Federal statistical system. Since the Nation's founding, the U.S. Federal statistical system has collected and transformed data into high quality statistical information, making it readily available to inform all types of decision-making, while protecting the responses of individual data providers. Such decisions may include those made by Federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal policymakers; the private sector, including businesses; and individuals. Led by the U.S. Chief Statistician and the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP), the U.S. Federal statistical system is a decentralized, interconnected network of 16 Recognized Statistical Agencies and Units, 24 Statistical Officials (across 24 major cabinet agencies), approximately 100 additional Federal statistical programs engaged in statistical activities, and several cross system interagency and advisory bodies.

According to a Washington Post opinion on March 11, 2025, the Trump administration has aggressively deleted taxpayer-funded data, limiting Americans’ ability to understand critical issues. Elon Musk's DOGE has removed key datasets, canceled data collection contracts, and suppressed inconvenient statistics, preventing public access to crucial economic, health, and demographic information.  Tactics include misrepresenting statistics, altering economic metrics, and eliminating entire categories of public data, often to obscure politically damaging facts. This manipulation mirrors authoritarian practices, eroding trust in U.S. data and hampering informed decision-making. While some external groups archive lost data, they cannot replace missing government statistics, leaving Americans with only what Trump chooses to disclose.The American Statistical Association (ASA) has identified that five statistical science advisory committees under the Department of Commerce were disbanded. These committees have served for decades as crucial resources for the Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and BLS, providing expert guidance on complex statistical challenges.  This concerning development threatens the quality and integrity of federal data that policymakers and businesses rely on daily. Without these independent advisory bodies, federal statistical agencies lose both valuable expertise and an essential accountability mechanism that ensures their methodologies remain sound and transparent.

ASA and the George Mason University have set up a website to monitor and share updates on the health of the federal statistical agencies:  https://bit.ly/4ih5QspThe Trump administration dismantled the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through budget cuts, staff reductions, and the cancellation of key data programs. Reports on racial disparities, special education, and school funding gaps were also suppressed. Without NCES, policymakers and researchers lose a crucial source of reliable education data, widening state-level disparities and reducing accountability. This aligns with Trump’s broader strategy of controlling public information and to obscure politically inconvenient statistics, leaving Americans without an impartial assessment of the education system.

Opinions: Advocate to Safeguard the Rule of Law

On March 28, 2025, David Leopold, former President and General Counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, published an opinion in the Washington Post titled "Trump’s immigrant purge is part of a larger agenda."Leopold argues that by denying immigrants due process, the Trump administration is undermining the rule of law. It has pursued mass deportations by bypassing traditional immigration laws, instead invoking wartime-era statutes with minimal safeguards. This has led to detentions and deportations without proper legal review, including cases involving alleged Venezuelan gang members and student activists. Border czar Tom Homan has openly dismissed judicial oversight, while the administration has attempted to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify deportations, despite the U.S. not being at war with Venezuela. Courts have intervened, but the administration has ignored rulings and even sought to impeach judges who challenge its authority.

The Trump administration has invoked Cold War-era laws to detain and deport student activists without due process, raising concerns about targeting individuals based on political beliefs. This includes the arrests of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Fulbright scholar, and Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist protesting the Gaza war—both detained based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. These actions set a dangerous precedent, threatening constitutional protections and potentially leading to wrongful deportations, including of U.S. citizens. Leopold warns that this broader erosion of due process endangers fundamental rights and liberties for all, not just noncitizens.On March 28, 2025, John Palfrey, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, published an opinion in Newsweek titled "It's Time for Zealous Advocacy to Safeguard the Rule of Law."Palfrey warns that the rule of law in the U.S. faces an unprecedented assault—court rulings are being ignored, judges face impeachment threats and personal risks, and government officials openly dismiss judicial authority. Lawyers representing political opponents are being targeted, law firms are losing security clearances, and executive orders are restricting legal representation in government contracts."These are full-frontal attacks on the fundamental system of the rule of law in America. Today, the Constitution of the United States of America, and the system of law that it undergirds, is in serious peril," Palfrey wrote.Beyond the legal ramifications, he argues that undermining the rule of law will disrupt commerce, deter investments, and weaken philanthropic efforts that rely on legal protections. A strong legal system is essential for ensuring freedoms, including the right to donate to causes and invest in economic growth. He calls on the legal profession to take an active role in defending these principles, warning that inaction could permanently erode justice and democracy in America.On March 29, 2025, the Harvard Crimson reported that at least 82 of the Harvard Law School’s 118 active professors, along with nine emeritus professors, signed a letter condemning government of retaliation against lawyers and law firms representing clients and causes opposed by President Donald Trump.  Most of the Law School’s top leadership signed the letter. “While reasonable people can disagree about the characterization of particular incidents, we are all acutely concerned that severe challenges to the rule of law are taking place, and we strongly condemn any effort to undermine the basic norms we have described,” the letter stated.

Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions

As of April 2, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 162 (3 closed cases). These are some of the latest developments:

·        On April 1, 2025, Democratic attorneys general and governors in 23 states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleging that the department’s sudden rollback of $12 billion in public health funding was unlawful and harmful.  In the lawsuit, the states are seeking a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to immediately halt the administration’s funding cuts that they say will lead to key public health services being discontinued and thousands of health-care workers losing their jobs.  State of Colorado v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1:25-cv-00121)

·        On April 1, 2025, The League of Women Voters Education Fund sued the Trump administration over President Trump's elections executive order which purports to regulate federal elections by directing the Election Assistance Commission to require a citizenship document to register to vote. League of Women Voters Education Fund v. Trump (1:25-cv-00955)

·        On March 31, 2025, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), a labor union that represents federal government employees, sued the Trump Administration alleging President Trump’s Executive Order that terminates certain federal employees’ collective bargaining agreements, including 12 such agreements negotiated by NTEU, is unlawful. NTEU has asked the court to block termination of these agreements.  National Treasury Employees Union v. Donald J. Trump (1:25-cv-00935)

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/14 State of Play Virtual Town Hall2025/04/15 China Connections: A Conversation with Emily Feng2025/04/22 Scholars Not Spies: Fighting for International Academic Workers’ Rights in an Era of Rising US-China Conflict2025/04/24 CHINA Town Hall: The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/05/06 Asian American Careers - How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic AlliesVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 

2. 2025/04/14 State of Play Virtual Town Hall

WHAT: State of Play Virtual Town HallWHEN: April 14, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ETWHERE: Online EventHOST: Asian American Scholar ForumKeynote: Grace Meng, Chair Congressional Asian Pacific American CaucusWelcome Remarks: Kai Li, Vice Chair, AAASF; Professor, Princeton UniversityModerator: Gisela P. Kusakawa, Executive Director, AASFFacilitator: Xiaoxing Xi, Professor, Temple UniversitySpeakers:

·        Steven Allan Kivelson, Professor, Stanford University

·        Peter Michelson, Professor, Stanford University

·        Tobin L. Smith, Senior Vice President, Association of American Universities

·        Brian A. Sun, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright

·        Judith Teruya, Executive Director, CAPAC

·        Keliang "Clay" Zhu, President and Co-Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance

DESCRIPTION: This vital conversation will address growing challenges scholars, scientists, and researchers face, including the potential return of the China Initiative, increased investigations, restrictive legislation like the proposed ban on Chinese student visas, and heightened scrutiny of scientists and international students. Experts will also discuss high-impact legal cases, concerns over travel and reentry, and strategies to foster a more welcoming and supportive research environment. This town hall encourages questions and feedback from the public as we strive to address the unique challenges of our day! Register today and ask questions for our experts and policy leaders!REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4jaA40N

3. 2025/04/22 Scholars Not Spies

WHAT: Scholars Not Spies: Fighting for International Academic Workers’ Rights in an Era of Rising US-China ConflictWHEN: April 22, 2025, 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PTWHERE: WebinarHOST: Justice Is GlobalCO-SPONSORS: APA Justice, Massachusetts Society of Professors MSP (MTA-NEA), GEO Local 6300 IFT-AFT, UMD Graduate Labor Union (UAW), UE Local 256 MIT GSU.DESCRIPTION:  Only weeks into President Trump’s second presidency, we are witnessing a barrage of executive orders and measures targeting immigrant academics. From the DHS attempting to deport Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, to a proposed bill that would ban student visas for all Chinese nationals, international academic workers are at risk.  Amid rising scrutiny of international academics, growing U.S.-China tensions have made Chinese scholars targets, often viewed as spies and national security threats.  This webinar brings together academic workers from across the country to speak about how the US-China rivalry fosters nativism and harms all international academic workers. It hopes to spark discussions about how our unions can build contracts and organize advocacy efforts that meet the moment and protect our peers.REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/wearescholarsnotspies

4.  2025/04/24 China Town Hall – The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy

WHAT: China Town Hall – The First 100 Days: President Trump's China PolicyWHEN: April 24, 2025, 5:30 pm ETWHERE: Hybrid event - see registration

·        In person - Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street NW, Suite 605, Washington, DC 20052

·        Livestream program

HOSTS: US-China Education Trust; National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; Young China Watchers5:30 – 6:30 pm On-site discussion with Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council6:30 pm - Panel discussionPanelists:  

·        Ryan Hass, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution

·        Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

·        Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal

DESCRIPTION: The China Town Hall, organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), is a nationwide program that offers a comprehensive overview of the current U.S.-China relationship and its local impact—shaping discussions in communities across the country. By connecting local audiences with U.S. policymakers and leading experts on China, the program fosters informed dialogue on this vital bilateral relationship.  The 2025 China Town Hall will feature an in-depth discussion on President Trump’s China policy in his new term, bringing together top experts to analyze the evolving U.S.-China dynamic.REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4iTMqKW 

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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.