#361 11/3 Meeting; Chinese STEM Students; Brain Drain; Jane Wu v NWU; Birthright Citizens;+

In This Issue #361

·       2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

·       Estate of Dr. Jane Wu v Northwestern University

·       Science: Chinese STEM graduate Students Boon to U.S. Students

·       U.S. Brain Drain

·       Update on Birthright Citizenship Lawsuits

·       News and Activities for the Communities

2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

   left to right: Andy Phillips, Jane Shim, Paula Madison, Brian Sun

The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held today, Monday, November 3, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from:

·       Judith Teruya, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)

·       Joanna YangQing Derman, Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC

·       Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF)

We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers:

·       Andy Phillips, Managing & Founding Partner, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP

·       Jane Shim, Director, Stop Asian Hate Project, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

·       Paula Williams Madison, Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC and 88 Madison Media Works Inc.; Retired Executive, NBCUniversal 

·       Brian Sun, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP

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.   

Estate of Dr. Jane Wu v Northwestern University

In June 2025, Dr. Jane Ying Wu 吴瑛's family, acting through her estate, filed a civil lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court alleging that the Northwestern University discriminated against her and contributed to her suicide. An open hearing is scheduled for December 1, 2025, starting at 9:00 am CT at Court Room 1906, Richard J Daley Center, 50 W Washington St, Chicago.

Dr. Wu, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, was a prominent Chinese American researcher in neurology and genetics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. She took her own life on July 10, 2024, after her lab was shut down and all records of her work were erased by Northwestern University. Her death drew attention to the negative impact of the "China Initiative" and "foreign interference" investigations by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which targeted scientists of Chinese descent. Dr. Wu was never charged. She was 60 years old.

Dr. Wu's daughter, Elizabeth Rao 饶婕, told NBC News in July 2025 that “as painful as it is for us as her family to recount how Northwestern treated her, we are seeking justice to prevent this from happening again to others in the future.”

Read the APA Justice Impacted Person web page on Dr. Jane Wu: https://bit.ly/JaneWu

Science: Chinese STEM graduate Students Boon to U.S. Students

According to Science on October 31, 2025, a new analysis by economists Ruixue Jia (University of California, San Diego), Hongbin Li (Stanford University), Gaurav Khanna (UC San Diego), and Yuli Xu (Stanford University) finds that China’s massive 1999 expansion of its higher education system unexpectedly transformed U.S. graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the study shows that the policy triggered a surge of Chinese students pursuing U.S. STEM master’s degrees—benefiting not only American universities but also domestic students and local economies.According to the researchers, the influx of highly qualified and often self-funded Chinese students allowed U.S. universities—especially large public research institutions—to expand their graduate programs without reducing access for Americans. “For every four additional Chinese students, one more U.S. student gained a spot in a STEM master’s program,” the authors wrote, describing this as a “crowd-in effect.” The study found that from 2003 to 2015, the number of U.S. STEM master’s programs grew by 23%, and roughly 15% of that growth can be attributed to China’s education expansion. 

Kevin Shih, an economist at the University of California, Riverside, who was not involved in the study, called the findings groundbreaking: “What’s really cool about this study is that it documents, for the first time, how the Chinese government, in growing higher education at home, also contributed in a significant way to the growth of U.S. graduate education, especially at the master’s level in STEM.”

Jia explained that the Chinese government’s centralized university admission quotas—based on the national gaokao 高考 exam and changing perceptions of strategic industries—directly influenced which majors grew and, consequently, which students went abroad. “At first, the government thought biotech was the future, so you saw a huge number of biology majors going to the U.S. after graduation. Then it switched to computer science, and now AI [artificial intelligence],” she said.Khanna noted that the influx of Chinese students benefited both universities and their surrounding communities: “They rent apartments, buy cars, and go to restaurants.” The added tuition revenue also helped subsidize other university activities and reduce pressure to raise tuition for domestic students. Moreover, the growth in Chinese graduate students expanded the pool of teaching assistants, allowing universities to offer more undergraduate STEM courses.However, the study’s authors warn that this positive trend has reversed in recent years. Jia said preliminary findings from follow-up research suggest “a significant decline since 2017 in the number of STEM master’s programs,” particularly at public universities in Republican-led states. The downturn coincides with the Trump administration’s visa restrictions and anti-China rhetoric, which discouraged many Chinese students from studying in the U.S.Khanna added that “other countries now recognize that they are an important source of revenue and talent,” pointing to destinations like Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. China itself has also expanded its graduate programs, giving students more domestic options.Despite the clear economic and educational benefits documented, Jia remains cautious about the policy implications: “We’re providing some hard evidence for the positive spillover effect on universities and communities of the increased number of Chinese students,” she said, “but I’m always skeptical of being able to persuade anyone with data.”

U.S. Brain Drain

In the PBS NewsHour segment on October 29, 2025, “The Mozart of Math Considers Leaving the U.S.,” Terence Tao 陶哲軒, a UCLA mathematics professor and Fields Medal laureate, anchors a sobering look at the declining stability of American science. Known as one of the world’s greatest living mathematicians, Tao was a prodigy who entered college at age 9, earned his Ph.D. from Princeton by 21, and became celebrated for his elegant problem-solving across pure and applied mathematics. His research, for example, produced an algorithm that cut MRI scan times from several minutes to under a minute — a perfect example of how abstract theory can generate life-changing technology.

Tao recalls being inspired as a child by “Sesame Street” and Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos,” crediting the openness and vibrancy of U.S. science for shaping his career. America, he says, long maintained a “lively ecosystem” of hundreds of universities and conferences that drew talent from across the globe. But now, for the first time, he feels existential concern: federal budget cuts, political interference, and uncertainty in research funding threaten to hollow out that system.Under the Trump administration, the National Science Foundation (NSF) was forced to suspend about $1 billion in grants, directly affecting Tao’s UCLA Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics. Instead of doing mathematics, Tao says, he now spends his time fundraising, seeking alternative support, and deciding what to cut first. The situation has made him consider offers from Europe, Australia, and China — something he never imagined after three decades in the U.S. He warns that dismantling America’s research infrastructure “from the top down” could have irreversible consequences, saying, “For any complex system, one person who doesn’t understand it can wreck everything.”

Other scientists in the report echo Tao’s alarm.

Daniella Fodera, a biomedical engineer completing her Ph.D. at Columbia University, had her NIH-funded uterine fibroid study abruptly cut earlier this year — despite the condition affecting nearly 80% of women. Her funding was restored only after Columbia paid over $200 million to settle unrelated federal investigations, underscoring how erratic and politicized research support has become. Disillusioned, Fodera now plans to pursue work in Europe, where she believes stability and respect for science are stronger.

Anna Darling, a neuroscience Ph.D. student at Ohio State University, shares a similar fear. She entered academia to follow her mother’s footsteps as a science teacher, only to discover her program’s funding was no longer guaranteed. “My outlook on being a scientist in this country has changed,” she says. “The freedom to do the research you value just isn’t as free as it used to be.”

Stephen Jones, a biochemist who left the U.S. in 2020 for Vilnius University in Lithuania, provides a glimpse of what that brain drain looks like in practice. He says he grew weary of anti-science sentiment and wanted to work in a society that valued research. Now leading a lab abroad, he notes that colleagues who once questioned his decision are asking him how to follow suit, with many considering positions in Canada, Europe, or China.

Finally, Vidya Saravanapandian, a UCLA neuroscientist from India, warns that the closure of labs and loss of students could devastate the U.S. economy and its global leadership. “When labs shut down, ideas are lost, experiments are ruined, and the younger generation loses hope,” she says, visibly distressed about the future of science in America.

The report closes with Tao reflecting on the broader meaning of this moment. The administration’s decisions, he argues, seem detached from public interest, guided by politics rather than evidence. He stresses that scientific ecosystems thrive on diversity of thought and long-term investment, not short-term cuts. His latest problem to solve, Tao says, is not mathematical — it is how to protect America’s scientific infrastructure before it collapses.

Watch the PBS report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO070E_dI (9:26)

On October 22, 2025, South China Morning Post reported that political purges, funding cuts, and growing hostility toward expertise under the Trump administration have unsettled the U.S. research community—reminding many Chinese American scientists of China’s Cultural Revolution. During Mao Zedong 毛泽东’s 1966 campaign, intellectuals were persecuted and science was paralyzed for a decade; today, some Chinese American scholars see echoes in the U.S. as researchers face suspicion, censorship, and abrupt funding losses. Several scientists, including a Midwest biologist targeted under the China Initiative, are now considering returning to China amid large-scale layoffs at NASA, CDC, and other agencies. Critics such as mathematician Shing-Tung Yau 丘成桐 and scholar Fang Shimin 方是民/方舟子; describe the situation as a “Trump-era Cultural Revolution,” where political loyalty outweighs expertise. Duke University’s Denis Simon warns that replacing merit with ideology risks crippling U.S. innovation and driving talent overseas, causing long-term damage to America’s scientific enterprise—even if the U.S. has not descended into the violence of Mao’s era.

Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4qIpbYE

Update on Birthright Citizenship Lawsuits

On October 31, 2025, the total number of litigations challenging Trump Administration actions tracked by Just Security reached 500.

At least 11 lawsuits have been filed against President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship (E.O. 14160). The order remains blocked from taking effect nationwide due to several preliminary injunctions. The core legal challenge asserts that the order is unconstitutional and violates a federal statute, as the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to all persons born in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction. 

The 11 known lawsuits (3 blocked pending appeal, 4 temporarily blocked, 4 awaiting court ruling) with their filing dates are:

1.     2025/01/20 Doe v. Trump (1:25-cv-10135). Temporarily blocked

2.     2025/01/20 New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support (NHICS) v. Trump (1:25-cv-00038). Temporarily blocked

3.     2025/01/20 Thien Le v. Donald J. Trump (8:25-cv-00104). Awaiting court ruling

4.     2025/01/21 CASA v. Trump (8:25-cv-00201) (and consolidated cases). Temporarily blocked

5.     2025/01/21 State of Washington v. Trump (2:25-cv-00127). Blocked pending appeal

6.     2025/01/21 State of New Jersey v. Trump (1:25-cv-10139). Blocked pending appeal

7.     2025/01/24 Franco Aleman v. Trump (2:25-cv-00163) (a class-action lawsuit). Blocked pending appeal

8.     2025/01/30 OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates v. Rubio (1:25-cv-00287).  Awaiting court ruling

9.     2025/01/30 County of Santa Clara v. Trump (5:25-cv-00981). Awaiting court ruling

10.  2025/02/13 New York Immigration Coalition v. Donald J. Trump (1:25-cv-01309). Awaiting court ruling

11.  2025/06/27 Barbara v. Trump (1:25-cv-00244) (a class-action lawsuit). Temporarily blocked

Just Security has also published four featured articles in the series of "Taking Stock of the Birthright Citizenship Cases:"

1.     2025/07/30 Part I: Unpacking Trump v. CASA, Inc. Author: Marty Lederman, Executive Editor at Just Security and Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center; former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Office of Legal Counsel; former Attorney Advisor at the Office of Legal Counsel

2.     2025/08/18 Part II: Making Sense of the Three Established Exceptions. Author: Marty Lederman

3.     2025/09/08 Part III: DOJ’s Arguments Regarding Domicile and Unauthorized Immigrants. Authors: Marty Lederman; John Mikhail, Carroll Professor of Jurisprudence, Georgetown University Law Center

4.     2025/09/29 Part IV: DOJ’s Ineffective Responses to Plaintiffs’ Statutory Argument. Author: Marty Lederman

As part of the Collection of Just Security’s Coverage of the Trump Administration’s Executive Actions, on March 28, 2025, Edgar Chen 陳春品, Senior Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and Chris M. Kwok 郭文, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Asian American studies, Hunter College, published "The Trump Administration’s 14th Amendment Retcon: ‘Wong Kim Ark’ Does Not Limit Birthright Citizenship."

The authors argue that Trump’s Executive Order 14160 grossly misinterprets the 1898 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark and the intent of the 14th Amendment. The Court affirmed that all individuals born in the U.S.—regardless of their parents’ immigration status—are citizens, a principle rooted in post–Civil War Reconstruction. Trump’s order wrongly equates Wong’s Chinese immigrant parents, who faced legal exclusion and racial persecution, with today’s lawful permanent residents. If upheld, the order would disproportionately harm Asian Americans, particularly children of immigrants, students, and asylees, effectively reviving exclusionary policies reminiscent of the Chinese Exclusion era and undermining over a century of settled constitutional law.

The article was translated into Chinese by Juan Zhang 张涓, APA Justice, with title "特朗普政府重塑《第十四修正案》 ——《黄金德案》并未限制出生公民权."  特朗普总统宣布通过行政命令第14160号终止出生公民权，意在推翻1898年美国最高法院《美国诉黄金德案》确立的原则，即凡在美国出生者（除外交官及敌对势力子女外）皆为公民。该命令错误地将“永久住所”解读为“合法永久居留”，试图将公民权限定于美国公民及绿卡持有者之子女。文章指出，这种解读既不符合法律，也无视历史现实。黄金德父母在排华时代受歧视、无归化权，生活在暴力与制度性迫害中，与今日移民地位完全不同。特朗普此举被批评为重演排华法案的历史，甚至开启“排华2.0”，其后果将严重打击亚裔群体，剥夺数十万移民后代的公民权，并违背第十四修正案的平等精神。最高法院在黄金德案中早已确立：美国的根本在于包容所有在其土地上出生的人，不论其血统与出身。

Recent news: 2025/10/03 ACLU: Federal Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Birthright Citizenship Executive Order

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/11/03 Advocacy 101 for Scholars, Scientists, and Researchers2025/11/14 Film Screening and Discussion: Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine Chao2025/12/01 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing - Estate of Jane Wu v Northwestern University2025/12/01 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

2. Understanding The AI Boom: Power, Politics, and The Future of U.S.-China Relations 

WHAT: Understanding the AI Boom: Power, Politics, & the Future of U.S. China Relations

WHEN: November 19, 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET/4:00 pm - 5:00 pm PT

WHERE: webinar

HOSTS: 1990 Institute

Moderator: Clayton Dube, Former Director, USC U.S.-China Institute

Speakers:

·       Graham Webster, Editor-in-Chief, DigitChina Project, Stanford University

·       Zeyi Yang, Senior Writer, WIRED

DESCRIPTION: Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how nations compete, how economies grow, and how cultures evolve. At the heart of this global shift is the U.S.-China relationship, where the race for AI leadership is emerging as a modern Cold War — a watershed moment signaling that the AI revolution is no longer distant, but already here. And when it comes to the U.S. and China, many are seeing the future of tech as an existential race that needs to be won.For a generation raised in the era of smartphones, AI is not a futuristic idea—it is part of everyday life. This webinar invites educators, parents, students, and community members to look beyond the headlines and build a deeper understanding of the global forces shaping our digital and physical world today. The webinar will examine the societal, ethical, and geopolitical dimensions of technology. The aim is to lay the groundwork for modern digital literacy including empowering educators to teach it with clarity and confidence. The session is designed for everyone interested in becoming a more informed global citizen in this rapidly evolving digital age. This virtual webinar is open to all audiences, with a segment at the end devoted to high school educators teaching contemporary history, economics, technology and social studies.  

REGISTRATION:  https://bit.ly/47i8wDw

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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.