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Newsletter - #279 Briefing to Oppose China Initiative Bill; AASF Forum with NIH; Xiaoxing Xi Interview+ #279 Briefing to Oppose China Initiative Bill; AASF Forum with NIH; Xiaoxing Xi Interview+ In This Issue #279 · CAPAC, Impacted Professors, and Asian American Leaders Oppose China Initiative Legislation · AASF Forum with the National Institutes of Health · MIT Science Policy Review Interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi · News and Activities for the Communities CAPAC, Impacted Professors, and Asian American Leaders Oppose China Initiative Legislation During the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 9 , 2024, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), reported that a congressional briefing and press conference will be held on Capitol Hill.On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 4:00p.m. ET, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Second Vice-Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) will join victims of the discriminatory and now defunct China Initiative and leaders of Asian American advocacy organizations for a press conference ahead of the House floor vote on H.R. 1398 - Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024. WHAT: CAPAC, Victims of China Initiative, and Asian American Leaders Host Press Conference Opposing China Initiative WHEN: Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 4:00 pm ET – 4:45 pm ET WHO: · CAPAC Chair Judy Chu · CAPAC Second Vice-Chair Mark Takano · Prof Gang Chen · Prof Anming Hu · Prof Franklin Tao · Gisela Perez Kusakawa – AASF · Other speakers may join WHERE: House Triangle, U.S. Capitol, Washington DC AASF Forum with the National Institutes of Health On September 19, 2024, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) will host an online forum with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Speakers will include NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli who will give opening remarks and NIH Principal Deputy Director, Dr. Lawrence Tabak who will give a presentation.This is the first public event after Dr. Bertagnolli issued a statement of support for Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues on August 15. "NIH greatly values our relationship with Asian researchers and recognizes their extraordinary contributions to advancing science," the statement said. "We are working with stakeholder groups, universities and academic professional organizations to take actions that repair our relationships with these valued members of the research community."The online event is open to the public. Register to attend the Zoom meeting: https://bit.ly/3ZgGNzp MIT Science Policy Review Interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi On August 27, 2024, MIT Science Policy Review published an extensive interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi , Chinese American physicist and the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics at Temple University. Born in China, Dr. Xi moved to the United States in 1989 and has since become a naturalized U.S. citizen. In May of 2015, Dr. Xi was arrested at gunpoint by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for alleged espionage. He was placed on administrative leave and barred from accessing his lab. Four months later, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped all charges against him. Since then, Dr. Xi has launched a campaign against racial profiling in science, testifying before Congress and speaking at universities and conferences.The American Physical Society recognized Dr. Xi’s tireless advocacy by awarding him the Andrei Sakharov Prize in 2020. MIT Science Policy Review spoke with Dr. Xi about the ramifications of being wrongfully accused of espionage, historic parallels in Christopher Nolan ’s movie Oppenheimer, the government’s increasing hostility towards Chinese academics, and what patriotism means to him.The interview was organized in three parts: 1. "Advocacy has become part of my research portfolio." Dr. Xi filed a lawsuit in 2017 challenging his 2015 wrongful arrest, claiming unconstitutional evidence and discriminatory targeting of Chinese American scientists. After an initial dismissal, Dr. Xi won an appeal, allowing the case to proceed to the discovery stage. The process is ongoing without a clear timeline. His research has suffered, shrinking from nine projects to one, due to fear of government scrutiny. Xi now devotes significant time to advocacy, addressing racial profiling of Chinese American scientists. He speaks widely to raise awareness, aiming to impact U.S. policies and protect the scientific community from similar injustices. 2. Finding parallels in Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer explores the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer , his role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the repercussions of his association with the Communist Party, which nearly destroyed his career. The movie raises broader issues of science policy, such as open scientific exchange versus political compartmentalization. Dr. Xi found similarities between Oppenheimer’s situation and his own experience of false espionage accusations, particularly regarding political shifts that lead to the prosecution of once-celebrated individuals. Both cases involved the authorities disregarding evidence to serve political motives. While Oppenheimer's case occurred during McCarthyism, today, the fear of China has led to a wave of investigations against Chinese American scientists. Dr. Xi argues that false accusations and racial profiling continue, with both their cases and Oppenheimer's serving as examples of systemic injustices. Despite Oppenheimer sparking discussions on nuclear policy, the issue of false espionage accusations has not received comparable attention, possibly due to the global stakes of nuclear issues overshadowing individual injustices. 3. Science in the crossfire of geopolitical tension. The China Initiative, launched by DOJ in 2018, aimed to address national security threats from China, focusing on theft of trade secrets and espionage. By 2019, it began targeting academics, accusing them of espionage for routine practices like writing recommendation letters or participating in Chinese grant reviews. Nearly 38% of cases involved failure to disclose ties to Chinese universities. The program was officially ended in 2022 due to criticism of racial profiling and ineffectiveness. The Initiative negatively impacted academia, discouraging collaboration with Chinese-born scientists. Dr. Xi argues that increasing scientific literacy within agencies like the DOJ or FBI would not resolve the core issue, as the fundamental belief that Chinese scholars are spies drives these prosecutions. The real issue is a flawed theory that considers Chinese academics as "nontraditional collectors" of information for China, leading to unjust charges based on non-disclosure. Geopolitical tensions, fueled by anti-China sentiment in U.S. politics, make life difficult for Chinese-descended scientists. Laws like the CHIPS and Science Act further restrict collaboration with China. Dr. Xi compares the current situation to the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during WWII and emphasizes the need for highlighting these injustices.Read the MIT Science Policy Review interview: https://bit.ly/3XgtFHN Additional Reading Materials 1. Chapter 10 - Asian Americans as “the Perpetual Foreigner” under Scrutiny by Frank H. Wu Asian Americans play a prominent role in the state surveillance story, because Asian Americans play an ambiguous role in both international relations and domestic race relations. Although people of Asian descent have been arriving in the Americas since before the Civil War – Asian soldiers fighting on both sides of the internecine conflict – Asian immigrants and their American-born descendants, whatever their formal status and however assimilated, have been portrayed as “sojourners” only temporarily resident in the United States and likely to return to a homeland to which they have remained stealthily loyal. The persistent theme has been that Asians are inassimilable into American society, whether by biology, culture, or their own collective choices. The assumption that it is contradictory to be both Asian and American has been used, explicitly and implicitly, to justify discrimination against Asian Americans. The Cambridge Handbook of Race and Surveillance , pp. 190 - 222DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108241304.010[Opens in a new window] Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023 2. Chapter 6 - New Red Scare: The China Initiative by Steven Pei, Jeremy Wu, and Alex Liang The FBI has a long history of surveillance of ethnic Chinese scientists in the United States. McCarthyism, the Economic Espionage Act, and more recently the China Initiative were initiatives adversely impacting Chinese and Chinese Americans living in the U.S. The stereotypes of Asian and Chinese scientists as “disloyal” stem from the perpetual foreigner trope. The key here is that most of them were U.S. citizens. They are as much an American as any other American, yet their “loyalty” is perceived as less trustworthy. This stereotype has harmful, life-altering consequences. Communicated Stereotypes at Work by Anastacia Kurylo (Editor, Contributor), Yifeng Hu (Editor, Contributor), Wilfredo Alvarez (Contributor), & 29 moreASIN ‏ : B0CSK2PGY3Lexington Books (May 15, 2024) News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2024/09/10 Congressional Briefing and Press Conference on the “China Initiative” & Asian American Civil Right2024/09/10-12 Chronicle Festival: The Road Ahead to 20352024/09/12 AA4D: Nobel Laureates and Scientists for Democracy 2024/09/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/19 1990 Teachers Workshop: Asian American Identity2024/09/19 AASF Public Forum with the National Institutes of Health2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity Summit2024/09/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/25 C100: State of Chinese American Survey 2024 2024/09/26 White House Initiative AA& NHPI Policy SummitThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. WHIAANHPI Announces Innovator Challenge to Combat Hate and Promote Healthy Communities The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Secretary (OS), Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA), in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), is creating a rapid response national competition for 501(c)3 community based organizations to identify community-driven efforts to raise greater awareness of hate crimes and address the health consequences, including mental health, of communities burdened by bullying, hate and bias. Desired outcomes include the development of community-driven strategies and application of data-driven tools to combat bullying, hate, and bias to promote healthier communities.The Challenge.gov fund has $325,000 available for up to four (4) awards through this competition. Eligible 501(c)3 organizations may submit a maximum five (5) page proposal through Challenge.gov .Submission Period Opens: Friday, September 6, 2024, 9:00 AM ETSubmission Period Closes: Sunday, September 15, 2024, 11:59 PM ETLearn more and submit your proposal: https://bit.ly/3MDFJy2 3. San Francisco Interim Fire Chief Sandra Tong According to multiple media reports, San Francisco Mayor London Breed appointed and swore in Interim Chief Sandra Tong on September 3, 2024, with the Chinatown native becoming the department’s first Chinese American leader as it continues searching for a permanent successor to outgoing Chief Jeanine Nicholson following her retirement last month. The San Francisco Fire Commission said it unanimously supported Tong’s appointment. Tong spent the last five years serving on Nicholson’s command staff, most recently working as the deputy chief of emergency medical services and community paramedicine. She was born and raised in Chinatown and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sino-Soviet Relations from UC Berkeley, as well as a doctorate in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.Tong has 35 years of experience working in emergency-medical services. Back View PDF September 10, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Texas state representatives are attempting to stop foreign governments from purchasing Texas agricultural land. January 23, 2023 On January 23, 2023, Texas Representative Angie Chen Button 陳筱玲 announnced that she has joined State Representatives Cody Harris and Jacey Jetton in support of House Bill 1075 , recently filed legislation that would prohibit foreign governments or any entity owned or controlled by a foreign government from purchasing agricultural land in Texas. "Like so many other Texans who immigrated here for a better life, I came to America because it afforded me new opportunities, including the right to own property and freely purchase a safe and stable home in which to rase my family. This is a right that all Texans, regardless of race, color, or creed, should have," stated State Representative Angie Chen Button. Under HB 1075 by Rep. Harris, all individuals and American-owned businesses will maintain their right to purchase ag property in the State of Texas. As filed, the legislation applies to all foreign governments or government-controlled entities equally. On January 23, 2023, Texas Senate Bill 552 was introduced. The title of the bill is "Relating to prohibiting contracts or other agreements with certain foreign-owned companies in connection with agricultural land." Texas state representatives are attempting to stop foreign governments from purchasing Texas agricultural land. Previous Next Texas House Bill 1075 and Senate Bill 552

Newsletter - #189: Registrations Open! Xiaoxing Xi; Hoover: A Fresh Start From What? Alien Land Bills; More #189: Registrations Open! Xiaoxing Xi; Hoover: A Fresh Start From What? Alien Land Bills; More In This Issue #189 Register Now: June 26 Webinar on Stop Warrantless Surveillance Register Now: July 6 President's Advisory Commission on AAPI Public Meeting Eight Years After False Accusation, Xiaoxing Xi Can Sue FBI Hoover Institution Webinar: A Fresh Start from What? Latest on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills News and Activities for the Communities Register Now: June 26 Webinar on Stop Warrantless Surveillance The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), APA Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, and the Committee of 100 will co-host a webinar on "Stop Warrantless Surveillance: The Danger of Reauthorizing Section 702 of FISA". WHEN: June 26, 2023, 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT WHAT: The U.S. Constitution protects its people against unreasonable searches and seizures. However, under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the U.S. government engages in mass, warrantless surveillance of phone calls, text messages, emails, and other electronic communications between Americans and foreigners. Information collected under this law without a warrant can be used to prosecute and imprison people, even for crimes that have nothing to do with national security. Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans and the immigrant and scientific communities, have been targeted for warrantless surveillance that led to wrongful and unjust prosecutions. They include Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 and possibly New York Police Department Officer Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 . The current authorization of Section 702 will expire on December 31, 2023. What should the Asian American and immigrant communities know about Section 702? If it is not sunset, what reforms will be needed? What are the next steps for the communities? WHO: Keynote speaker. Rep. Pramila Jayapal , the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; a member of the House Judiciary Committee; Ranking Member of House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security and Enforcement Panelist. Gang Chen 陈刚 . Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering, MIT; Member, National Academy of Sciences; prosecuted under "China Initiative" with case dismissed; "We Are All Gang Chen" Panelist. Elizabeth Goitein. Senior Director, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice Panelist. Ashley Gorski . Senior Staff Attorney, National Security Project, American Civil Liberties Union Panelist. Brian A. Sun 孙自华 . Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright; Board Member, Committee of 100 Moderator. Lillian Sing 郭丽莲 . Judge (retired), California Superior Court; first Asian American woman judge in Northern California REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/42AbNIF 1. Cato Institute Policy Forum on Section 702 of FISA According to a Cato Institute online policy forum on June 6, 2023, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire on New Year’s Eve 2023 absent congressional action to renew it. This controversial surveillance power was enacted in 2008 following over two years of debate in Congress after its secret, illegal predecessor— the National Security Agency’s Stellar Wind mass electronic surveillance program—was exposed by the New York Times in December 2005. Since that time, Section 702 has been renewed twice—once under President Obama and again under President Trump . And it has been renewed despite repeated, serious violations of the law by the FBI via so‐called “back door” searches—literally millions of Section 702 database queries by FBI personnel for information on U.S. persons not necessarily wanted for a crime. 2. Washington Post Report on Section 702 of FISA According to the Washington Post on June 13, 2023, Congress will not renew powerful, expiring surveillance authorities without substantial changes to shield Americans from warrantless eavesdropping, senators in both parties warned Biden administration officials in a Senate Judiciary Committee on June 13, 2023. “I will only support the reauthorization of Section 702 if there are significant, significant reforms,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). “And that means first and foremost, addressing the warrantless surveillance of Americans in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Moreover, the reforms must also include safeguards to prevent future abuses and ensure effective oversight by Congress and the courts.” The top Republican on the committee, Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), said that in the United States broadly, “there’s a warrant requirement to investigate an American citizen for wrongdoing. And we don’t want this to be used to get around that requirement. So bottom line is, let’s reauthorize this program and build in some safeguards.” “Why should we ever trust the FBI and DOJ again to police themselves under FISA when they’ve shown us repeatedly over more than a decade that they cannot be trusted to do so?” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said. Register Now: July 6 President's Advisory Commission on AANHPI Public Meeting The President's Advisory Commission on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) will hold its next meeting, the sixth of a series, on July 6, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The meeting serves to continue the development of recommendations to promote equity, justice, and opportunity for the AANHPI communities. It is open to the public and will be live streamed. The Commission seeks written comments that may be emailed to AANHPICommission@hhs.gov at any time. Individuals may also submit a request to provide oral public comments.For details, directions, and registration, visit: https://bit.ly/3NqpQMB Dr . Robert Underwood , a Commissioner, Former Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and President Emeritus of the University of Guam, described the role and purpose of the Commission and his experiences with racial profiling as CAPAC Chair and President of University of Guam at the April APA Justice monthly meeting. Robert reminded us that the Commission is the vehicle through which all of us can participate and make our input known to the President. The Commission has committees to address various topics, but social justice issues such as racial profiling, discriminatory alien land laws, warrantless surveillance, and open science are not on the radar screen of the Commission. APA Justice encourages organizations and individuals to write to the Commission and speak at the public hearing on July 6. Robert also urges all of us to feel free to communicate with him directly at anacletus2010@gmail.com .The current Commission will expire later this year. An executive order will be needed to continue the work of the Commission, which unlike other similar commissions, does not have a permanent staff.Read Robert's remarks: https://bit.ly/3qogBU1 . Watch his remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIrq1hfl4A (video 11:48 to 25:21) Eight Years After False Accusation, Xiaoxing Xi Can Sue FBI According to the Washington Post on June 6, 2023, Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 earned his PhD in Beijing, but he built his career in the United States. He arrived in the country in 1989 and worked at several colleges in New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania before arriving at Temple University. By 2015, the physics professor was a respected expert in a cutting-edge field and, as interim head of the physics department, was on the cusp of a big promotion.So he was stunned to find a team of FBI agents at his Philadelphia home on an early morning in May that year. They arrested him in his pajamas at gunpoint as his family looked on in alarm. “I opened my door,” Xi recalled in an interview. “I realized all my life, everything I have done, is gone.” The Justice Department alleged Xi, a physicist and a naturalized U.S. citizen, had delivered confidential technology to China “to assist Chinese entities in becoming world leaders” in the field — an accusation that essentially cast him as a “technological spy.” He was interrogated and strip-searched. But the case ended in farce four months later after experts asserted that the government had misunderstood the science behind Xi’s work.Xi’s case was dismissed in September of that year, but he said the accusations cost him a senior position in Temple University’s physics department and cast a pall over his research and his family’s life.In 2017, Xi sued the U.S. government and leaders of the FBI, Justice Department and National Security Agency for what he alleged to be a willfully negligent prosecution clouded by bias over his Chinese ethnicity. But it languished for years and was later dismissed in federal court. Xi appealed the ruling in 2021.His lawsuit can now proceed, an appeals court ruled late last month, allowing Xi to continue his longtime quest to tell of his experience in court and join several other researchers of Chinese descent who have faced similar accusations.Xi’s lawsuit also alleged that investigators used powerful surveillance techniques to tap the professor’s phone and email communications without a proper warrant under Section 702 of FISA . As Xi’s appeal was pending, several other scientists of Chinese descent across the United States navigated parallel challenges. MIT Professor Gang Chen 陈刚 had similar charges against him dropped in January 2022 — and later that year made a major discovery in semiconductor research. Sherry Chen 陈霞芬 , a former hydrologist at the National Weather Service, won over $1.5 million from the government in November after challenging a 2014 Commerce Department investigation that accused her of espionage.On May 24, 2023, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Xi’s case had been wrongly dismissed. The case will return to district court around August.“Now we’ll put the government under oath to explain what they did,” Xi said.Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/42r0sdP Professor Xi was interviewed by Sharyl Attkisson in Full Measure on June 4, 2023. Read the transcript and watch the video at https://bit.ly/3P6hCdJ (video 5:13). Hoover Institution Webinar: A Fresh Start from What? According to the Stanford Daily on June 8, 2023, the Hoover Institution hosted a discussion on the importance of promoting a sense of belonging for Chinese-Americans. The panel, titled “A Fresh Start: Safeguarding People, Rights, and Research Amid US-China Competition” brought attention to the worries Chinese academics have over being profiled for espionage or fraud-related charges regarding possible affiliations with China’s government. Larry Diamond , a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, moderated the panel with Gisela Perez Kusukawa , founding executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, Ambassador Gary Locke , former U.S. Ambassador to China (2011-2014), and Glenn Tiffert , research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Locke, who is also the chair of the non-profit Committee of 100 (C100), opened the event by acknowledging the rivalry between the two nations across various industries. He highlighted the “need to understand that our dispute and contention with Beijing is with the government of China and not the people of China, and certainly not Chinese Americans.” Locke said [they] believe the contributions of Chinese Americans often go unnoticed, a further reflection of the invisibilizing of Asian Americans.Kusukawa added that the treatment of Chinese-American academics is part of a broader historical pattern of anti-Asian rhetoric in America, resulting in the scapegoating of Asian Americans when the U.S. experiences tensions with an Asian country. “Since 1985, it has been U.S. policy that basic and applied research in science and engineering is basically unrestricted by the government,” Locke said. Much of the racial profiling Locke referred to can be seen in the "China Initiative" that was launched by the Department of Justice, according to Kusakawa. The initiative was intended to “protect US laboratories and businesses from espionage,” but many academics and civil liberties groups claimed that the program was biased against researchers of Chinese descent. Chinese-American scholars and scientists were falsely implicated during the Trump-era initiative, reporting disastrous effects on their personal livelihoods because of the profiling. The initiative was terminated in February of last year after outcry was raised over how the initiative’s rhetoric further encouraged Sinophobic sentiment. If we are to recognize the existing anti-Asian bias in America, “we need to start thinking [about] what are the due processes in place to protect Asian-Americans” Kusakawa said.Kusakawa acknowledged the difficulties a university or faculty member faces when critiquing or challenging policies that reflect a power imbalance between federal agencies and those in academia. She encouraged making the process of filing a complaint or reporting racial bias a less intimidating experience and focusing on creating a better environment for foreign scholars. “If we change how we approach research, are we genuinely going to become more competitive?” Kusakawa said. “We don’t think that Asian-Americans and Chinese-Americans and immigrants should continue to be collateral damage as we try to fix our policies in our country in addressing U.S. China relationships.” The webinar neglected to mention a Hoover Institution report that was issued alongside the launch of the "China Initiative" in November 2018. After appeals and protests by many Asian Americans organizations and individuals including C100 members, one noticeable change was made to replace the word "Chinese" by "China's" in the original title of the report "Chinese Influence and American Interests." Chapter 3 of the 2018 report (pages 39-50) covered "The Chinese American Community." On C100, the 2018 report (page 226) said "The Chinese embassy also targets prominent Chinese Americans through the Committee of 100, an organization of the most elite Chinese Americans in the United States. Committee members report significant pressure from the Chinese consulate on committee members to toe the Party line. Some prominent committee members are openly sympathetic to the goals of the Chinese Communist Party. One of them is ..." The following question was raised online during the June 6 webinar but not addressed by the moderator and speakers: "Does the Hoover Institution have any regret in publishing its report titled China's Influence and American Interest, which coincide[d] with the launch of the "China Initiative" in 2018, promoting the report heavily with Congress and media, and causing irreparable damage to many Chinese Americans and Asian Americans and eroding the civil rights and civil liberties for the communities? Otherwise, what are we restarting from?"On June 14, 2023, Larry Diamond replied: "We are not going to apologize for producing the report. It was a necessary and valid call to action in countering PRC malign influence activities in the United States and other democracies. We called for a balanced approach of 'constructive vigilance.' "We believe that as a democracy, we can and must defend both the integrity of our institutions and the rights and dignity of an important segment of American society. "We have always agreed that it is unacceptable to make unsubstantiated charges against people of Chinese ethnicity or fan generalized suspicions about a vital part of the American national mosaic. You may recall that the 2018 report you reference declared: 'we must guard against having this report used unfairly to cast aspersions on Chinese, whether Chinese American immigrants who have become (or are becoming) United States citizens, Chinese students, Chinese businesspeople, or other kinds of Chinese visitors, whose contributions to America’s progress over the past century have been enormous.' (p. 219) "We are not government officials and are not responsible for excesses or lack of balance and care in US government conduct. Likewise, we are not responsible for excesses or lack of balance and care in the wider public discussion and are disheartened by it. Our June 6th event with the Committee of 100 and the Asian American Scholar Forum aimed to model a more responsible approach. "Dialogue with the AAPI community is integral to the work that we do, and we remain committed to it."When fuel is put on fire, it cannot be just the responsibility of those who started the fire. There was one dissenter among the group of "China policy specialists" in the 2018 Hoover report. University of California San Diego Professor Susan Shirk wrote (page 217) at that time:"Although I have no problem with the factual research that has gone into specific chapters of the report, I respectfully dissent from what I see as the report’s overall inflated assessment of the current threat of Chinese influence seeking on the United States. The report discusses a very broad range of Chinese activities, only some of which constitute coercive, covert, or corrupt interference in American society and none of which actually undermines our democratic political institutions. Not distinguishing the legitimate from the illegitimate activities detracts from the credibility of the report. The cumulative effect of this expansive inventory that blurs together legitimate with illegitimate activities is to overstate the threat that China today poses to the American way of life. Especially during this moment in American political history, overstating the threat of subversion from China risks causing overreactions reminiscent of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, including an anti-Chinese version of the Red Scare that would put all ethnic Chinese under a cloud of suspicion. Right now, I believe the harm we could cause our society by our own overreactions actually is greater than that caused by Chinese influence seeking. That is why I feel I must dissent from the overall threat assessment of the report." Latest on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills 1. APA Justice Updates Its Tracking of State Alien Land Bills and Laws APA Justice updated its tracking map and table on June 8, 2023: https://bit.ly/43oJ0YI .According to LegiScan, Governor Kevin Stitt signed Oklahoma Senate Bill 212 into state law on June 6, 2023. This was also reported by KFOR-News4 on June 7, 2023. The bill will stop non-U.S. citizens including legal residents from buying land in Oklahoma. It becomes effective on November 1, 2023. 2. Louisiana House Bill 537 and Tulane University Statement According to LegiScan, the Louisiana House passed House Bill 537 by a vote of 73-26 on June 6, 2023. The bill was sent to Governor John Bel Edwards for approval on June 7.Tulane University President Michael A. Fitts and Provost Robin Forman issued the following statement:"We are deeply concerned by the potential impacts on the Tulane community of several bills under consideration in the Louisiana Legislature targeting land ownership by non-US citizens. We continue to share our concerns with legislators. These bills have made many of our faculty and students uncertain and anxious about their futures in our state, and we share those concerns. Universities thrive on their ability to foster a welcoming and safe community where we can recruit and retain the best and the brightest faculty, staff, and students from around the world to learn, research, and work together to solve our most pressing challenges. "Our international community plays a crucial role in the research and innovation ecosystem of our city and state. These international scholars and students have contributed greatly to the extraordinary success Tulane has experienced in research and in helping to increase economic growth in our region. It is essential that we recognize and appreciate their contributions to our state, our universities, and our neighborhoods."On June 7, 2023, NOLA.com also reported on " Bill targeting foreign land ownership approved by Legislature after tweaks ." 3. Florida’s Ban on Chinese Landownership Is a Racist Throwback According to an opinion by Shan Wu published by the Daily Beast on June 6, 2023, the reality of the Florida land law—and other laws like it in states including Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Alabama—are throwbacks to the racist “Alien Land Laws” from the 19th and early 20th century that barred Asians from owning land.Lesser-known than the redlining and racist zoning laws that kept Blacks and other minorities from buying homes in predominantly white neighborhoods, these laws sought to stop Chinese and Japanese people from purchasing and even leasing land primarily in the American West. For example, the 1859 Oregon constitution barred any “Chinaman” from buying property, and the 1879 California constitution was amended to specifically target Asians by only allowing aliens to buy land if they were of “the white race or African descent.” Like today’s politicians, the leaders of that era stoked racist fears in order to eliminate perceived economic competition from Asians by outright banning them from immigration—the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act—and through Alien Land laws. The Chinese Exclusion Act was not repealed until 1943 against the backdrop of the United States allying with China in World War II. It was not until 1948 that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an Alien Land law as unconstitutional in Oyama v. California . Even after that decision, however, many states did not repeal the laws until decades later. Florida finally got around to repealing its Alien Land law in 2021, only to have [Governor Ron ] DeSantis replace it with a new one.The federal government already scrutinizes foreign transactions, including real estate purchases, that may jeopardize national security through the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The interagency coordination includes the Department of Defense as well as the intelligence community. The federal government—not Florida—is tasked with our national security, the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution likely preempts Florida’s ability to play in this arena. The Florida law also would appear to violate the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process clauses of the Constitution. And there is also the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits making housing unavailable on the basis of among other things: national origin.Then there’s the economic and financial detriment DeSantis would be causing to his own state if the law is successfully implemented. The history of scapegoating Asian competition in America is intrinsically intertwined with racist violence. In the 19th century such fears led to lynchings of Chinese workers like the 1885 massacres of Chinese miners at Rock Springs, Wyoming, and the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin , who was beaten to death with a baseball bat in Detroit by white men who saw him as the embodiment of Japanese auto-industry competition—never mind that Chin happened to be Chinese not Japanese.May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, during which the contributions of Asians in America were celebrated. Now is a great time to ask ourselves what does the future hold, when so many of our political leaders long for a return to a racially violent past.Read the Daily Beast opinion: https://bit.ly/43OO60g News and Activities for the Communities 1. US Supreme Court Backs Alabama Black Voters, Bolsters Civil Rights Law According to Reuters on June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court handed a major victory to Black voters who challenged a Republican-drawn electoral map in Alabama, finding the state violated a landmark law prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and paving the way for a second congressional district with a Black majority or close to it.Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) issued the following statement : “Today’s decision is a victory for the communities of color and advocates that challenged discriminatory political maps in Alabama, but it’s also a victory for the American people because the Voting Rights Act remains alive despite recent Supreme Court assaults on it. It’s a relief that this far-right Supreme Court—contrary to many recent decisions—respected the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and its own precedent to come to the correct conclusion today. Our democracy is at its best when all of us can be represented in Congress, and today’s decision ensures that Black voters’ power in Alabama and across the South is not diluted and erased. CAPAC will continue to work with our Tri-Caucus partners to protect and strengthen the voting rights of all communities of color.” 2. Congressional Research Service Director Resigns According to Roll Call and Bloomberg Government , Congressional Research Service Director Mary B. Mazanec is stepping down effective June 30 amid persistent complaints about leadership within Congress’ public policy research institute. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced Mazanec’s planned departure internally, and the House Administration Committee confirmed her resignation. The news comes after reports of high turnover, low morale and lagging diversity within the legislative support agency. On May 3, 2023, the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers sent the results of the Congressional Research Service 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey to Hayden. Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF June 15, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #82 Professor Anming Hu Acquitted!!! More On The DOC Internal Review Report #82 Professor Anming Hu Acquitted!!! More On The DOC Internal Review Report Back View PDF September 10, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #191: 7/3 Meeting; Florida report; National Network; Unity/Allies; Anti-Asian Hate '24; More #191: 7/3 Meeting; Florida report; National Network; Unity/Allies; Anti-Asian Hate '24; More In This Issue #191 2023/07/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Time: Florida Really Just Banned Chinese Immigrants from Owning Property. We're Suing National Media Network - Summary of Inaugural Roundtable Lessons Learned: Building Unity and Allies U.S. Anti-China Land Laws Draw Fear of Asian Hate Ahead of 2024 Vote News and Activities for the Communities REMINDER. 2023/06/26 Webinar: Perils of Warrantless Surveillance WHEN : June 26, 2023, 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT REGISTER TO ATTEND : https://bit.ly/42AbNIF 2023/07/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, July 3, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), speakers will include: Al Green , Member of U.S. House of Representatives; Member, Executive Board and Chair of Housing Task Force, CAPAC, on alien land bills and multicultural advocacy coalition Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所; Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance 华美维权同盟, on the recent developments of the Florida lawsuit Scott Chang , Senior Counsel, National Fair Housing Alliance, on NFHA and its work on alien land bills Edgar Chen , Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, on NAPABA's work on alien land bills and related activities Cindy Tsai , Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100, on the recent roles and activities of C100 The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. 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 . Time: Florida Really Just Banned Chinese Immigrants from Owning Property. We're Suing According to a Time article authored by Patrick Toomey of ACLU and Clay Zhu of DeHeng Law Offices and CALDA on June 21, 2023, barring people from buying a house because of where they’re from is unconstitutional and unacceptable. And yet that’s exactly what Florida’s new law attempts to do.On May 8, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 264 into law, putting much of Florida off-limits to many Chinese immigrants, including people here lawfully as professors, students, employees, and scientists who are looking to buy a home in the state. The law also unfairly discriminates against many immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. But it singles out people from China for especially draconian restrictions and harsher criminal penalties.With geopolitical tensions between the United States and Chinese government rising, we are once again seeing politicians like DeSantis lean into racism, hate, and fear for their own political gain. Florida’s pernicious new law weaponizes false claims of “national security” against Asian immigrants and others.Worryingly, Florida is not alone. Lawmakers across the country are trying to enact similar laws to ban Chinese citizens and other immigrants from owning property, but Florida’s is the first one to pass and go into effect. That’s why the ACLU, the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, and the law firm Quinn Emanuel—are working to challenge Florida’s unconstitutional law in court and have asked a judge to block the law from going into effect on July 1.The Florida law will not keep Floridians safe. It instead codifies and expands housing discrimination against people of Asian descent—something expressly forbidden by the Fair Housing Act. It will also put a burden of suspicion on anyone with a name that sounds vaguely Asian (not to mention Russian, Iranian, Cuban, Venezuelan, or Syrian), perpetuating racist stereotypes even more.This is history repeating itself: In the early 20th century, politicians used similar justifications to pass “alien land laws” in California and more than a dozen other states prohibiting Chinese and Japanese immigrants from becoming landowners. Discriminatory new land laws in Florida and other states around the country could cause immense harm, too. The plaintiffs in our lawsuit are Chinese immigrants who live, work, study, and raise families in Florida—but they will soon be prohibited from purchasing real estate there. Zhiming Xu , is a Chinese citizen who lives in Florida and came to the U.S. after fleeing political persecution in China. Earlier this year, Xu signed a contract to purchase a new home near Orlando, with a closing date of September 2023. But because of Florida’s law, he will be forced to cancel the contract, putting both his deposit and his dreams for the future in jeopardy.In addition to imposing economic harms on immigrants and their communities, the law fuels discrimination and xenophobia. DeSantis and the Florida legislature have sent a clear message: The state believes home ownership by Chinese citizens is a threat to national security. This view is racist and baseless. Just as there was no actual evidence to justify the alien land laws of an earlier era, there is no evidence of any actual national security harm resulting from real estate ownership by Chinese people in Florida.At a time when one in two Asian Americans report feeling unsafe in the U.S. due to their ethnicity and nearly 80% don’t feel they fully belong or are accepted, Florida’s leaders have a responsibility to the people who live there to do better. Until they do, we’ll see them in court.Read the Time article: https://bit.ly/43QtTHZ National Media Network - Summary of Inaugural Roundtable During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 3, 2023, Paula Madison proposed a proactive and assertive national media alert network for the Asian American community. On April 17, 2023, APA Justice hosted a virtual by-invitation-only Inaugural Roundtable for two purposes: Assertively address immediate xenophobic challenges to our freedoms Consider longer-term proactive actions to ensure fairness and justice for all, including the AAPI and immigrant communities The Asian American and immigrant communities are in turbulent times again, facing enormous cross-cutting challenges for many years to come. The Inaugural Roundtable is intended to be a diverse and inclusive "big tent" with additional participants and observers to build an organic, focused and structured approach. In essence, our communities lacks an infrastructure to address issues, and we need to build one that is diverse, sustainable, and ready.In addition to APA Justice as the host, 11 organizations were invited to speak at the Roundtable. About 100 individuals and representatives of additional groups registered, attended, or spoke during the Q&A session of the online event.Three rounds of questions were asked of each Roundtable member, followed by discussions. The floor was then opened to all participants and observers. The discussions covered a wide variety of issues and perspectives such as the historical and current state for the Asian American and immigrant communities including societal racism and bias; the need to combat stereotypes and to accentuate the contributions with education and sustainable actions; the positive and negative roles of the media in addressing recent events; understanding and exercising our constitutional and civil rights; the fundamental divide between the scientific and law enforcement perspectives; the importance of avoiding silos and building bonds and enduring relationships; the potential actions and use of technology to reach out across generational, racial, and industry boundaries; the establishment of strategies, unity, and readiness to change narratives and address immediate and anticipated issues; training and calling for strike teams and a bureau of well-versed speakers ready for action on short notice; and filing lawsuits and taking legal actions to fight injustice. At the conclusion of the Roundtable, Paula quoted Desmond Tutu , “there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.” She summarized her observations and suggested follow-up actions that include: Organize and provide media training Reach out and build allies Create a playbook Identify a group of speakers ready to speak Employ playbook and deploy strike teams APA Justice has created a web page to cover the continuing development of this national media network: https://bit.ly/46iOshL Lessons Learned: Building Unity and Allies 1. Vincent Chin and the Asian American Civil Rights Movement On June 23, 2023, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) members issued a press release to mark the 41st anniversary of the murder of Vincent Chin , a 27-year-old Chinese American mistaken to be Japanese who was killed in an act of hate in Detroit. His killing sparked Asian American communities to rise up for justice. The Vincent Chin Institute was launched on April 26, 2023, along with a free online Vincent Chin Legacy Guide in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Bengali, and Chinese (traditional and simplified). In May 1984, Rev. Jesse Jackson appeared in San Francisco Chinatown with Vincent Chin's mother, Lily Chin . As he took the stage, he said, "Our hearts are made heavy by a mother who sits here with us, whose son was brutally killed, just because he was. What can we do in the aftermath?" In his speech , he drew parallels between Emmett Till 's lynching and Vincent Chin's murder, showing just how similar the struggles of both communities were and the need to "redefine America." Two of the recommendations of the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide authored by Helen Zia are: Be a courageous ally. Call out anti-Asian hate for what it is: anti-Asian bias, intolerance, prejudice, discrimination, racism, bigotry. It's not anti-Asian "sentiment." Support solidarity movements of people of color and people of conscience to fight systemic racism and other forms of institutionalized inequity. Read the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide : https://bit.ly/3LlhTWy 2. Inclusion Within The Asian American Community According to the Migration Policy Institute on January 12, 2023, the 1965 removal of barriers for non-European immigrants to the U.S. was a game changer for increasing immigration, as were relaxed emigration controls by China in 1978 and improved U.S.-China relations. The number of Chinese immigrants residing in the U.S. nearly doubled from 1980 to 1990, and again by 2000. Since then, the population has continued growing at a slower but still rapid pace. According to a June 2022 report by AAPIData , the majority of Asians and multi-racial Asian adults and adult citizens in the US is foreign born, with both numbers being above 60% for either group. About two-thirds of those of Chinese origin were born outside of the U.S. In " A Note To Asian-American Activists About New Arrivals " published by Huffington Post on March 18, 2017, Frank Wu -- Author, Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White and current President of Queens College of City University of New York -- observed a divide: To us [those who are either born in the U.S. or immigrants from many decades ago], they are very Asian. To them [new arrivals in the last 35-40 years], we are very American. But it need not be 'us' versus 'them.'"Wu implored Asian American activists to reach out to the "new arrivals." “We have to give [new arrivals] space too. We would be hypocrites otherwise,” he wrote. "It is important to sustain coalitions. We fought for a 'seat at the table.' It would be wrong for us to be any less than wholeheartedly welcoming to those who look like us." "If Asian Americans want the concept of 'Asian American' to last another generation, we must figure out how to engage with all who belong to an artificial, fragile category. The failure of the movement will be on us. We must come together." 3. 2023/08/26 March on Washington On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered what would become one of the most influential speeches in history, proclaiming to the world, "I Have a Dream." More than a quarter million people participated in the event. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a coalition is organizing an in-person March on Washington on the 60th anniversary of the event. Read the ADL announcement for the event: https://bit.ly/3pflxug 4. African American History is American History According to a Zocalo essay by Stacy Braukman , in 1956, Florida’s state legislature established a committee in 1956 to investigate legal infractions by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as any links that the organization might have to subversive groups. The Florida Legislative Investigation Committee was led by state senator Charley Johns first targeted the NAACP. Spying on and harassing members, the Johns Committee held a series of public hearings in which they tried to show that the organization was breaking the law, that it had been infiltrated by communists, and that social equality (a euphemism for interracial marriage) was its true aim. In an effort to fight the influences it saw transforming society, the Johns Committee would turn into a vehicle for identifying, interrogating, and removing homosexuals from schools and universities, while also attacking other groups it believed were threatening traditional American values.The broad targeting of groups and manipulation of public fear in the face of cultural change emerged as a set of strategies is still in use today. On June 19, 2023, a podcast by MSNBC's Deja News examined how the NAACP effectively fought back in the 1950s and asked what we can learn as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a new war on wokeness [dictionary definition: a state of being aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality]. June 19, Juneteenth Day, is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.On June 21, 2023, Tampa Bay Times reported on "A protest on wheels: ‘Stay Woke Florida!’ tour makes stop in Tampa." A statewide bus tour aimed at voter registration and community advocacy rolled into Tampa as organizers worked to combat education initiatives they say are adversely affecting people of color and the LGBTQ+ population. The “Stay Woke Florida!” bus tour is an effort among several groups. Key among the issues the groups were protesting: a new law banning the instruction of critical race theory, decisions to remove certain books from school shelves, regulations prohibiting instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom and the state’s defunding of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Read the Tampa Bay Times report: https://bit.ly/42WvdHJ U.S. Anti-China Land Laws Draw Fear of Asian Hate Ahead of 2024 Vote On June 24, 2023, Nikkei Asia reported on a wave of legislation in several U.S. states that aims to block real estate purchases by Chinese citizens that has many Chinese Americans dreading next year's presidential campaign cycle, fearing another rise of anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes against the community.Based on data provided by APA Justice, 11 states have such laws in place as of June. Positioned as measures to guard against hostile foreign influence, those bills block property or land purchases by citizens from "countries of concern," effectively singling out Chinese citizens. Florida had roughly 100,000 people of Chinese descent living in the state in 2021, of whom 73% are foreign-born immigrants. The land law will not only heavily impact the Chinese community but also the Asian population in the state. Steven Pei and Jeremy Wu of APA Justice and Robert Sakaniwa of APIAVote were interviewed for the report. Steven Pei said he is not subject to this law but is very concerned about its effects.¶ Major real estate companies have drawn up contracts to reflect the new law. "There were people here with H1-B visas [who] had their agreement with the company canceled, the impact is real," he said, referring to visas for high-skilled college-educated foreign workers.¶ "Because you identified these countries in the bill, you put a target on our back as well," Pei continued.¶ "Most Asian American communities will suffer different degrees of collateral damage," Pei said, predicting anti-China rhetoric on the campaign trail for the 2024 presidential election. Jeremy Wu sees the rush of land bills as evidence of volatile times ahead for Chinese Americans.¶ "We are, again, seeing the tension between the U.S. and another Asian country," he said.¶ Wu sees the rush of land bills as evidence of volatile times ahead for Chinese Americans. "We are, again, seeing the tension between the U.S. and another Asian country."¶ Wu cited a confluence of factors that have contributed to the political headwinds facing the community -- international tension that tends to stoke racism, aggressive prosecution of suspected Chinese spies under the former China Initiative, political polarization, as well as Asian Americans' history of being scapegoated.¶ "I think they all come together and we are facing another peak of turbulent times," he said. "And it may be here for quite a few years."¶ "I am very alarmed by it, I think these issues will hit another peak in 2024 because of the election," said Wu. "But even after 2024, I see the tension continuing [because of] the one-upmanship between the two parties, who is going to be tougher than the other."¶ "National security is important, but it should not dominate or scapegoat groups of people in our society... Some are newer immigrants, some will become naturalized citizens," Wu added. Robert Sakaniwa said, "I think it creates a big dilemma [for the conservative demographic], they will reevaluate and see who is pushing and supporting this type of discriminatory law, who is working with the communities to put a stop to this type of legislation. I think this issue has risen to a top tier issue because it [concerns] whether a person feels like they belong in this country."¶ "Most voters are driven by health care, education and the economy, but if you're not considered a part of the society in the political process, then you have no voice for all the other issues," Sakaniwa said. Read the Nikkei Asia report: https://s.nikkei.com/44hPuJa Do laws preventing Chinese from buying US land even make sense? According to Responsible Statecraft on June 20, 2023, using competition with — and fear of — China as a justification for legislation that touches on virtually all aspects of American life has become the norm in Washington. The total number of bills in which the word “China” is cited during the current session of Congress is rapidly approaching 400. The trend is alive and well at the state level as well. Florida and North Dakota are among the more than two dozen that have passed or considered legislation restricting Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland in the past few months. Similar legislation is being taken up in the U.S. Congress. The explicit goal of this kind of legislation is two-fold. One is food security. The second is couched in national security, citing the alleged threat of Chinese nationals buying farm land near U.S. military bases, which could be used “as a launching pad for espionage.” As Reid Smith , vice president for foreign policy at Stand Together, recently put it, these and other similar efforts are often “a solution in search of a problem.” Foreign entities currently own approximately three percent of all privately owned farmland in the country. Of this total, Chinese nationals hold less than one percent, with a total of about 400,000 acres. Advocates for U.S. farmers say that blaming Chinese and other foreign nationals for food insecurity misdiagnoses the true root of the problem, which they say is the rapid increase over the last 15 years in agricultural land ownership by wealthy individuals, pension funds, and multinational corporations. “Our concern is really focused on the corporatization of agricultural land, and the impacts and implications of that for local food systems for farmer livelihoods,” Jordan Treakle , the National Programs and Policy Coordinator at the National Family Farm Coalition, told Responsible Statecraft . He noted that Bill Gates is the nation’s largest private farmland owner, and the U.S.-based financial services company TIAA is the largest corporate farmland holder. “So it’s been quite disappointing to see this issue of foreign government or foreign person, agricultural land investment be raised in what we see as a pretty xenophobic way.” Even if there are some legitimate concerns about foreign ownership of agricultural land, some of the proposed solutions are so sweeping that activists fear that the rhetoric will only fuel growing anti-Asian sentiment in the country, as expressed by the nonprofit Asian Texans for Justice, when a like-minded bill passed in the Texas state senate last month. “We are disappointed that the Texas Senate has passed SB147 on the Senate floor. Since November, the rhetoric used in discussing this legislation has been rooted in xenophobia and racism. No amendments can undo the harm already caused to the AAPI community in Texas.” News and Activities for the Communities 1. 2023/07/06 President's Advisory Commission on AANHPI Public Meeting The President's Advisory Commission on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) will hold its next meeting, the sixth of a series, on July 6, 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The meeting serves to continue the development of recommendations to promote equity, justice, and opportunity for the AANHPI communities. It is open to the public and will be live streamed. The Commission seeks written comments that may be emailed to AANHPICommission@hhs.gov at any time. Individuals may also submit a request to provide oral public comments.For details, directions, and registration, visit : https://bit.ly/3NqpQMB . Dr . Robert Underwood , a member of the Commission, also urges all of us to feel free to communicate with him directly at anacletus2010@gmail.com . Read his remarks at the APA Justice monthly meeting: https://bit.ly/3qogBU1 . Watch his remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIrq1hfl4A (video 11:48 to 25:21) 2. New York City schools to teach AAPI heritage under new curriculum According to CBS News New York on May 26, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new curriculum that teaches students about the history, culture and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Teachers will use a guide that includes profiles of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. to launch a pilot program in social studies and literacy units: https://bit.ly/3XnwNBk . Read and watch the CBS News New York report : https://cbsn.ws/3Nkmh9z Back View PDF June 25, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #160 1/9 Meeting; House Select Committee; Joyce Xi Op-ed; DOC Letter on Sherry Chen; More​ #160 1/9 Meeting; House Select Committee; Joyce Xi Op-ed; DOC Letter on Sherry Chen; More In This Issue #160 2023/01/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between U.S. and China Joyce Xi on Trauma of Racial Profiling and Secret Surveillance Department of Commerce Letter on Sherry Chen's Accomplishments and More Asian American and Academic Community News and Activities 2023/01/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting During the first APA Justice monthly meeting of 2023, Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, reviewed the accomplishments of 2022 which was highlighted by the end of the "China Initiative" and Sherry Chen's historic settlement after 10 years of fighting for justice. "Despite all of these wins, we know the work continues to ensure that we are engaging with our partners, the Administration across federal agencies, and my colleagues at Congress; to ensure that our communities are not facing anti-Asian discrimination and racial profiling. To that end, CAPAC will continue to prioritize calling out blatantly xenophobic anti-China rhetoric and pushing back on policies that unfairly target Chinese American communities, which we unfortunately are expecting to see much more in the year ahead," Rep. Chu said."Back in 2015, we were hearing reports of racial bias and profiling of Asian Americans, often specifically Chinese American scientists, researchers, and engineers, I put out a call for the community to mobilize and to organize around this issue. I am proud to see the result of that call for community support is the APA Justice Task Force. There has never been a more important time for you to be in existence," Rep. Chu remarked at the opening the meeting.Watch Rep. Chu's New Year Greetings and Review of 2022 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLxSG7jNbco (video 8:59)A summary for the meeting is being prepared and will be posted after a chance to review by the speakers. Read past monthly meeting summaries here: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP . House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between U.S. and China On January 10, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives established the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party by passing House Resolution 11 by a vote of 365-65. The Select Committee shall be composed of not more than 16 Members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner appointed by the Speaker, not more than 7 of whom shall be appointed after consultation with the Minority Leader. Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, released the following statement “As a caucus, CAPAC remains neutral regarding the creation of the Select Committee. We strongly support strengthening our economy and protecting our national security, and we have always recognized that there are legitimate concerns with the actions of the government of the People’s Republic of China.“However, because of the known risks of xenophobic rhetoric intensifying anti-Asian hate here in the United States—and my belief that the work of this Select Committee can be done by existing committees in the House — I voted against H.Res. 11.“We cannot forget that rhetoric used around economic competition with Asian countries has resulted in the verbal and physical harassment and even murder of Asian Americans here at home. Since March 2020 and former President Trump’s sustained references to the coronavirus as the ‘China virus,’ over 11,500 hate crimes and incidents against Asian Americans have been reported.“As the House of Representatives embarks on the formation of this committee, CAPAC reminds all members that this committee should not be used as an open invitation to engage and traffic in blatantly xenophobic anti-China rhetoric that we know historically results in physical violence and emotional harm against Asian Americans across the country. Further, this committee cannot be used to promote policies that result in the racial profiling of our communities, but rather it must be directly focused on specific concerns related to the government of the People’s Republic of China. “Throughout the 118th Congress, CAPAC will remain vigilant in overseeing the committee’s work, hearings, and rhetoric. What we say and how we say it matters. And we know how dangerous the consequences can be if we don’t get this right.”On January 10, 2023, 22 House progressives led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal issued a statement expressing opposition to the Select Committee . “This also should not be a committee about winning a ‘new Cold War’ as the Chair-Designate of the Committee has previously stated. America can and must work towards our economic and strategic competitiveness goals without ‘a new Cold War’ and without the repression, discrimination, hate, fear, degeneration of our political institutions, and violations of civil rights that such a ‘Cold War’ may entail," the statement said, “We are deeply concerned about the direction of this Select Committee and we urge the Chair-Designate and our Leadership to ensure that strong Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and pro-diplomacy voices are clearly reflected in the membership when it is constituted.” Joyce Xi on Trauma of Racial Profiling and Secret Surveillance On December 6, 2022, Joyce Xi, daughter of Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi, published an opinion titled "The China Initiative: How Chinese Academics Like Xiaoxing Xi Were Falsely Charged as Spies" at TeenVogue . "I have seen firsthand the harms the US government’s national security fears can cause...In the absence of any accountability or vigilance to prevent the continuation of these harms, I fear things will get worse," Xi opined. "Everything felt completely surreal and absurd. Nothing prepares you for the day your dad is accused of being a spy. And that accusation could not be further from the truth. My dad is a nerdy scientist who teaches college students and conducts basic physics research. He never shared any secret technology with contacts in China. Still, FBI agents searched our home and rummaged through our belongings. They even tried to take my sister’s computer — she was 12 at the time. Then the news cameras showed up, trying to film inside our home through the windows," Xi continued. "As it turned out, the US government was the one doing the spying. We found out later that the FBI, using tools designed to pursue foreign agents, had secretly surveilled my dad’s communications and used his emails about unrelated academic research to try to portray him as a criminal. My family went from living a normal, low-key life to facing the weight of our own government coming after us.""The US government has faced few, if any, consequences for upending people’s lives. Families are left to deal with the lingering fear, trauma, and legal costs on their own. When I send a text or email, I still wonder if I’m being watched. Simple things like recorded Zoom meetings bring up fears of surveillance. I worry the FBI could come after me at any time for some made up reason or if I do any little thing wrong. It might seem irrational, but this is the resulting trauma of surveillance," Xi said. "In times of crisis and fear in this country, we have repeatedly seen people and communities scapegoated in the name of national security... As tensions between the US and China continue to escalate, we cannot repeat the same mistakes." "There is a major human cost to casting suspicion on entire communities based on ethnicity and national origin. And it is wrong. That’s why my family brought a civil rights lawsuit against the government. It’s been seven years since that day in May when the FBI arrested my father. We are now waiting on the court of appeals to decide whether or not our claims can proceed. We hope the court ensures that we can hold the government accountable for its abuses of power. But whatever happens, we deserve answers. We deserve justice. And we all deserve better," Xi concluded.Read more about Joyce Xi's TeenVogue article here: https://bit.ly/3ZuZgpq Department of Commerce Letter on Sherry Chen's Accomplishments and More During the January 9 APA Justice monthly meeting, Sherry Chen 陈霞芬 shared the letter of appreciation for her accomplishments from the Department of Commerce (DOC). As a hydrologist at the Ohio River Forecast Center from 2007 to 2022, Sherry "demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Ohio River Basin and an exceptional knowledge of the Ohio River. She developed, implemented, and calibrated HEC-RAS (an advanced hydraulic computer model) along the entire length of the main stem Ohio River. Her work represented the largest implementation of HEC-RAS ever attempted." Sherry supported additional new forecast points where the model is required and contributed significant proficiency in daily operational forecasting. She received multiple Special Act Awards, including in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Sherry received the Larry Johnson Award from the National Weather Alliance for the development and implementation into operations of a new hydraulic model used to produce lifesaving river forecasts for the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers during 201I record flooding. Read more about the letter at http://bit.ly/APAJ_Sherry_Chen During the monthly meeting, Sherry talked about her 10-year fight for justice and the historic settlement with DOC, including a meeting with DOC official Benjamin Friedman in December. A summary of the monthly meeting is being prepared at this time.On January 9, 2023, AsAmNews reported on an event titled “Celebrate New Year with Sherry Chen” on January 7, 2023, in which Sherry spoke about her case. The event was hosted by Ohio Chinese American Association and Asian American Coalition of Ohio. At the event, Chen spoke about how the accusations derailed her career and tarnished her reputations. She thanked all of the people who supported her during her fight for justice. She believes her historic settlement is a “victory for me, also for Asian American cause and the rule of law.” Sherry told AsAmNews that she is personally “doing well after 10 years of nightmare.” She retired a few days ago and has been keeping herself busy giving presentations and workshops throughout the country. Read more about the AsAmNews report at https://bit.ly/3k9XZ7i . A photo album from the January 7 celebration is posted at https://bit.ly/3XjEur4 , along with a photo album from the Justice for Sherry Chen Congressional Reception held on December 13, 2022 at https://bit.ly/3VWDyry Asian American and Academic Community News and Activities Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon Under Fire . On January 6, 2023, Frank Wu 吴华扬 , President of Queen's College of the City University of New York published an op-ed on " A Responsibility to Speak Out ," explaining why the expression of racial prejudice by Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Chancellor Thomas L. Keon was so disturbing. Words lead to sticks and stones, because rhetoric instigates violence... Although it is easy enough for those who inflict the trauma to dismiss it as trivial, these situations are not symmetrical since one community ends up being the butt of the joke again and again and again," Wu opined. On January 11, 2023, NBC News published " Purdue’s 1st Asian American president takes office weeks after school official mocks Asian languages onstage ." Mung Chiang 蔣濛 , a professor of engineering, began his historic role last week, overseeing the university in addition to other campuses, including Purdue University Northwest (PNW). Chiang’s tenure comes shortly after Keon mocked Asian languages during a winter commencement. Despite growing pressures to step down, Keon, who issued an apology, remains in the role. Given Chiang’s new role, some have called on him to address Keon’s actions. A post published by the nonprofit Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund said such action from Chiang could send a strong message. A change.org petition calling for Keon to step down has received more than 9,200 signatures. The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. On Tuesday, January 17, 2023, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), senior federal officials, and community leaders will convene a virtual event for the release of the Biden-Harris Administration’s first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Communities . The strategy, which includes WHIAANHPI’s inaugural report and comprehensive action plans submitted by 32 agencies, represents a historic first for the federal government as it works to address barriers impacting AA and NHPIs. Register for the event at https://bit.ly/3W7CZey National Academies Report on Confucius Institutes at US Institutions of Higher Education. On January 10, 2023, the National Academies released the first report out of the “ Confucius Institutes at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education ” study. According to the report, more than 100 U.S. institutions of higher education hosted Confucius Institutes (CIs), Chinese government-funded language and culture centers, on campus during the late 2000s and 2010s. While CIs provided a source of funding and other resources that enabled U.S. colleges and universities to build capacity, offer supplemental programming, and engage with the local community, CIs presented an added, legitimate source of risk to host institutions with respect to academic freedom, freedom of expression, and national security. By 2017, deteriorating U.S.-China relations led some U.S. colleges and universities to reconsider the value of having a CI on campus. Sustained interest by Congress and political pressure led numerous U.S.-based CIs to close, especially following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which contained a provision that ultimately barred institutions receiving Department of Defense (DOD) critical language flagship funding in Chinese from hosting a CI. While this provision allowed for a waiver process - and several affected colleges and universities applied for waivers in 2018 and 2019 - DOD did not issue any waivers. Today, seven CIs remain on U.S. university and college campuses. At the request of DOD, Confucius Institutes at U.S. Institutions of Higher Education presents a set of findings and recommendations for waiver criteria to potentially permit the continued presence of CIs on U.S. university campuses that also receive DOD funding.According to the report, "[t]he committee is not aware of any evidence at the unclassified level that CIs were ever associated with espionage or intellectual property theft. While incidents affecting academic freedom, freedom of expression, and shared governance did take place, the most egregious of these happened at CIs outside of the United States."Read the report at https://bit.ly/3jW3LJo Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF January 12, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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Newsletter - #334 6/2 Monthly Meeting; Influence of Hate & Extremism; CAPAC Concerns in U.S. Revoking Visas for Chinese Students; Wu Chien-Shiung #334 6/2 Monthly Meeting; Influence of Hate & Extremism; CAPAC Concerns in U.S. Revoking Visas for Chinese Students; Wu Chien-Shiung In This Issue #334 · 2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Influence of Hate and Extremism Grow; Attacked Asian Professor Speaks Out · CAPAC Expressed Concerns in the U.S. Revoking Visas for Chinese Students · Chinese Students at Harvard Cancel Flights, Scramble for Legal Help After Trump Ban · U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Plans for Expanded Social Media Screening · Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Harvard Foreign Student Ban Amid Escalating Clash · Wu Chien-Shiung: The Chinese-American Physicist Who Changed Science But Was Denied the Nobel · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, June 2, 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), invited speakers are: · Judy Chu , Member, U.S. House of Representative · Aki Maehara , Professor, Historian, East Los Angeles College · Ya Liu , Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Juanita Brent , Member, Ohio House of Representative · Christina Ku and Gerald Ohn, Co-Founders, Asian American Civil Rights League · Brian Sun , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright · Edgar Chen , Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) 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 . Influence of Hate and Extremism Grow Despite Numbers Decline; Attacked Asian Professor Speaks Out The Associated Press recently reported that the number of hate and extremist groups in the United States slightly declined in 2024, but not because their influence is waning—in fact, the opposite may be true. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), whose annual Year in Hate and Extremism report was released Thursday, many white nationalist, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-government ideologies have become increasingly mainstream, infiltrating politics, education, and public discourse. The SPLC counted 1,371 hate and extremist groups in 2024, down 5% from the previous year. Of these, 533 were active hate groups, a continued decline from the 1,021 peak in 2018. But researchers cautioned against reading this as progress. “The trends have slightly sort of gone up and down but let’s just say generally, since our tracking, have increased,” said Rachel Carroll Rivas, interim director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project. “And that’s not just on a total numbers level but also on a per capita.” One reason for the drop, the SPLC says, is that extremist views are being adopted more widely, reducing the need for formal group structures. These include calls for bans on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, opposition to LGBTQ+ visibility, and the rise in book bans. Anti-government groups rose to 838, with many believing the federal government is “tyrannical.” The SPLC also noted a rise in male supremacist hate groups, growing from nine to 16 in 2024. These groups promote strict gender roles and misogyny. Their emergence coincides with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of color to win a major party’s presidential nomination. “We saw intense vilification, the claiming of demonization of Harris,” Rivas said, adding that far-right online spaces falsely portrayed women as unqualified to lead. The report’s release coincided with the public appearance of Aki Maehara , a 71-year-old Japanese American professor at East Los Angeles College who survived a violent hate crime in April. Maehara held a press conference on May 22 at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles to speak publicly about this violent incident he experienced, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime. On April 29, while riding his electric bicycle home in Montebello, Maehara was struck from behind by a car. The driver reportedly shouted anti-Asian slurs, including “Go back to Ch—k-land,” before fleeing the scene. Maehara sustained multiple injuries, including a concussion, fractured cheekbone, neck injury, and extensive bruising. “I am wanting to add my voice to efforts to address fascist, racist violence,” Maehara said during this press conference. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to assist with Maehara's medical expenses and recovery, raising over $82,000 as of May 27. A change.org page was also set up with the title “Demand Justice for Professor Aki Maehara: Fully Investigate This Hate Crime.” Despite being injured, Maehara has returned to teaching his course on racism in the U.S. and is considering donating part of the nearly money raised for his recovery to other victims of hate violence. “All of your support, concern and care has helped to speed up my healing,” he told supporters. Watch the full YouTube interview with Professor Maehara: Decolonizing Academia: An interview with Professor Aki Maehara, Historian, Activist In this interview, Maehara shared his experiences growing up in East LA, intergenerational trauma, Vietnam and more. CAPAC Expressed Concerns in the U.S. Revoking Visas for Chinese Students In response to Secretary Rubio saying that the U.S. will “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement pressing concerns: “The wholesale revocation of student visas based on national origin — and without an investigation — is xenophobic and wrong. “Turning these students away —many of whom simply wish to learn in a free and democratic society — is not just shortsighted but a betrayal of our values.” According to New York Times , Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the students who will have their visas canceled include people with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in “critical fields.” He added that the State Department was revising visa criteria to “enhance scrutiny” of all future applications from China, including Hong Kong. The move was certain to send ripples of anxiety across university campuses in the United States. China is the country of origin for the second-largest group of international students in the United States. Chinese Students at Harvard Cancel Trips, Scramble for Legal Help After Trump Ban According to Reuters , Chinese students at Harvard University were left reeling on Friday after the Trump administration blocked the school from enrolling international students, triggering panic, canceled flights, and widespread legal uncertainty. The administration’s order—citing allegations that Harvard had coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), among other claims—would force current foreign students to transfer to other institutions or risk losing their legal status. The policy could potentially be expanded to include other universities as well. Zhang , a 24-year-old PhD student in physics, said the Chinese student community felt particularly vulnerable. “I think the Chinese community definitely feels like a more targeted entity compared to other groups,” he said. Fearing escalation, friends even advised him to avoid staying at his apartment in case of immigration enforcement action. “They think it’s possible that an ICE agent can take you from your apartment,” he said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons. The uncertainty caused immediate disruptions. Zhang Kaiqi , a 21-year-old master’s student in public health, had packed his bags for a flight back to China when the order hit. “I was sad and irritated. For a moment I thought it was fake news,” he said. He canceled the flight—losing both money and a summer internship with a U.S. NGO in China. Many students were especially concerned about losing visa-linked internships vital for future graduate school applications. Others scrambled for legal advice. Two Chinese students said they were added to WhatsApp groups where panicked peers shared updates and legal tips. One transcript showed a lawyer advising students not to travel domestically or leave the country until official school guidance was issued. A federal judge issued a two-week restraining order, temporarily freezing the ban. The Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the action, warning it would damage the U.S.’s international credibility and pledging to protect the rights of Chinese students abroad. “It will only damage the image and international credibility of the United States,” the ministry said. Some Chinese families are now reconsidering the U.S. as an education destination. “It’s likely to be a final nudge toward other destinations,” said Pippa Ebel, an education consultant based in Guangzhou. Incoming Harvard master’s student Zhao , 23, said she may defer or transfer if the situation doesn’t improve. “It’s really disturbed my life plans. I had planned to apply for my U.S. visa in early June, and now I’m not sure what to do,” she said. U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Plans for Expanded Social Media Screening According to Politico , Associated Press , NPR , and others, the U.S. State Department has temporarily halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students, signaling a further tightening of the Trump administration’s approach toward international students. The pause, which does not affect applicants with already scheduled interviews, comes as the government prepares to implement more stringent screening of applicants' social media activity. According to a diplomatic cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press, consular sections have been instructed not to add "any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity" until new guidance on expanded vetting is issued. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the move during a Tuesday briefing, saying, “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise.” The suspension, first reported by Politico , adds to a growing list of measures targeting foreign students. Just last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a decision that was swiftly challenged in court and is now temporarily blocked. Earlier this year, the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students, prompting legal battles and widespread concern. Critics argue these measures risk disrupting academic plans and damaging U.S. higher education institutions that rely heavily on international students for both diversity and revenue. Many foreign students pay full tuition, helping universities offset declining federal funding. An anonymous U.S. official told the Associated Press that the current halt is temporary, but uncertainty looms. “This kind of broad suspension without clarity creates a chilling effect on applicants and institutions alike,” the official noted. With the summer and fall terms approaching, the prolonged visa delays could significantly impact enrollment and campus life across the country. Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Harvard Foreign Student Ban Amid Escalating Clash According to Associated Press , CNN , Reuters , New York Times , and others, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from barring Harvard University from enrolling international students—a move the university called unconstitutional retaliation for resisting federal demands. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs temporarily halted the policy, which threatened to strip Harvard of its ability to host international students, who make up roughly a quarter of its student body. In its lawsuit, Harvard argued that the administration’s actions violated the First Amendment and would have an “immediate and devastating effect,” warning that the measure could force thousands of students to transfer or lose legal immigration status while damaging the university’s global standing. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the school said in its filing. A New York Times report sheds light on the escalating conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration. According to the report, the conflict escalated after the Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, demanded extensive data on international students, including coursework, disciplinary records, and even video footage of student protests. While Harvard provided data it was legally required to share, it pushed back on the broader demands, calling them vague, politically motivated, and beyond the scope of federal law. The administration accused Harvard of fostering an unsafe campus environment and alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party—claims the university firmly denied. Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers condemned the government’s actions on X (formerly Twitter), calling them “madness” that risks alienating future global leaders. This confrontation reflects a broader campaign by the Trump administration to reshape the U.S. higher education, with elite universities accused of promoting "woke" ideologies, tolerating antisemitism, and resisting conservative values. Multiple federal agencies—including the Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—have launched investigations into Harvard, focusing on admissions practices, compliance with the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, and foreign funding disclosures. Harvard’s legal team contends that universities have a constitutionally protected right to manage their academic communities free from government interference, citing case law that protects not just students and faculty, but institutions themselves. Wu Chien-Shiung: The Chinese-American Physicist Who Changed Science But Was Denied the Nobel In May, during AAPI Heritage Month, the South China Morning Post published a feature story on Wu Chien-Shiung , the legendary Chinese American physicist whose groundbreaking work helped shape modern science—despite a lifetime of discrimination and under-recognition. Born in 1912 in a small village near Shanghai, Wu rose to become one of the most influential experimental physicists of the 20th century. Known as the "Queen of Physics," she played a critical role in the Manhattan Project, helping solve complex problems in uranium enrichment. Her expertise was so well regarded that when Enrico Fermi encountered a technical obstacle, the advice he received was simply: “Ask Miss Wu.” Yet, despite her pivotal contributions, Wu was excluded from the 1957 Nobel Prize awarded to Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang for their theory of parity violation—an idea her meticulous experiments had confirmed. Many scientists and historians have since argued that Wu deserved a share of that honor, if not a Nobel Prize of her own. As an Asian woman in a white male-dominated field, Wu endured systemic discrimination throughout her career. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover even referred to her as “he” in vetting documents, reflecting both racial and gender bias. She was routinely paid less than her male counterparts and had to fight for basic professional respect. Still, she persisted. Later in her life, Wu became a fierce advocate for women in science. “The traditional role of wife and mother and dedicated scientist are compatible,” she once declared, challenging both cultural and institutional barriers. She urged young girls to pursue science and questioned the belief that physics was only for men. Beyond her scientific achievements, Wu also played a quiet diplomatic role. She advised against Taiwan’s nuclear weapons ambitions and helped foster China’s scientific development during a time of strained U.S.-China relations. Though she was omitted from the recent film Oppenheimer and denied the Nobel recognition she deserved, Wu Chien-Shiung’s legacy has only grown. She has been honored with a U.S. postage stamp and a towering statue in her hometown. Wu passed away in 1997, but today she is remembered as one of the greatest experimental physicists of her era—a pioneer whose brilliance and resilience continue to inspire new generations. News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/05/29 U.S. v. Wen Ho Lee - 25 Years Later2025/06/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/06/03 The Second Annual State of the Science Address2025/06/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium2025/06/16-24 Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area2025/06/29-30 2025 ICSA China ConferenceVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. # # # 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 . Back View PDF May 29, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Three major scientific organizations voiced concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled "Racial Profiling Harms Science." March 21, 2019 Three major scientific organizations took leadership in voicing its concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled " Racial Profiling Harms Science " in Science on March 21, 2019. The Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA, 美洲华人生物科学学会), The Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON, 美国华裔血液及肿瘤专家学会), and The Chinese Biological Investigators Society (CBIS, 华人生物学者教授学会) represent the largest and a rapidly growing professional group for scientists, mostly of Chinese descent, in many biomedical disciplines. The letter expresses concerns about the recent political rhetoric and policies that single out students and scholars of Chinese descent working in the United States as threats to U.S. national interests. It also received a response led by NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, which pledged that "NIH is committed to avoiding overreaction, stigmatization, harassment, and profiling. We will use our influence and bully pulpit as necessary to speak out against such prejudicial actions, for which there is no place in the biomedical research community." Three major scientific organizations voiced concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled "Racial Profiling Harms Science." Previous Next Major Scientific Organizations Voice Concerns About Racial Profiling

Newsletter - #324 4/7 Meeting; Rallies and Hearing in TX; US Data Integrity; Rule of Law; Litigations;+ #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/4ih5Qsp The 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 Hall WHEN: April 14, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET WHERE: Online Event HOST: Asian American Scholar Forum Keynote: Grace Meng , Chair Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Welcome Remarks : Kai Li , Vice Chair, AAASF; Professor, Princeton University Moderator : Gisela P. Kusakawa , Executive Director, AASF Facilitator : Xiaoxing Xi , Professor, Temple University Speakers: · 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 Conflict WHEN: April 22, 2025, 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT WHERE: Webinar HOST: Justice Is Global CO-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 Policy WHEN: April 24, 2025, 5:30 pm ET WHERE: 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 Watchers 5:30 – 6:30 pm On-site discussion with Sean Stein , president of the US-China Business Council 6:30 pm - Panel discussion Panelists: · 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 # # # 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 . Back View PDF April 3, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #320 ACF, CALDA and AAJC Reports; Trump Invokes 1798 Law; Court Rulings Against Trump; More #320 ACF, CALDA and AAJC Reports; Trump Invokes 1798 Law; Court Rulings Against Trump; More In This Issue #320 · The Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs · Updates from Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance · Updates from Advancing Justice | AAJC · Trump Invokes 1798 Law; Defies Court Order; Rebuked by Chief Justice · Recent Court Rulings Against Trump's Executive Actions · News and Activities for the Communities The Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs Jessica Chen Weiss is Founding Faculty Director of the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF), SAIS, Johns Hopkins University.During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 3, 2025, Jessica introduced ACF, newly launched in February 2025, that aims to enhance the rigor and depth of public and policy discussions on China, emphasizing civil liberties, inclusiveness, and democracy as central to U.S. foreign policy. Unlike other China-focused think tanks, ACF seeks to foster evidence-based dialogue among experts and practitioners while remaining neutral on policy stances. The institute was launched alongside the report " Getting China Right at Home ," a collection of essays by 15 experts, including contributions from Gisella Perez Kusakawa of Asian American Scholar Forum and Patrick Toomey of ACLU. Seven of the 15 essays in the conceptions of grappling with China address issues of civil liberties, transnational oppression, and discrimination against Asian Americans.ACF seeks to fill a gap in Washington's foreign policy conversations by addressing the domestic consequences of U.S.-China relations, ensuring that civil rights and inclusivity are not sidelined. Jessica emphasized that these issues are not merely collateral damage but are fundamental to formulating sound China policies. There are head winds, but the institute operates under four guiding principles: rigor in research, humility in acknowledging complexity, civility in discussions, and creativity in forward-thinking solutions. This approach is intended to bridge academia and policymaking, fostering long-term strategies that account for both national security and civil liberties.This spring, ACF will focus on disseminating its research findings through meetings with congressional offices, government agencies, and policy stakeholders to encourage two-way dialogue. The institute will also launch an ideas series spotlighting key policy areas while cultivating a new generation of experts who integrate academic insights with practical policymaking. Jessica underscored the importance of maintaining open academic spaces for constructive discussions, ensuring that universities continue to contribute to informed policy debates. Through these initiatives, ACF aims to provide a central platform for nuanced, fact-based conversations on U.S.-China relations and their broader societal implications.A summary of the March 3 APA Justice monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. Updates from Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance Clay Zhu 朱可亮 is Co-Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance 华美维权同盟 (CALDA).During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 3, 2025, Clay provided updates on ongoing civil rights litigation concerning discriminatory laws against Chinese Americans, particularly in Florida. Clay’s update covered two major legal battles: Florida’s Alien Land Law (SB 264) and SB 846, which targets Chinese students and universities.SB 264, a measure enacted nearly two years ago, is widely seen as part of the political positioning for the Florida Governor’s presidential bid. This law has been challenged in federal court by CALDA in collaboration with the ACLU and other organizations. The case is currently before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, with a decision anticipated in the next couple months. Clay stressed that the ruling will have far-reaching implications, as it is the first appellate-level decision on such a state law. Given its higher legal authority, the ruling could influence similar laws in other states, particularly Texas, where similar measures are under consideration. The second major case pertains to Florida’s SB 846 , which prohibits universities from forming agreements with Chinese entities. In practice, this has led to the termination of Chinese graduate students’ assistantship roles, severely impacting their academic and professional development.For students working towards a master or Ph.D. degree, it is essential for them to working for the supervising professors as graduate assistants, so that they can go into the lab and work on real life projects and be able to collaborate on academic papers.SB 846 basically bans all the international students from China to be graduate students at universities in Florida.CALDA promptly filed a lawsuit challenging this law. Recently, a magistrate judge ruled in favor of one of CALDA’s arguments, stating that Florida’s law interferes with federal immigration authority. The judge accepted the argument that the law overreaches state power by infringing upon federal immigration regulations. However, the court did not rule in favor of the claim that the law is racially discriminatory. The case is now under review by a district court judge, who is expected to issue a decision in the next month or two. Given historical precedent, it is likely that the district court judge will adopt the magistrate judge’s recommendations. Nevertheless, Florida is expected to appeal the ruling, which would bring the case before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, similar to the Alien Land Law case.Looking ahead, Clay noted that CALDA is closely monitoring legislative developments in Texas. If Texas enacts laws similar to SB 264 or SB 846, the organization is prepared to launch legal challenges to prevent further discriminatory measures. The outcomes of these lawsuits will not only shape the legal landscape in Florida but also set critical precedents that could influence policy decisions and judicial interpretations in other states.Through these legal battles, CALDA continues to advocate for the rights of Chinese Americans, ensuring that unconstitutional and discriminatory policies are challenged in court. Clay’s update highlights the ongoing efforts to protect civil rights and the broader implications of these cases for immigrant communities nationwide. Updates from Advancing Justice | AAJC During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 3, 2025, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director of Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program at Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported that AAJC strongly condemned President Trump's executive order mandating English as the official U.S. language, calling it a racist attack on immigrant communities.Joanna provided a litigation update, noting that a federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked key parts of Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI initiatives in the Federal government and corporate America, citing constitutional violations and harm to affected individuals and organizations.AAJC is also tracking land law activities at state and federal levels, particularly in Texas, where lawmakers introduced SB 17 and HB 1849. AAJC is working with NAPABA and other groups to support advocacy efforts. At the federal level, they anticipate alien land bills and are coordinating opposition with allies, including CAPAC.In addition, reports indicate that the Trump administration plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act soon, with advocacy groups engaging lawmakers to oppose it. Lastly, Trump nominated John Eisenberg to lead the DOJ’s National Security Division, raising concerns about a possible reinstatement of the China Initiative. AAJC is strategizing with partners to monitor his confirmation. Trump Invokes 1798 Law; Defies Court Order; Rebuked by Chief Justice According to multiple media reports, on March 15, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law granting the president broad authority to detain or deport noncitizens from "enemy nations" without due process. Trump’s order claims the U.S. is facing an “invasion” by a Venezuelan gang allegedly acting on behalf of Venezuela’s government. Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman opined that the Alien Enemies Act is a weak argument for deportation without a hearing - the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela, a gang is not a government, and it is not threatening invasion or incursion.The Alien Enemies Act was last used during World War II to justify the internment of 120,000 persons of Japanese descent and has only been invoked twice before, during World War I and the War of 1812.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Democracy Forward, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over Trump's expected unlawful and unprecedented invocation of the Alien Enemies Act— J.G.G. v. Trump (1:25-cv-00766) . Chief Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. Circuit Court issued an initial temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the deportation of the five plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. Later that day, Judge Boasberg expanded the scope of the TRO to encompass all individuals at risk of removal under the Alien Enemies Act, thereby granting class certification. This expanded TRO now protects all immigrants who could be subject to deportation under the Act, preventing their removal from the United States until further legal proceedings determine the Act's applicability and constitutionality in this context. The Washington Post reported that planes deporting 137 migrants under the act landed in El Salvador after Judge Boasberg ordered any such flights to return to the United States on March 15. Family members of some of those deported reportedly said their relatives are not gang members.On March 17, Judge Boasberg ordered Trump officials to provide the next day a sworn declaration that no one was deported under the authority of the Alien Enemies Act after his verbal order was made to turn the planes around. The judge also ordered officials to detail when the executive order was issued and provide a count of how many alleged gang members still in the United States are subject to the order. The Trump administration’s battle with the federal court system escalated sharply with government lawyers calling for the removal of Judge Boasberg and refusing to answer some questions in court.On March 18, Trump called for the impeachment of Judge Boasberg, prompting John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States to issue a rare and stern statement rejecting the idea and asserting the independence of the judiciary. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” he wrote. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”On March 18, the Justice Department refused to answer questions from Judge Boasberg seeking more details about deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act, leading the judge to issue a new order for the information. "The Government maintains that there is no justification to order the provision of additional information, and that doing so would be inappropriate...if, however, the Court nevertheless orders the Government to provide additional details, the Court should do so through an in camera and ex parte declaration, in order to protect sensitive information bearing on foreign relations," the DOJ filing said.Judge Boasberg responded to the filing a short time later, directing the government to answer his questions in a sealed court filing by noon March 19. Judge Boasberg has substantial qualifications in handling national security matters, having served a seven-year term on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court beginning in May 2014. He was the Court's Presiding Judge from January 2020 to May 2021. Judge Boasberg expressed frustration that the government had appeared to snub his order halting the deportations and refused to answer questions about its actions. He had reportedly summarized the government's position as "we don’t care, we’ll do what we want.”On March 19, New York Times reported that Judge Boasberg granted the government another day to share details on deportation flights, including what time two planes took off from U.S. soil and from where, what time they left U.S. airspace, and what time they landed in El Salvador.On March 24, a federal appeals court will hear oral arguments on the Trump administration’s request to lift the temporary block from Judge Boasberg.APA Justice will continue to closely monitor and provide updates on this development. Several organizations have issued statements on the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, including: · 2025/03/18 Asian American Scholar Forum · 2025/03/17 Asian American Advancing Justice · 2025/03/17 Refugee International · 2025/03/16 Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund ***** WP: ‘Very dangerous’: Japanese Americans warn of Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act According to the Washington Post on March 19, 2025, during World War II, the U.S. government used the Alien Enemies Act to arrest thousands of Japanese, German, and Italian nationals, often without evidence or due process. Russell Endo , whose grandfather Heigoro Endo was detained under the law, has researched hundreds of such cases and found no evidence of disloyalty. “If you read the case files, they are completely innocent,” Endo said, emphasizing how the law lacked oversight and offered no recourse for those targeted. Now, with President Donald Trump invoking the same law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without hearings, Japanese American leaders fear history is repeating itself. Former Congressman Mike Honda , who was incarcerated as an infant under Executive Order 9066, warned that the law gives “too much power in the executive branch because it can be used at a whim.” He has worked with lawmakers to repeal the law, calling it unconstitutional and a violation of fundamental rights. The personal impact of such policies extends across generations. Larry Oda , president of the Japanese American Citizens League, recalled how his father, Junichi , was arrested the day after a military exclusion zone was expanded in California, even though he had relocated to avoid internment. Junichi was sent to multiple incarceration camps, including one in Crystal City, Texas, where Oda was born. “One of the things that affected me the most was that myself and my family had done nothing wrong. We were targeted because of the way we looked,” he said. The trauma left a lasting fear of being unfairly imprisoned. The history of wartime detention highlights the broader dangers of discriminatory policies, as seen in Trump’s recent deportations, which a federal judge has already challenged. For Endo and others, the lesson is clear: “People are using a law that is very dangerous, and the government is abusing it.” Recent Court Rulings Against Trump's Executive Actions As of March 19, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump 's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 129 with two closed cases. The New York Times is tracking court rulings that have at least temporarily halted some of the president’s initiatives. As of March 15, 2025, there were at least 46 such rulings.Some of the recent major rulings and related developments: · On March 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the District of Maryland found efforts by Elon Musk and his team to permanently shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development likely violated the Constitution “in multiple ways” and robbed Congress of its authority to oversee the dissolution of an agency it created. Judge Chuang ordered that agency operations be partially restored and barred Musk’s team from engaging in any further work “related to the shutdown of U.S.A.I.D.” The ruling was issued in Does 1-26 v. Musk (8:25-cv-00462) On March 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes of the District of Columbia blocked the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the military until the lawsuit is decided. “The ban at bottom invokes derogatory language to target a vulnerable group in violation of the Fifth Amendment,” Judge Reyes wrote. The ruling was issued in Talbott v. Trump (1:25-cv-00240) On March 17, 2025, U.S District Judge Julie Rubin of Maryland ordered the U.S. Department of Education to reinstate numerous grants that support teacher-preparation programs. The ruling was issued in American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education v. McMahon (1:25-cv-00702) On March 13, 2025, U.S District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California ordered half a dozen federal agencies to “immediately” reinstate probationary employees fired last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to rapidly shrink the federal workforce, calling the effort a “sham.” The ruling was issued in American Federation Of Government Employees, AFL-CIO v. United States Office of Personnel Management (3:25-cv-01780) . On March 17, the Ninth Circuit denied the government’s request for an administrative stay. On March 14, 2025, U.S District Judge James K. Bredar of Maryland granted a temporary restraining order demanding the Trump administration reinstate federal probationary employees terminated on or after January 20. On March 18, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration has moved to reinstate at least 24,000 federal probationary employees fired in Trump’s push to shrink the government. The ruling was issued in State of Maryland v. United States Department of Agriculture (1:25-cv-00748) News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2025/03/04 Fair Housing Rights & Alien Land Laws: Challenges and Advocacy for the Asian American Community2025/03/05 The Global Economy at a Crossroads: U.S.-China in Focus2025/03/12 MSU Webinar on China Initiative2025/03/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/30 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. # # # 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 . Back View PDF March 20, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter