Newsletter - #337 7/7 Monthly Meeting; Coalition Open Letter; Harvard Lawsuit; APA Museum Commission; + #337 7/7 Monthly Meeting; Coalition Open Letter; Harvard Lawsuit; APA Museum Commission; + In This Issue #337 · 2025/07/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Coalition Open Letter to Marco Rubio on Revocation of Chinese Student Visas · Support of Harvard Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Cuts · National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission Sworn In · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/07/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, July 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 invited speakers are: · Lynn Pasquerella , President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), has accepted our invitation to speak at the meeting. On April 22, 2025, AAC&U issued a public statement calling for Constructive Engagement to address concerns of government overreach and political interference in higher education. Over 650 current leaders of colleges, universities, and scholarly societies have signed on to the statement. · Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Founder and President, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, who recently obtained a nationwide temporary restraining order in Chen v. Noem (4:25-cv-03292) with possible additional legal actions defending the rights of international students from China. · Paul Cheung 鄭文耀 , President, Committee of 100. (See News and Activities for the Communities below for additional information) · Tony Chan 陳繁昌 , Former President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (2018-2024) and Former President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2009-2018). 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 . Coalition Open Letter to Marco Rubio on Revocation of Chinese Student Visas (Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Intern, contributed to this report.)On June 16, 2025, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) & Stop AAPI Hate announced a coalition letter representing 64 organizations was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio . The letter calls for the halt of implementation of the May 28, 2025, policy announcement to “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese international students, including in “critical fields”. The Secretary of State’s new planned visa policy, issued without meaningful clarity, hurts the safety and well-being of students, undermines our American values, and jeopardizes the nation’s academic, technological, and economic leadership.Read the coalition letter at https://bit.ly/4jQjjYr . APA Justice is a co-signer of the letter.Questions about how to support this action should reach out to Gisela Perez Kusakawa at gpkusakawa@aasforum.org , Joanna YangQing Derman at jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org , or Kenny Nguyen at knguyen@stopaapihate.org .Several media outlets, including Axios , Inside Higher Ed , Los Angeles Times , reported that President Donald Trump stated on social media that Chinese students would be welcome in the U.S. as part of a proposed trade deal with China involving rare earth mineral exports. Following two days of negotiations in London, the U.S. and China announced a tentative “framework” agreement on trade and export restrictions. However, there has been no official confirmation from either U.S. or Chinese authorities regarding any reversal of Secretary Rubio’s prior announcement. Amid ongoing policy uncertainty, confusion is growing at the university level, leaving many students in limbo. According to the Purdue Exponent , several Chinese graduate students at Purdue University had their applications denied after already receiving funding offers months prior. In February 2025, many prospective graduate students received emails offering them research assistantships in the STEM department of their choice. Three months later, at least 100 students received emails rescinding the offer, with the news that their applications had been denied.While initial offers serve as a departmental recommendation for both admission and funding, final approval rests with the Office of Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars. By the time rejection emails were sent, many students had already declined other opportunities and were unable to apply elsewhere due to closed application cycles.This situation is particularly dire for international students, who must now secure another academic program or job within 90 days or face possible deportation. Among the affected applicants, at least 10 are Chinese nationals. Brantly McCord , a doctoral student in education and member of the university’s graduate labor organization, expressed concern about the apparent pattern, noting that the most troubling aspect is “the demographic of students who received this en masse.”Many students received only a brief rejection notice, while others received no explanation at all. Support of Harvard Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Cuts According to Forbes , Harvard Crimson , Higher Ed Dive and other media reports, 18 research colleges formally expressed their support of Harvard University’s legal challenge against the Trump administration for cutting or freezing roughly $2.8 billion of the institution’s grants and contracts. In a legal filing in the case of President and Fellows of Harvard College v. US Department of Health and Human Services (1:25-cv-11048) on June 6, 2025, the colleges requested to file an amicus brief in support of the Ivy League institution, even though the lawsuit only addresses the federal cuts facing Harvard. “Academic research is an interconnected enterprise,” the filing argued. “The elimination of funding at Harvard negatively impacts the entire ecosystem.”The request was granted and additional amicus briefs have been submitted since June 6 in support of the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, including—but not limited to—the following: · Conference of Boston Teaching Hospital, Inc. · Columbia Alumni for Academic Freedom · Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression · Lauren G. Milgroom on behalf of 12,041 Harvard Alumni · Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee · A Jewish Voice for Peace · Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, The District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin · American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Massachusetts, Inc., Cato Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Coalition Against Censorship, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Rutherford Institute · American Council on Education and 27 other amici · Muslim Legal Fund of America · Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc. · Former U.S. Agency Officials · Jewish Scholars of Jewish Studies For up-to-date information on the Harvard lawsuit, read the CourtListener legal docket: https://bit.ly/4jVrJhk National Asian Pacific American Museum Commission Sworn In On June 12, 2025, the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture held a ceremonial swearing-in of its congressionally appointed members at the Library of Congress, formally launching its mandated mission to assess the feasibility of establishing the first national museum dedicated to preserving Asian Pacific American history and culture. The Honorable Elaine L. Chao , former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, and the first Asian American woman appointed to a President’s Cabinet, led the event. Established by Public Law 117-140 (H.R. 3525) on June 13, 2022, the bipartisan Commission is charged with delivering a report to the President and Congress that will lay the foundation for the possible creation of a national museum. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Grace Meng introduced H.R. 3525. Over the coming months, the Commission will engage the Asian Pacific American community nationwide, consulting with leading experts and institutions, and assessing key considerations–including site locations in our nation’s capital, costs, and operations of the future museum. The bipartisan Commission includes eight members appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the U.S. Senate. The Commissioners, who were selected for their leadership in public service, museum development, and community engagement, include: · Dr. Jay Xu (California), Chair – Director Emeritus, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco · Chiling Tong (Maryland), Chair – President and CEO, National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship · Joanne Kwong (New York), Vice Chair – President, Pearl River Mart · Tina Wei Smith (Kentucky), Vice Chair – Former Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders · Dennis Cheng (New York) – Former Deputy Political Director, The White House · The Honorable Rodney Davis (Illinois) – Former U.S. Representative (IL-13) · Kevin D. Kim (New York) – Former Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services · The Honorable Michelle Steel (California) – Former U.S. Representative (CA-45) The Commission also announced that Krystal Ka‘ai Hetherington will serve as its Executive Director. Ka‘ai Hetherington previously served as Executive Director of both the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Through listening sessions and convenings, the Commission will invite broad participation from the Asian Pacific American community to explore how a museum could best serve the nation. Commissioners will also consult with community leaders and experts, regional museums, academic institutions, historical societies, and cultural organizations to develop recommendations on establishing, funding, and maintaining a museum in the nation’s capital. The Commission’s work will conclude with the delivery of a final report to the President, Congress, and the American people outlining a plan for a future museum. Members of the public will be able to track updates from the Commission through its new website ( nationalapamuseum.org ) and on social media at @apamuseum. Read the announcement: https://bit.ly/44eNxQj Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit—independent of the Commission and the Smithsonian—formed to garner requisite authorization and to create the Museum. Handel Lee and Anne Chao serve as Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Board of Directors. Grace Y. Toh serves as Executive Director. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium2025/06/16-24 Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area2025/06/28-30 2025 ICSA China Conference2025/06/29 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100 Names Paul Cheung President; Cindy Tsai Executive Vice President The Committee of 100 (C100), a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, has announced the appointment of Paul Cheung as its new President, effective May 31, 2025. The organization also named Cindy Tsai , who served as Interim President during the transition, as the new Executive Vice President.Paul brings more than 25 years of expertise in media, technology innovation, philanthropy and nonprofit leadership to his work. Most recently, Paul served as the CEO for the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that spotlights the corrosive effects of inequality. Cindy Tsai, who has served as Interim President since June 2023, and General Counsel since joining the organization in September 2021, will now transition to the role of Executive Vice President. Read the Committee of 100 announcement: https://bit.ly/4l2mvkI . 3. AAJC Is Hiring Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is hiring. It is looking for dedicated and passionate individuals for these positions: · Chief Operating Officer · Vice President, Human Resources · Assistant Director, Strategic Communications · Manager of Immigration Advocacy · Digital Engagement Associate · Technology, Telecommunications, and Media Policy Associate Visit https://bit.ly/43FJgoT for more information and send your resume and materials to HR@advancingjustice-aajc.org . # # # 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 June 18, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #343 8/4 Meeting; No China Initiative; Heartland to China; Court Defiance; Denaturalization #343 8/4 Meeting; No China Initiative; Heartland to China; Court Defiance; Denaturalization In This Issue #343 · 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · 1100+ University Faculty on Harm of Revival of China Initiative · Support the 2nd Heartland Leaders Delegation to China – October 2025 · How the Trump Administration is Defying the Courts · DOJ Prioritizing Denaturalization · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Al Green, Member, U.S. Congress (invited) · Munira Abdullahi , Member, Ohio House of Representatives · Guangya Liu , Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Min Fan , Executive Director, US Heartland China Association 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 . 1100+ University Faculty on Harm of Revival of China Initiative In a letter addressed to House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro , Stanford Professors Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson , on behalf of over 100 Stanford faculty and more than 1,000 faculty and senior research staff nationwide, urge Congress to reject efforts to reinstate the Department of Justice’s China Initiative. The professors argue that the initiative, originally launched to counter intellectual property theft by the Chinese government, instead produced unintended and damaging consequences for the U.S. scientific community and broader national interests. They contend that the China Initiative disproportionately targeted scientists of Chinese descent, fostered a climate of fear and suspicion in academia, and discouraged international collaboration. As a result, it had a chilling effect on global scientific exchange and pushed highly trained researchers—especially in STEM fields—to leave the U.S. or avoid coming altogether. This, the letter argues, played into the hands of the Chinese government more than it thwarted espionage, effectively weakening American leadership in science and innovation. Professors Michelson, Kivelson, and their colleagues emphasize that immigrant scientists are a cornerstone of the U.S. innovation ecosystem. Nearly half of the U.S. STEM PhD workforce is foreign-born, with Chinese nationals making up a significant portion. They note that approximately 90% of Chinese STEM PhDs trained in the U.S. choose to stay, often contributing to cutting-edge research and development in academia and industry. While affirming the importance of protecting national security and intellectual property, the authors advocate for a more balanced, targeted approach to risk management—one that avoids casting suspicion broadly on scientists based on ethnicity or nationality. They cite both the 2022 decision by the DOJ to end the China Initiative and the National Academies' recommendation to reduce its lingering harmful effects as evidence of broad expert consensus. The letter stresses that reviving the China Initiative would not serve U.S. interests and would instead jeopardize the country's ability to attract top global talent. The professors urge Congress to prioritize American competitiveness and innovation by fostering a welcoming and inclusive research environment rather than reviving policies that undermine it. The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) issued a strong statement of support for the letter, emphasizing that the China Initiative was not only discriminatory but counterproductive to U.S. innovation and national security. AASF warned that reviving the program would drive away critical global talent, weaken scientific progress, and harm the very competitiveness it purports to protect. Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa stated, “Reinstating the China Initiative would be a grave mistake, not only from a civil rights perspective, but also for America’s future as a global leader in science and technology.” AASF reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all scholars while supporting efforts to maintain U.S. scientific leadership through openness, fairness, and international collaboration.A parallel effort led by Stop AAPI Hate and over 60 civil rights, academic, and advocacy organizations—including APA Justice—echoed these concerns in a joint letter to the same congressional leaders. They urged Congress to remove language in the FY 2026 appropriations bill that would effectively reinstate the China Initiative through the DOJ’s National Security Division. The coalition emphasized the discriminatory nature of the initiative, highlighting its history of racial profiling, unjust prosecutions, and chilling effects on scientific research. They cited high-profile cases such as those of Drs. Anming Hu and Gang Chen as emblematic of the initiative’s failure and harm, and warned that any reinstatement would reverse hard-won progress in civil rights, undermine trust in government, and diminish America’s leadership in science and technology. Support the 2nd Heartland Leaders Delegation to China – October 2025 U.S. Heartland China Association (USHCA) is organizing the 2nd Heartland Leaders Delegation to China this October to attend the Yangtze-Mississippi Regional Dialogue (YMRD) in Wuhan, Hubei Province. USHCA invites the Chinese American community to nominate local leaders to join this important delegation and support their travel and participation. The Chinese American community has always been a bridge between the U.S. and China - championing dialogue, trust, and enduring relationships. As U.S.-China relations deteriorated over the past decade, Chinese Americans often found us stuck in the middle of two global powers. At this critical junction, people-to-people exchanges are among the most effective ways to restore mutual understanding and trust. In recent years, vital exchange programs have been cut, including the Fulbright program and funding for fact-finding travels to China for U.S. congressional staff and lawmakers. Despite all these challenges, U.S. Heartland China Association launched a new exchange program: the Yangtze-Mississippi Regional Dialogue (YMRD), a groundbreaking initiative that builds people-to-people and region-to-region connections between the Mississippi River Basin community and the Yangtze River Basin of China. 2023: Strong Beginning launched by Six U.S. Mayors . The inaugural Yangtze-Mississippi Exchange took place in Shanghai in 2023, where a delegation of six U.S. mayors met with their Chinese counterparts. This was the first U.S. Mayors Delegation to visit China post pandemic ( Press Release , Video recap ) and a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when regional leaders engage globally directly. 2024: Building Momentum in Memphis . The Yangtze-Mississippi Exchange, renamed as Yangtze-Mississippi Regional Dialogue (YMRD), was held in Memphis , with American mayors hosting more than 30 Chinese delegates from Shanghai, Chongqing, Hubei, and Jiangxi. Local leaders from both countries led key discussions on topics such as climate resilience, climate smart agriculture, and green transportation. The dialogue in Memphis underscored how cities are playing an essential role in advancing practical cooperation with Chinese peers. 2025: Charting the next phase in Wuhan . The 3rd YMRD will be held in Wuhan on October 29-30, 2025. Delegates will have an opportunity to not only visit China (Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan) but also to leverage the foundation laid by two prior dialogues to engage with their peers on topics of shared interest in a key region of China. Why Your Support Matters The success of this dialogue depends on the strength of the U.S. delegation and support from the local community as USHCA is dealing with significant funding cuts like many nonprofits in this space. YMRD needs the support of the Chinese American community now more than ever. Here is how you can help: · Nominate local leaders (mayors, county executives, head of local chamber of commerce, business leaders) to join the delegation. · Connect USHCA with local stakeholders interested in exchange and cooperation. · Sponsor or help fund delegate participation and programming. At its core, the Yangtze-Mississippi Regional Dialogue is about local leadership driving global impact. With your help, we can ensure more voices are at the table, and that meaningful relationships continue to grow across the Pacific. Let’s build the future from the ground up—through shared values, mutual respect, and real-world collaboration. Min Fan 范敏, Executive Director of USHCA, has accepted an invitation to speak at the APA Justice monthly meeting on Monday, August 4, 2025 . For more information or to offer support, please contact Min Fan at mfan@usheartlandchina.org How the Trump Administration is Defying the Courts Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Associate According to recent analysis from The Washington Post , the Trump administration is accused of defying court rulings in roughly a third of the more than 160 lawsuits it has lost, raising concerns about its disregard for judicial authority in the U.S. Of the 337 lawsuits filed against the administration since the beginning of Trump’s return to office, courts have ruled against the administration in 165 of the lawsuits. In 57 of those cases, the Post found that the administration is accused of defying or frustrating court oversight. The Trump administration has routinely defied court rulings, provided false information, withheld evidence, quietly circumvented court orders, and devised pretexts to pursue actions that have been blocked. Such conduct is unprecedented for any presidential administration and threatens to undermine the judiciary’s rule as a check on the executive branch. As of yet, no judge has taken punitive action to force compliance. Legal analysts are unsurprised as courts are typically slow to begin contempt proceedings for noncompliance. Furthermore, the judicial system cannot enforce their own rulings — that authority remains with the U.S. Marshals Service. Judges are concerned the U.S. Marshals will not comply with court directives, as an entity of the executive branch whose director is appointed by the president. Immigration cases have seen the most resistance, as evidenced in the case of Kilmar Abrego García . The Supreme Court ordered the government to facilitate his return after the administration deported him to a notorious prison in El Salvador despite a court order forbidding his removal to that country. He remained there for almost two months. The administration also clashed with Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg who ordered that deportation flights to El Salvador be turned around. The administration disregarded the order. According to a whistleblower complaint filed by fired Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni , Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove told staffers that a judge might try to block them, and that it might be necessary to tell a court “f— you’’ and ignore the order. The Trump administration also disregarded the order of U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher , a Trump appointee, to facilitate the return of a Venezuelan man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Other problematic cases regard cuts to federal funding and the workforce. Such clashes involved layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the freezing of all federal grants and loans by the White House Office of Management and Budget, and a ban on transgender people in the military. Judge Boasberg remains the only judge to actively pursue sanctioning the administration for its conduct. The contempt proceedings he instigated were paused without explanation by an appeals court panel three months ago. On January 21, 2025, Just Security started a Litigation Tracker on Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions . The number of cases it is tracking closely resembles Washington Post ’s report although it treats over 100 lawsuits involving the removal of F-1 foreign student visa registration as one. The New York Times also maintains a tracker on Lawsuits against Trump’s Agenda in topical order. The administration’s pattern of disregarding judicial rulings undermines a fundamental principle of democratic governance: that no branch of government is above the law. When court orders are ignored without consequence, it erodes public confidence in the judiciary’s ability to serve as a check on executive power. DOJ Prioritizing Denaturalization Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Associate According to an internal memo published online on June 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is aggressively prioritizing denaturalization cases and expanding the criteria necessary for pursuing denaturalization cases. The memo lists 10 categories of priority for such cases. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate wrote that denaturalization will be among the agency’s top five enforcement priorities for the civil division. This renewed focus reflects a broader historical pattern. As NPR explains, denaturalization was heavily employed during the McCarthy era of the late 1940s and early 1950s to revoke the citizenship of individuals who concealed criminal convictions or affiliations with prohibited groups—such as Nazis or communists—on their naturalization applications. According to a report published by Cassandra Robertson , a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, there were about 22,000 cases of denaturalization filed a year during the McCarthy era. In 1967, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that found denaturalization “inconsistent with the American form of democracy, because it creates two levels of citizenship.” Between 1990 and 2017, the DOJ filed an average of 11 denaturalization cases per year. However, the practice saw expansion under the Obama administration as they began using new digital tools to find potential denaturalization fraud cases going back decades. Denaturalization grew even more prevalent during President Trump's first term. Irina Manta , a Hofstra University professor and co-author of the report with Robertson, found an average of 42 denaturalization cases filed per year during President Trump’s first term and an average of 16 per year filed during President Biden’s term. The first Trump administration sought to significantly expand the government’s use of denaturalization and chose to file denaturalization cases via civil courts rather than criminal. In 2018, the Trump administration created a new office within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dedicated to reviewing and initiating denaturalization proceedings against thousands of individuals. Denaturalization, the legal process of revoking U.S. citizenship from a naturalized immigrant, carries significant consequences. Once stripped of citizenship, the individual returns to the immigration status they held before becoming a U.S. citizen. Afterwards, they may face deportation if they do not have lawful immigration status and/or serve jail time if denaturalization was due to a criminal conviction. According to the DOJ memo, there are two grounds for denaturalization: 1. Procurement of naturalization by concealing a material fact or by willful misrepresentation 2. Illegal procurement of naturalization In M aslenjak v. United States in 2017, the Supreme Court unanimously held that only an illegal act that played a role in an individual’s procurement of U.S. citizenship could be grounds for criminal denaturalization. This decision narrowed the scope under which an individual could be denaturalized. According to Robertson, the especially concerning aspect of the DOJ memo is that it directs the federal government to pursue denaturalization efforts via civil litigation. In civil proceedings, the individual subject to denaturalization is not entitled to an attorney, and there is a lower burden of proof for the government to reach. Robertson insists that pursuing denaturalization via civil litigation violates due process and infringes on the rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Sameera Hafiz , policy director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, is especially concerned with the expanded criteria of which crimes put an individual at risk of denaturalization. According to the memo, expanded criteria include national security violations and acts of fraud against individuals or against the government, such as Paycheck Protection Program loan fraud or Medicaid fraud. Hafiz says this is synonymous with “trying to create a second class of U.S. citizens,” where U.S. citizens born in the country are safe and those who were not are at risk of losing their citizenship. The memo also gives U.S. attorneys broader discretion to determine eligible denaturalization cases. Steve Lubet , professor emeritus at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, said the memo grants the federal government “wide discretion” on deciding whom to target, calling the categories “so vague as to be meaningless.” Lubet also raised concerns about the impact of denaturalization on families, particularly children who received U.S. citizenship through a parent whose naturalization was later revoked. Robertson remains concerned about the prioritization of denaturalization as “there just aren’t very many cases that fit within the framework of priorities.” This will cause the administration to focus on “people who have not committed any serious infraction, or maybe any infraction at all.” Concerns remain that the government’s aggressive denaturalization efforts could lead to the revocation of U.S. citizenship of many individuals who made minor or unintentional mistakes in their application. Many of the questions are vague, broad, and unclear. In addition, courts have not specified what constitutes an offense material to the individual obtaining citizenship and could be the basis for a denaturalization proceeding. The focus on denaturalization is the latest effort by the Trump administration to reshape the immigrant landscape in the U.S. Since his return to office, President Trump has also sought to end birthright citizenship and curtail refugee programs. The Denaturalization Fact Sheet produced by the National Immigration Forum is a concise, informative document that explains what denaturalization is, the legal grounds for it, and how the process works. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/07/24 2025 ILF Scholarship & Awards Gala2025/07/25 From Classroom to Commerce: The Value of Chinese Students to American Business2025/07/25-27 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony 2025/07/28 (Digital) Travel Safety and Security Training2025/07/29 C100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Linda Chao Yang2025/07/29 From Heartland to Mainland: 2025 Future Ag Leaders Delegation2025/07/29 Bridging Generations of U.S.-China Education Exchange: American Scholars to China2025/07/31 (Digital) Travel Safety and Security Training2025/07/31-08/10 Asian American International Film Festival2025/08/02-07 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Travel Safety & Security Training on July 28 and 31, 2025 Are you currently overseas and traveling back to the United States later this summer? The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is offering a one-hour information session with the Democracy Security Project (DSP) on how you should mitigate both cyber and physical vulnerabilities while traveling. The team at DSP will offer practical and pragmatic solutions on a number of subjects like handling your devices, data privacy, and border security best practices.The same session is offered twice, on July 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET and July 31 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Register and receive the Zoom information at: · Register for the July 28 meeting here . · Register for the July 31 meeting here . For more information on the event, please email: · AFT Union Leadership Institute ( uli_support@aft.org ) · AFT Higher Education Division ( highereddept@aft.org ) # # # 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 July 24, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #266 Franklin Tao Wins Appeal; NBER Study; 1990 Workshop Video; Wisconsin Farmland; + #266 Franklin Tao Wins Appeal; NBER Study; 1990 Workshop Video; Wisconsin Farmland; + In This Issue #266 · Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao Wins Appeal · Study Shows Drastic Decline in US-China Scientific Exchange · 1990 Institute Teachers Workshop on U.S.-China Relations · WPR : Fears of China-owned Farmland in Wisconsin and US are Exaggerated · News and Activities for the Communities Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao Wins Appeal According to Reuters, Science, and multiple reports, on July 11, 2024, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver overturned the lone conviction of former University of Kansas (KU) Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao for making a false statement related to work he was doing in China.Professor Tao was one of the first academic scientists charged under the now-defunct China initiative launched in November 2018 by then-President Donald Trump to combat Chinese economic espionage. In 2019, DOJ had relied on information provided by one of Tao’s former colleagues — a visiting scholar at KU angry with Tao amid an authorship dispute. The colleague had demanded $300,000 from Tao or she would tell the FBI that Tao was a spy.The FBI investigation found no evidence of espionage involving Professor Tao. However, while still a tenured KU faculty member, he was arrested in August 2019 and spent 1 week in jail. In April 2022, a federal jury convicted him of three counts of wire fraud as well as making a false statement to KU about his ties to Fuzhou University in connection with grants from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The university fired him after the jury decision, but 5 months later U.S. District Court Senior Judge Julie Robinson threw out the fraud convictions, citing a lack of evidence. And in January 2023 she rejected the government’s request for jail time and a stiff fine as a penalty for the false statement conviction. Professor Tao was sentenced to time served and a two-year probation, which was later reduced to one year. Professor Tao appealed the jury’s decision on this last remaining count, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in a 2-to-1 decision that Professor Tao was right. “We reverse his conviction … and agree with Tao that the government offered insufficient evidence for a rational jury to find that his statement to his employer was material to any DOE or NSF decision” affecting the status of his grants. U.S. Circuit Judge Nancy Moritz , wrote for the majority. Professor Tao is one of many China Initiative cases against U.S. academics that have fallen apart in court. President Joe Biden ’s administration officially ended the program in February 2022. But Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have campaigned for it to be reinstated.Professor Tao said in a statement issued by United Chinese Americans (UCA) after the appeal victory, "Today, I come to you with a mix of heavy and joyous feelings to update you on the outcome of our four-year struggle. The Tenth Circuit Court has removed the last remaining charge against me. These four years of fighting against ten baseless charges have been an unimaginable battle. Without the just legal assistance of our lawyers, Peter Zeidenberg and Mike Dearington , I could not have achieved today's victory. "I want to express my gratitude to our Chinese and Asian communities (including UCA, AAJC, Committee 100, APA Justice, Asian American Scholar Forum, CALDA, AFI, OCAA...) and the many Chinese friends who supported me. I am especially thankful for UCA's continued support and encouragement over these years. Special thanks go to UCA President Haipei Shue and his team for their tremendous support. Without President Shue's personal encouragement and support, we could not have fought to this day!" 2024/07/13 AP: Court voids last conviction of Kansas researcher in case that started as Chinese espionage probe 2024/07/12 CALDA: 陶教授无罪，华人无罪 2024/07/12 Science: Court exonerates Kansas professor in China research fraud case 2024/07/12 Kansas Reflector: Federal appellate court tosses final conviction in case against former tenured Kansas professor 2024/07/11 俄州亚太联盟 OCAA: 罪名被推翻，陶峰教授赢了！ 2024/07/11 美國華人聯盟 UCA: 快讯 | 华裔学者陶丰胜诉，联邦上诉法院推翻定罪 2024/07/11 Reuters: Kansas researcher wins reversal of conviction in Trump-era China probe APA Justice: Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰 Study Shows Drastic Decline in US-China Scientific Exchange In its June 2024 issue, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) published a working paper titled Building a Wall Around Science: "The Effect of U.S.-China Tensions on International Science Research." The paper examines the impact of rising U.S.-China geopolitical tensions on three main dimensions of science: STEM trainee mobility between these countries, usage of scientific works between scientists in each country, and scientist productivity in each country. The paper examines each dimension from a “U.S.” perspective and from a “China” perspective in an effort to provide evidence around the asymmetric effects of isolationism and geopolitical tension on science.The paper finds that between 2016 and 2019 ethnically Chinese graduate students became 16% less likely to attend a U.S.-based Ph.D. program, and that those that did became 4% less likely to stay in the U.S. after graduation. In both instances, these students became more likely to move to a non-U.S. anglophone country instead.Second, the paper documents a sharp decline in Chinese usage of U.S. science as measured by citations, but no such decline in the propensity of U.S. scientists to cite Chinese research. Third, the paper finds that while a decline in Chinese usage of U.S. science does not appear to affect the average productivity of China-based researchers as measured by publications, heightened anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. appears to reduce the productivity of ethnically Chinese scientists in the U.S. by 2-6%.The results do not suggest any clear “winner,” but instead indicate that increasing isolationism and geopolitical tension lead to reduced talent and knowledge flows between the U.S. and China, which are likely to be particularly damaging to international science. The effects on productivity are still small but are likely to only grow as nationalistic and isolationist policies also escalate. The results as a whole strongly suggest the presence of a “chilling effect” for ethnically Chinese scholars in the U.S., affecting both the U.S.’s ability to attract and retain talent as well as the productivity of its ethnically Chinese scientists.According to a report by the University World News on July 11, 2024, in almost every area, the NBER paper shows that “geopolitical tensions at a much lower level than the formal expulsion of academics or violent warfare can lead to a significant shift in scientist mobility”. Professor Britta Glennon , who teaches management at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) and is one of the study’s four co-authors. “Over the past few decades, science has become more international across many dimensions. Science used to be concentrated in the West, but today there is a much more international scientific community," she said. “For instance, many academics are immigrants, so right there you have a very international community. There are many more international collaborations than there used to be. And, increasingly, citations in papers are from papers produced in other countries. Our study demonstrates in quantifiable terms how this large international scientific community is affected by the geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, which, from a scientific standpoint, are the major players." For their analysis of mobility using the Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCID), on which academics post their curricula vitae, Glennon and her colleagues constructed a database of 836,495 CVs in STEM fields (out of ORCID’s 14 million CVs).Using machine learning methods that infer ethnicity from names, they were able to classify scientists as being “ethnically Chinese”, which was the treatment group. The control group for those analyses was the non-ethnically Chinese complement, which was drawn from graduate students and professors in UK universities.The Pew Research Center reported in 2020 that anti-Chinese sentiment had risen 11 percentage points, from 55% to 66% in the five years since Trump began his first campaign for the presidency, which included significant anti-Chinese rhetoric, and the COVID-19 crisis, which Trump blamed on the Chinese calling it “the China virus”. Glennon and her colleagues also reference the 2021 study, “Racial Profiling among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the US Scientific Community”, that found that Chinese scientists “reported considerable fear of US government surveillance” at almost five times the rate of non-Chinese scientists: 50.7% vs 11.7%. An additional chill was Trump’s “China Initiative”. Some 5,000 agents were assigned to the initiative tasked with preventing China from stealing technologies that were vital to America’s economic and military interests. In July 2020, FBI director Christopher A Wray stated that the bureau was “opening a China-related counterintelligence case every 10 hours”. As of September 2021, federal prosecutors had charged 28 researchers under the China Initiative. Of these, there had been about a dozen convictions or guilty pleas. Of the dozen or so Chinese professors or professors of Chinese descent, the government had convicted only four – none for espionage or theft of trade secrets or intellectual property.President Joe Biden ’s justice department closed down the initiative in February 2022.Read the NBER paper : https://bit.ly/4602fKc . Read the University World News report: https://bit.ly/4bLXfKp . 1990 Institute Teachers Workshop on U.S.-China Relations Political campaigns have and continue to portray China through an adverse lens, affecting decades-long efforts to build constructive relations with national and global implications.On June 20, 2024, the 1990 Institute hosted a Teachers Workshop on "U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric and Understanding Policy." APA Justice was one of the co-sponsors for the workshop.China scholars from Yale Law School, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University’s Steinhardt School spoke at the workshop, providing context with an overview of the history of U.S.-China relations and then delved into issues affecting this global relationship during this election year, including trade, technology, and Taiwan.Watch a recording of the workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8AisB1NZYo (video 1:30:03). Read the curated resources and lesson plans in the 1990 Institute's Reference Library. WPR : Fears of China-owned Farmland in Wisconsin and US are Exaggerated According to Wisconsin Public Radio on July 10, 2024, lawmakers and citizens are raising concerns about Chinese companies purchasing U.S. land. But a new analysis paints a different picture of who owns and leases American farmland.Wisconsin is among more than two-thirds of all states that are considering or have enacted laws limiting or banning foreign ownership of land. A Wisconsin state statute restricts foreign private investment in land. Wendon Zhang , an assistant professor of economics with Cornell University, and two other researchers recently published an article — “ Mapping and Contextualizing Foreign Ownership and Leasing of U.S. Farmland ” — in the 2024 Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio , Zhang said his recent research found that China and other “adversarial countries” hold zero acres of land in the “Lake Region” of the U.S., a space that includes Wisconsin. His team found that Canada, Denmark and Portugal are the top three holders of Wisconsin’s foreign-held land.“The bottom line is, if you’re concerned about significant Chinese holdings of agricultural land in Wisconsin, the evidence seems to say the contrary,” Zhang said.The U.S. has 3.4 percent of all privately-held agricultural land owned or long-term leased by foreign companies. That percentage in Wisconsin is 2.4 percent. Eighty-five percent of all land in Wisconsin that has a foreign interest is forest land. So it is not cropland, not pasture land. It is actually nearly 400,000 acres of forest land, predominantly with Canadian ownership. When you are looking at the adversary countries — China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela — based on the public records voluntarily reported to USDA, all these countries do not hold any agricultural land in Wisconsin.However, Zhang also found that more than 51 percent of Wisconsin’s foreign-held agricultural land is categorized without a prominent country code, meaning investors in a particular property come from multiple countries. Zhang said it’s possible China or other countries might hold shares small enough in some types of holdings to fall outside of what is reported to the government, leaving them underrepresented in USDA data.Read the Wisconsin Public Radio report: https://bit.ly/3S3bwvc . Read the journal article: https://bit.ly/3xTZq0N News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/07/15 APIAVote: RNC Convention, AAPI Briefing &Reception, Milwaukee, WI2024/07/16-17 National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable - Capstone2024/07/17 C100 Career Ceiling Summit: Creating a Level Playing Field2024/07/25-28 Leadership Convention by NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) 2024/07/27-28 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony2024/08/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/08/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/08/19 DNC Convention, AAPI Briefing & Reception, Chicago, ILThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. Back View PDF July 15, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #91 Rep. Lieu Questions AG; Letter to AG; 11/01 Meeting; New Red Scare; UTK; More #91 Rep. Lieu Questions AG; Letter to AG; 11/01 Meeting; New Red Scare; UTK; More Back View PDF October 25, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #12 More On The Tao Case; Wen Ho Lee Revisited; Far Right And Police; Upcoming Activities #12 More On The Tao Case; Wen Ho Lee Revisited; Far Right And Police; Upcoming Activities Back View PDF August 31, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #35 Sign On To Letter To President-Elect To End DOJ's "China Initiative" #35 Sign On To Letter To President-Elect To End DOJ's "China Initiative" Back View PDF December 16, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

2020/08/06 Briefing with Senator Mark Warner The APA Justice Task Force submitted the following statement for a briefing with Senator Mark Warner and his staff on August 6, 2020. 2020/08/05: Update on Racial Profiling and Related Issues 2020/04/02 Senator Warner Letter to FBI Director Wray On April 2, 2020, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and urged him to "hold biannual meetings with national leaders of Chinese American and Asian American organizations regarding issues of importance to those communities as you work to counter the foreign intelligence threat from the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC)." On May 29, 2020, the Assistant Director of the FBI Office of Congressional Affairs replied with this letter to Senator Warner. A previous meeting between the Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division and Asian American leaders was cited as productive in the letter. Background and context of the December 7, 2018 meeting is available here . 2020/01/15 CAPAC Meeting On January 15, 2020, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chaired by Rep. Judy Chu convened a briefing session to update the current work on the profiling of Chinese Americans. As facilitator for APA Justice, Jeremy Wu provided a two-page handout and read a prepared statement during the briefing. 2018/12/07 FBI Meeting On December 7, 2018, a group of community leaders met with a senior-level FBI official and representatives at the FBI headquarters to convey concerns raised within the Chinese American community about the role of bias in its investigations, among other issues. A public statement about the meeting is here: English | 中文 . Each of the five community leaders brought his/her talking materials to the meeting with the FBI official and representatives: Aryani Ong, community advocate Robert Gee, Vice Chair, Washington DC Region, Committee of 100: Letter to FBI Official Andrew Kim, Visiting Scholar, South Texas College of Law and Litigator, Greenberg Traurig: Prosecuting Chinese “Spies:” An Empirical Analysis of The Economic Espionage Act Steven Pei, scientist and Honorary Chair of United Chinese Americans: FBI Meeting Talking Points Jeremy Wu, retired government official: FBI Meeting Talking Points Additional Information 2022/05/31 APA Justice: Summary Statement for The Town Hall Meeting Hosted by The FBI San Francisco Field Office 2022/05/31 APA Justice: Statement for The Town Hall Meeting Hosted by The FBI San Francisco Field Office 2018/12/23 Houston Chronicle: Houston Asians meet with D.C. FBI about economic espionage, racial bias 2018/10/12 Six Hues: Summary: Panel Addresses Concerns that Chinese Americans Are Targeted by Law Enforcement as U.S.-China Tensions Flare 2018/09/22 Houston Chronicle: Houstonians respond to Asian-Americans being increasingly targeted in economic espionage cases 2018/09/22 Community Educational Forum: A Dialogue with the FBI and Legal Experts: The Impact of Espionage Investigations on the Asian American Community 2018/08/26 CBS 60 Minutes: U.S. fight against Chinese espionage ensnares innocent Americans 2018/08/08 Houston Chronicle: FBI warns Texas academic and medical leaders of ‘classified’ security threats 2018/05/17 New York Times: Cleared of Spying for China, She Still Doesn’t Have Her Job Back 2018/05/05 South China Morning Post: Spying charges against Chinese-American scientists spark fears of a witch hunt 2018/03/01 Community Organizations: Joint letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray 2017/05/10 New York Times: Former Espionage Suspect Sues, Accusing F.B.I. of Falsifying Evidence 2015/09/15 New York Times: The Rush to Find China’s Moles Racial Profiling: Continuing Developments Return to Racial Profiling Overview

Civic Engagement Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to customize this theme across your site. You can update and reuse text themes.

Newsletter - #309 TX New Year; Trump Order Blocked; Senate Hearing; Town Hall/Webinars/Training; Science #309 TX New Year; Trump Order Blocked; Senate Hearing; Town Hall/Webinars/Training; Science In This Issue #309 · Texas Officially Recognizes Lunar New Year · NYT : Temporary Order Blocks Trump's Directive · Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "Malign PRC Influence" · ACLU Town Hall; Webinars for Feds; Training for Non-Profits · Trump Administration Upends U.S. Science · News and Activities for the Communities Texas Officially Recognizes Lunar New Year On January 29, 2025, the Texas House of Representatives officially recognized Lunar New Year, highlighting its significance across various Asian cultures. Representative Gene Wu emphasized the inclusivity of the term "Lunar New Year," noting that the celebration is widely observed. Joining Wu, Representative Angie Chen Button shared traditions associated with the holiday, advising to wear one's best outfit, enjoy good food, and avoid working too hard on that day. Representative Hubert Vo highlighted the symbolism of the Year of the Snake, urging members to "adapt to these new times, renew our commitment to the people of Texas, and seek wisdom with all our endeavors." The resolution's adoption underscores Texas's recognition of its diverse cultural heritage and the importance of inclusivity. Resolution 52 was introduced by Reps. Gene Wu, Angie Chen Button, Hubert Vo, Salman Bhojani , and Suleman Lalani . Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/3Q3wfhj NYT : Temporary Order Blocks Trump's Directive According to the New York Times , on Januay 31, 2025, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ordered the Trump administration to keep taxpayer dollars flowing to 22 Democratic-leaning states for all congressionally approved government programs, including those that could run afoul of President Trump ’s ideological tests. The 13-page decision is a temporary but significant victory for the Democratic attorneys general from those states and the District of Columbia, who sued the administration in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The order applies only to the states that filed the lawsuit. In that sense, it may create a divide between Democratic states that will continue to have funds flowing and Republican states that will still face uncertainty.The order requires the administration not to “pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate” taxpayer money already allocated by Congress. Judge McConnell did not specify an expiration date, which adds an obstacle to Mr. Trump’s plans to aggressively reshape the government around his own agenda. Another federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued an earlier administrative stay on Tuesday blocking the initial order from the White House Office of Management and Budget to freeze as much as $3 trillion in federal money while the review for ideological compliance continued. That stay was set to expire on February 3, 2025.The Trump administration has sent conflicting signals about the freeze, rescinding the memo that ordered it but signaling that the review of the ideological tilt of previously funded federal programs would continue.“This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze,” the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt , said on January 29, in a social-media post that was introduced as evidence in the lawsuit. She added that the president’s executive orders “on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.”Judge McConnell’s order countermanded that claim, calling out Leavitt’s statement and requiring the Trump administration not to reintroduce the freeze “under any other name or title.”Read the New York Times report: https://nyti.ms/3Cl0AEY Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on "Malign PRC Influence" On January 30, 2025, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing titled "The Malign Influence of The People's Republic of China at Home and Abroad: Recommendation for Policy Makers." The Committee is chaired by Senator Jim Risch (R-ID). The Ranking Member is Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).Four witnesses testified at the hearing: · Peter Mattis , President, The Jamestown Foundation, Washington, D.C. ( testimony ) · Jeffrey Stoff ; Founder, Center for Research Security and Integrity, Herndon, VA ( testimony ) · Melanie Hart , Senior Director, Global China Hub, Atlantic Council, Washington, D.C. ( testimony ) · Jennifer Lind , Associate Professor of Government, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH ( testimony ) According to a video posted at https://bit.ly/3PZYY6M , the hearing covered a wide-ranging issues on the malign influence of China. Senator Risch was particularly focused on purported malign Chinese influence on American higher education campuses. He said at one point, "the Chinese students are not studying ancient Greek history, they're here with the STEMs and the national security issues and everything else. And each and everyone of them, whether they like it or not, is an agent of the Chinese Communist Party. When they go back, we all know they get debriefed and any information they've garnered here in the United States becomes the property of the Chinese Communist Party."This offensive statement perpetuates the harmful stereotype of Asians—specifically Chinese students—as perpetual foreigners by unfairly assuming disloyalty based solely on national origin, reinforcing xenophobic narratives that have historically led to discrimination, exclusion, and government overreach. It echoes past rhetoric about "non-traditional collectors," the "thousand grains of sand" theory, and "fifth columns"—all of which have repeatedly been debunked. While national security concerns are legitimate, addressing them requires evidence-based policies, not sweeping generalizations that stigmatize an entire group. The U.S. thrives on openness, academic exchange, and attracting global talent—values that must not be undermined by fear-driven rhetoric. As part of her comment at the hearing, Melanie Hart stated,"we need a scalpel for this and not a sledgehammer. It is in US national interest to keep the pipeline for student exchange open. We are in a pitched battle for global tech supremacy."As part of her written testimony, Jennifer Lind said, " let me conclude by noting that as we formulate our responses to Chinese malign influence operations, U.S. leaders should be thinking not only about this negotiation with Beijing, but also about whether our responses uphold our own values. Among our people number millions of Chinese American citizens. We find ourselves in a complex situation in that our adversary is already – at this early stage and in peacetime – harassing and coercing good Americans to work against their country on its behalf. "As U.S. leaders evaluate policy responses to Chinese operations, it’s helpful to think about similar situations in the history of U.S. national security policy, and to ask ourselves what we got right and wrong. U.S. leaders should have this conversation (as indeed the Committee is doing today) with members of America’s free and vibrant civil society: which sets us apart from authoritarian rivals and indeed is one of our country’s strengths. "In World War II, the U.S. government imprisoned Japanese American citizens in camps in violation of the U.S. Constitution. In the Cold War, the Red Scare of McCarthyism violated the rights and ruined the lives of many people. The aftermath of September 11, 2001 in some ways offers a more optimistic example. President George W. Bush made it crystal clear to Americans that we were not fighting a war against Islam, but against a terrorist group that had twisted Islam’s teachings. This kind of strong leadership was essential then and is essential today. "It is important for Americans to recognize that in the security competition with China lurk not only geopolitical dangers, but dangers to our people and values. As that competition becomes more intense, and as we get frustrated that an authoritarian society is exploiting our free one, while we protect ourselves against Chinese influence operations in the ways recommended here, we must also honor our own values. " ACLU Town Hall; Webinars for Feds; Training for Non-Profits WHAT: ACLU Town Hall: Fightinh Trump's First Attacks WHEN: February 4, 2025, 4:30 pm ET/1:30 pm PT WHERE: Virtual event HOST: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) DESCRIPTION: The town hall will focus on the ACLU's response to the Trump administration's very first actions in office, including attempts to end birthright citizenship, shut down the southern border to asylum seekers, ban health care for transgender youth, and dismantle the core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The speakers will provide key insights into the ACLU's response to the Trump administration, from litigation to advocacy and grassroots organizing, as well as the crucial role states and cities have to play in protecting our freedoms. Importantly, more than just a briefing, the town hall will be a space for community and solidarity as we work to defend our democracy and advance the fight for justice and equality. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4hwsZa4 ***** WHAT: Federal Employee Explainer Series HOST: Partnership for Public Service WHERE: Webinar series WHEN: 1. February 4, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET. What if my employment status changes?Description : Understanding reductions in force (RIF), probationary periods and administrative leave 2. February 6, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET. What are my rights as an employee?Description : Understanding employee rights and appeals: adverse actions, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and termination of employment 3. February 10, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET. What are my whistleblower rights?Description: Learn about whistleblower and anti-retaliation laws 4. February 12, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET. How might my benefits be affected?Description: Examining the impact of the recent executive orders on federal employee benefits ABOUT THE SERIES: · All sessions will be hosted via Zoom webinar. · All sessions will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube channel . · You will not be required to share your email or name when you join the session. · Hosts and panelists will be on camera. Participants will not have the ability to show themselves on camera. · Chat will be disabled, but you will be able to send questions anonymously through the platform. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4gnnA3S ***** WHAT: Protecting Our Organizations: 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Compliance Virtual Training WHEN: February 18, 2025, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET WHERE: Virtual event HOST: Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AADELF), New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP DESCRIPTION: The training will discuss important steps that 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations can take regarding tax-exempt compliance and other practices to better protect themselves from audits or investigations that interfere with their ability to defend vulnerable communities. The training is intended for leadership (e.g., Executive Directors and Board members) and finance staff. Please email cjiang@aaldef.org with any questions. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/42FaITu Trump Administration Upends U.S. Science According to Science on January 30, 2025, President Donald Trump ’s new administration quickly issued a flurry of executive orders and other decisions, some with big implications for research and global health, sowing worry and confusion among many scientists. Grants Roller Coaster. The White House proposed but quickly rescinded an order to freeze large portions of federal spending, including research grants, based on alignment with Trump’s executive orders. The directive faced public backlash and was temporarily blocked by a judge. Despite its withdrawal, agencies must still comply with orders banning support for programs tied to “Marxist equity,” transgender issues, and Green New Deal policies. Critics warn this could politicize science and severely impact NIH-funded research. Banning Gender. A new executive order bans the use of “gender” in government publications, defines gender as strictly male or female, and prohibits funding for grants promoting “gender ideology.” Researchers fear NIH grants studying nonbinary health could be canceled. At least 400 such grants, totaling $235 million, are at risk, with nearly half focused on HIV/AIDS and many on transgender youth. DEI Demolition. An executive order ended government programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), halting university initiatives aimed at recruiting underrepresented minorities for the scientific workforce. U.S. research agencies canceled existing grants and future solicitations, impacting not only racial diversity but also support for disabled or economically disadvantaged researchers. The order labels DEI efforts as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs.” Some scientists plan to continue their work without using DEI language to avoid the crackdown, despite government calls for whistleblowers to report such actions. NIH Whiplash. The Trump administration imposed a halt on external communications, travel, purchases, and new experiments by NIH employees for a review, a move more extensive than similar past actions. Researchers were concerned this could disrupt in-house research, clinical trials, and the agency’s management of external grants. A few days later, acting Director Matthew Memoli outlined exceptions to the "pause," allowing for review and prioritization by the new team. AI Do-Over. Trump's executive order nullified Biden's October 2023 plan to promote safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence, arguing it would hinder innovation and impose excessive government control. Trump has directed aides to develop a new plan within 180 days to boost economic competitiveness, national security, and maintain U.S. leadership in AI. HIV Help at Risk. Trump's administration paused all foreign assistance for an 85-day review, potentially disrupting the timely distribution of lifesaving anti-HIV drugs to 21 million people in 55 countries through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This program relies on contractors from the U.S. and other nations to manage funds.Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/3Q23EsG ***** According to Wired on January 31, 2025, the damage to federal medical research is already done. The Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding for research has disrupted vital medical studies, including clinical trials and grants for diseases like cancer and diabetes. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which disperses $48 billion annually, has halted grant applications and reviews, leading to fears of a mass brain drain as researchers seek stable employment. While the freeze might end soon, the damage, including potential long-term impacts on public health and innovation, is already evident. This pause could undermine the U.S.'s global leadership in medical research.Read the Wired report: https://bit.ly/42DbdgV News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/02/04 ACLU Town Hall: Fighting Trump's First Attacks2025/02/04 Federal Employees: What if my employment status changes?2025/02/06 Federal Employees: What are my rights as an employee?2025/02/10 Federal Employees: What are my whistleblower rights?2025/02/12 Federal Employees: How might my benefits be affected?2025/02/13 China Initiative: Impacts and Implications2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/02/18 Protecting Our Organizations: 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Compliance Virtual Training2025/02/23 World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" with Xiaoxing Xi2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Chinese American Family Lost in DC Plane Crash According to the New York Times on February 1, 2025, Kaiyan Mao , Yu Zhou , and their 16-year-old son Edward , a promising 16-year-old figure skater, a rising figure skating talent, were among those killed in the mid-air collision over the Potomac River. The Northern Virginia family had been deeply involved in Edward’s academic and skating pursuits, leaving an immense void in their community. Edward had been returning from a U.S. Figure Skating camp when the crash claimed 64 passengers and three crew members, including his close friend Cory Haynos and his parents. As investigators search for answers, Fairfax mourns, with tributes filling Edward’s school and home. His coach, Kalle Strid , remembered the family's unwavering support, saying, “They were not over the top, but they were always there.” 3. China Initiative: Impacts and Implications WHAT: “CHINA INITIATIVE:” Law, Science & U.S.-China Relations under the Trump Administration WHEN: February 13, 2025, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm ET WHERE: Lunch Talk, WCC; 2012 Classroom, Harvard Law School HOST: China Law Association, Harvard Law School DESCRIPTION: The "China Initiative," launched under the Trump administration, led to investigations targeting Chinese American scientists, including the high-profile case of MIT Professor Gang Chen. As discussions about its potential revival emerge, this talk will explore the initiative's far-reaching legal and social consequences, its impact on the scientific community, and what its return could mean for U.S.-China relations. Join us to engage with leading experts on this timely and crucial issue. Lunch will be served. Sponsored by China Law Association. For more information, please contact Ying Zhou at yzhou@jd25.law.harvard.edu . REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/42FaITu # # # 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 February 4, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #119 3/17 Townhall; Franklin Tao; Senators' Oversight of DOC; FBI "Assessments"/Violations #119 3/17 Townhall; Franklin Tao; Senators' Oversight of DOC; FBI "Assessments"/Violations Back View PDF March 14, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #29 12/2 Webinar; "China Initiative" Reports And Statistics; 2020 Census #29 12/2 Webinar; "China Initiative" Reports And Statistics; 2020 Census Back View PDF November 19, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated to commemorate the arrival in May 1843 of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States and the role of Chinese laborers in the completion of the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated in June 1977 when Representatives Frank Horton (New York) and Norman Y. Mineta (California) called for the establishment of Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. Hawaii senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both bills passed, and in 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the resolution. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush expanded the celebration from a week to a month. Library of Congress Natural History Museum LA Learn more @ APA Heritage Month Asian Pacific American Heritage Month