Newsletter - #183 2/6 Meeting Summary; Alien Land Bills/Louisiana; NIH Director; Heritage Month Videos+ #183 2/6 Meeting Summary; Alien Land Bills/Louisiana; NIH Director; Heritage Month Videos+ In This Issue #183 2023/02/06 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills Including Louisiana Monica Bertagnolli Nominated to Head NIH Heritage Month and Educational Videos/Events 2023/02/06 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted The February 6, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary has been posted at https://bit.ly/42N0htX . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), provided updates from CAPAC Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), provided updates from AASF Les Wong , President Emeritus, San Francisco State University, and Frank Wu , President, Queen's College, City University of New York, provided updates on forming a network of Asian American university leaders Michele Young , Attorney, Michele Young Law; Member of Sherry Chen Legal Team was recognized for her historic achievements in the Sherry Chen case. Michele also shared her thoughts and reflections on Sherry's case and the civil rights and civil liberty concerns in the meeting Gene Wu , Member, Texas House of Representatives, led the discussion on Asian American groups and other communities across Texas building a coalition to rally against Texas Senate Bill 147 on "Relating to the purchase of or acquisition of title to real property by certain aliens or foreign entities." Video of his portion of the meeting is posted at https://bit.ly/3DVEdU6 (video 56:48) Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills Including Louisiana 1. CAPAC Chair Statement on Florida Law Banning Chinese Nationals from Purchasing Land, Need for Federal Legislation On May 15, 2023, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu released the following statement:“I am incredibly outraged by the signing of SB 264 into law. This is the latest state-level effort to restrict the property ownership of Chinese home seekers, who are aspiring small business owners, students, and families seeking to build better lives for themselves here in America. In addition, SB 264 places a disproportionate burden on current Chinese homeowners who now must register their property with a state agency. And as a result of SB 264, Asian Americans living in Florida will now likely face undue suspicion when purchasing property, including potential racial profiling by realtors, lenders, and other professionals in the real estate industry.“The government’s scapegoating and stripping of the land ownership rights of Asian American communities are stains on our nation’s history. SB 264 repeats this shameful discrimination and further stokes current anti-Asian sentiment by equating Chinese people with certain immigration statuses as agents of the Chinese Communist Party. That is why I am currently working with CAPAC Housing Task Force Chair Rep. Al Green of Texas to introduce a bill to preempt at the federal level such discriminatory state laws, and reaffirm my commitment to ensuring the safety of our communities.”“Let me be clear—elected officials must be vigilant about addressing specific threats that foreign state-owned enterprises and entities, companies, and individuals with ties to the foreign government pose to our national security, but policies that target and profile individuals and communities because of their national origin, race, ethnicity, or immigration status, however, are discriminatory and wholly unconstitutional. They harken back to nativist anti-Asian alien land laws in the 19th and 20th centuries after Chinese immigrants first arrived here, and later, a xenophobic suspicion of Japanese Americans during World War II that also led to their blanket incarceration. I will continue to fight for the civil rights of our communities, including the right to purchase and own property, and stand up against all attempts to racially profile our communities.”Read the CAPAC Chair statement: https://bit.ly/3BvCUtk 2. Testimony of High School Senior Abigail Hu in Louisiana Legislature On May 15, 2023, High School Senior Abigail Hu testified in the Louisiana State Legislature against Louisiana House Bill 537 . This is a transcript of her testimony:"Good afternoon Honorable Chairman Miller and distinguished members of the committee,My name is Abigail Hu. I am a proud product of the Louisiana public school system and a recent high school graduate. I'll be attending college in the fall to study Education and Political Science, and I hope to come back to Louisiana to teach middle and high school in the future.My parents, Tony and Chloe, have been living in the US for over 22 years. They came here as young students with very little money, looking for an opportunity to work hard, get good jobs, and start a family.During the COVID-19 pandemic, my dad worked around the clock to help contain the spread of the virus in our city of New Orleans. My brothers and I volunteer regularly, coaching for the local children’s sports club, helping clean up our local park, and registering and canvassing voters in our area. I am incredibly grateful to belong to a country that is a fundamental part of who I am.To us, ownership and belonging are as important as the piece of paper that makes us citizens.House Bill 537 strips us of such rights—rights to owning a house, education, secured employment, rights to starting the kind of life we sacrifice so much for. It prevents stories like my family’s from ever coming to fruition.This bill tells us that we are not good Americans, we are not Americans deserving of protection under the law, we are not Americans that the legislators we elect care to serve. This bill tells us that we are Americans whose lives are pure political pawns, subject to the whims of the state and condemned to exist under a perpetual instability.I would like to take some time to address some of the remarks that were made by Representative Hodges. I believe the language in this bill continues to have an anti-immigrant, xenophobic, fearmongering undertone, regardless of how many amendments we make, it will continue to create suspicion against immigrants and immigrant families in the communities that they live in. It leaves us vulnerable to unlawful investigations, unlawful search and seizure, and loyalty tests by the state. Representative Hodges has also repeatedly said that it is not about the individual, but under this legislation, any individual can be perceived as connected to a "foreign adversary." If you want a more specific example, anybody who is Chinese can be perceived as "nefarious" and acting on behalf of what Representative Hodges calls the communist tyranny of China.The vagueness of this bill presents undeniable dangers to not only our Chinese American community, but to any group of people who could be ambiguously tied to what the legislation describes as foreign adversaries or governments. It brands us as enemies of a country that we love so deeply.This is a civil rights issue, and I urge that the committee to recognize its dire implications and reject the passage of HB 537 before it becomes a civil rights legislation." Monica Bertagnolli Nominated to Head NIH According to Reuters on May 15, 2023, the Biden administration said it intends to nominate cancer surgeon Dr. Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) following a 16-month search for a permanent successor to the agency's long-serving director Dr. Francis Collins, who stepped down in December 2021. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Bertagnolli will become the second woman to lead the NIH, the largest biomedical research agency in the world with a budget of $45 billion in 2022. NIH falls under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3MvKzya On March 23, 2023, Science published an investigative report titled PALL OF SUSPICION - The National Institutes of Health’s “China initiative” has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed 6 scores of academic careers and an editorial titled Eroding Trust and Collaboration . "Given the information available in the public domain, the scientific community could easily conclude that this is a xenophobic program to harm Chinese scientists and cut off international scientific cooperation. The federal government needs to figure out a way to let the NIH and the institutions reassure the community that this is all worth it," the editorial concluded. Read the Science report at https://bit.ly/3oWH1eY and its editorial at https://bit.ly/3z24z40 Heritage Month and Educational Videos/Events 1. White House Forum on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders On May 3, 2023, the White House celebrated Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a community-wide program in Washington, DC. This historic forum on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities features Biden-Harris Administration officials, groundbreaking artists, and trailblazers. Watch the video at https://bit.ly/3BwrPZ9 (video 4:35:34) 2. Exclusion: The Shared Asian American Experience According to a video produced by the 1990 Institute, America has been represented as an open society that welcomes immigrants to a land of opportunities. Many immigrants from Asia came to find a better life for their family, escaping from poverty, prosecution, colonialism, and other political atrocities. But America did not receive them with open arms. Throughout history, people from Asia have been excluded, discriminated against, subjected to violence, and prevented from becoming American citizens. Laws were passed that kept them from voting, owning land, marrying the person they loved, and seeing their relatives again. Though coming from different countries and cultures, the pioneering Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Indians, Filipinos, and more Asians who arrived here each faced similar conditions of exclusion, which forged the beginnings of a common, shared Asian experience in America. This educational video takes you through exclusion experiences that Asians endured then and what they continue to face as Americans now. Watch the video at https://bit.ly/42I4BLq (video 17:24) 0:00 Introduction 0:50 19th Century and Prior 6:36 20th Century 13:03 1965 Immigration Act 3. "Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out" premieres on PBS In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Sirica Initiative announced its newest film collaboration with WNET/PBS Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out is premiering Thursday, May 18, 2023.The conversation about race in America is often between Black and White, leaving Asian Americans out of the dialogue. Between Black & White: Asian Americans Speak Out is a three-part series about communities building bridges, confronting racism, discovering surprising connections, and fighting hate – together.To celebrate each episode's launch, three events will be hosted this month, featuring distinguished speakers including President of Queens College, Frank Wu ; media mogul Paula Madison ; and first Filipina American Rabbi Mira Rivera . Watch the Between Black & White trailer at https://bit.ly/3pKsZh1 (video 0:35) 4. AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration in Guangzhou, China Los Angeles-Guangzhou Sister City Association and Asia Pacific and American Network will sponsor the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023 Gala at the Garden Hotel, Guangzhou, China, on May 27, 2023. The event honors Paula Williams Madison 's work on creating the Finding Samuel Lowe documentary and book and enlightening the public on the immigrant experience, family separation, and family connections, all common themes shared by Asian Americans. Paula Williams Madison and Luo Man Kwan will be keynote speakers. 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 May 18, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Racial Profiling Politicization of NIH Grant The EcoHealth Alliance has been studying human and animal infectious diseases for 20 years. When unconfirmed reports that Alliance funding had been sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology emerged in April 2020, the National Institutes of Health cut all future funding toward their research project on bat-human virus transmission. The scientific community is expressing their fear and concern about the politicization of peer-reviewed science. Timeline The New York Times reported that 77 Nobel laureates has asked for an investigation into the cancellation of a federal grant to EcoHealth Alliance, a group that researches bat coronaviruses in China. The pre-eminent scientists characterized the explanation for the decision by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as “preposterous.” May 21 2020 The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) issued a press release and sent a letter of protest to the NIH Director on behalf of 31 scientific societies representing tens of thousands of members. The letter said the grant cancellation politicized science and concluded, “The action taken by the NIH must be immediately reconsidered.” May 20 2020 According to a report by the Daily Beast , "a military contractors’ report circulating on Capitol Hill claims to have evidence that COVID-19 escaped from a Chinese lab. It’s filled with information that’s just plain wrong." May 17 2020 CBS 60 Minutes broadcasted "Why it matters that the NIH canceled a coronavirus research grant " with the byline "Faulty allegations led to cutting $3.7 million dollars to ecologists studying coronaviruses. The ramifications may be felt in future pandemics." May 10 2020 Sarina Neote, ASBMB Science Policy Manager, expressed concerns about increasing fear within the scientific community of being targeted as a result of race or identify and the cancellation of the EcoHealth grant in the APA Justice conference call . She followed with an ASBMB position statement after the call and welcomes Asian American and other organizations to join the effort. May 4 2020 In a CNN opinion piece , Benjamin Corb, ASBMB Public Affairs Director, raised the question: Why did the NIH terminate a grant that supports leading research into how coronaviruses can be transferred from their natural host of bats to humans in the middle of a pandemic? "Politicizing peer-reviewed science is a dangerous threat to the independent American scientific enterprise and is the first step on a deeply concerning slippery slope. If Daszak's research can be stopped by funding cuts at the whim of the President, what other research grants in the future will be pulled because of the left or right leanings of any future president? What damage would such a decision have on the world-leading productivity and reputation of the National Institutes of Health? Science must remain independent and nonpoliticized if it is to be trusted and productive during this pandemic crisis and beyond," Corb said. Apr 30 2020 Politico broke the story that NIH told EcoHealth Alliance, the study’s sponsor on bat-human virus transmission for the past five years, that all future funding was cut. “At this time, NIH does not believe that the current project outcomes align with the program goals and agency priorities,” Michael Lauer, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, wrote in a letter to Dr. Pete Daszak, who is President of EcoHealth Alliance. Apr 27 2020 Please contact APA Justice Task Force facilitator Dr. Jeremy Wu at Jeremy.S.Wu@gmail.com or ASBMB Science Policy Manager Sarina Neote at sneote@asbmb.org if you would like to join this very important effort.

Newsletter - #28 Meeting Summaries; Profiling Updates; Presidential Transition; More Events #28 Meeting Summaries; Profiling Updates; Presidential Transition; More Events Back View PDF November 13, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #62 Sen. Wicker's Statement; The Sherry Chen Story; Implications&Questions #62 Sen. Wicker's Statement; The Sherry Chen Story; Implications&Questions Back View PDF May 26, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #63 Rallies With Yellow Whistle Continue; Racial Profiling At DOC; Congrats To Krystal! #63 Rallies With Yellow Whistle Continue; Racial Profiling At DOC; Congrats To Krystal! Back View PDF May 30, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #200 8/7 Monthly Meeting; US-China Science Agreement; Maui Need Help; March on Washington #200 8/7 Monthly Meeting; US-China Science Agreement; Maui Need Help; March on Washington In This Issue #200 2023/08/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Future of 44-year-old Science Agreement Caught in Middle of U.S.-China Tensions Maui Inferno - The Communities Need Help 2023/08/26 March on Washington 2023/08/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting APA Justice held its monthly meeting on August 7, 2023. Speakers included Nisha Ramachandran , Joanna Derman , Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Echo King 金美声 , Shuang Zhao 赵爽 , Andy Wong , Shanti Prasad , and Christine Chen . A written summary of the monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. Presentation by Clay Zhu on Florida Chinese Radio Television (FCRTV) On July 22, Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Founder of Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) and a lead attorney in the lawsuit against Florida discriminatory alien land bill, gave a webinar "从微信案到佛州案：在美华人的维权之路和启发" to describe the road from the WeChat Ban to the Florida lawsuit and the inspiration of Chinese people in the United States to defend their rights. The webinar in Chinese was broadcast by FCRTV 佛州华语广播电视台. Watch the video at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOqobsVDX_A (2:05:26). Clay's 61-slide presentation is posted by the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) at https://bit.ly/3OWbYdy Chinese for Affirmative Action 华人权益促进会 During the August 7 monthly meeting, Andy Wong andywong@caasf.org , Managing Director of Advocacy, and Shanti Prasad sprasad@caasf.org , Advocacy Manager, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), gave an introduction of CAA and described its recent roles and activities. CAA was founded in 1969 to protect the civil and political rights of Chinese Americans and to advance multiracial democracy. Today, CAA is a progressive voice in and on behalf of the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander community. It is also a co-founding partner of Stop AAPI Hate - the national coalition to address anti-AAPI racism in the U.S. Their 6-slide presentation is located here: https://bit.ly/3QBqQPQ APIA Vote During the August 7 monthly meeting, Christine Chen , Executive Director, APIAVote, gave an introduction of APIAVote and a report on "The Growing AAPI Electorate and What is at Stake." APIAVote’s work revolves around collaborating with national, regional, and local partners in order to equip advocates with the training, tools, resources, and best practices they need to do their best work as “trusted messengers” in their communities. Together, APIAVote’s Alliance for Civic Empowerment (ACE) envisions a world that is inclusive, fair, and collaborative, and where Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities are self-determined, empowered, and engaged. ACE is missing partners in some states in the Mid-West, South, and Northeast. Christine's presentation included the trend and historic AAPI turnout in 2020, a presidential election year, with 64% registered and 60% turnout. Christine also gave an outline of activities and training in 2023 and 2024. Her 18-slide presentation is located here: https://bit.ly/3DZBKY4 Future of 44-year-old Science Agreement Caught in Middle of U.S.-China Tensions According to Axios , the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the South China Morning Post , one of the most foundational agreements between the United States and China, the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA), will expire on August 27, 2023.Originally signed in 1979, STA has been renewed about every five years with the last time being in 2018. The agreement laid out the terms for government-to-government cooperation in science, opening the way for academic and corporate interactions. It opened the door for scientists to collaborate in physics, chemistry, health and other areas. Cooperation between the countries helped China to transition from ozone-depleting CFCs and enabled the sharing of influenza data used to devise yearly vaccines.The STA signing gave "a form of permission for lab-to-lab, university-to-university, scientist-to-scientist cooperation," says John Holdren , former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) during the Obama administration. "It legitimized the whole notion that collaboration was respectable."More than four decades into the agreement that included a pandemic and several administrations of fiery rhetoric, the broader nature of that cooperation is being scrutinized over concerns about Beijing-backed intellectual property theft and the Chinese military benefitting from knowledge about U.S. scientific advances.Making a case for renewal, Deborah Seligsohn of CSIS, a think tank in Washington, said that as the first deal signed between Washington and Beijing after the normalization of ties, the agreement was of “enormous historic significance”.Seligsohn said the agreement had resulted in “many specific science and technology outcomes” that had greatly benefited the US and the rest of the world, from cooperation on the study of birth defects and influenza to fighting air pollution and HIV/Aids prevention.Over the years scientists on both sides had also worked together on almost 100 protocols and annexes under the agreement, “specifically, a number of changes to intellectual property protections”, she said. Seligsohn said non-renewal could complicate recent attempts to find areas of cooperation, including the “the types of people-to-people connections and educational exchanges” that Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed to promote during his visit to Beijing in June.“There is a real risk that any such improvements, including access to key health information and the ability to train the United States’ next generation of China experts, will be put at risk if the agreement lapses,” she said. Richard Suttmeier , a US-China science and tech cooperation expert at the University of Oregon, said letting the agreement lapse would not be “productive for finding the right terms for the larger relationship with China”.Suttmeier said it would probably be a mistake to let the deal lapse and the two countries needed to come up with an agreement that reflected the “realities of the third decade of the 21st century”. Suttmeier acknowledged that China had been the biggest beneficiary of the agreement – “largely because the US had been so far ahead of China in science and technology; there was less to learn from China than China could learn from the US”. “Nevertheless, the US benefited in a variety of ways,” he said. “Now, however, with China emerging as a scientific superpower, the flow of knowledge is going in both directions, so, in principle, the benefits to the US could be greater.” 2023/08/12 South China Morning Post : Clock ticks down for China-US science deal amid tech theft fears 2023/08/05 Axios : Future of 44-year-old science agreement caught in middle of U.S.-China tensions 2023/08/04 CSIS: The Case for Renewing the U.S.-China S&T Cooperation Agreement Maui Inferno - The Communities Need Help According to multiple media reports, Maui's wildfires have killed at least 96 people, a toll expected to rise. The fast-moving inferno, which started on August 8, 2023, spread from the brush outside of town and ravaged the historic city of Lahaina that was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It was one of three major wildfires on Maui.According to AP News on August 12, 2023, in the hours before a wildfire engulfed the town of Lahaina, Maui County officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts that reached a much smaller audience.Governor Josh Green said the inferno that reduced much of Lahaina to smoldering ruins was the worst natural disaster in the state's history, making thousands of people homeless and leveling at least 2,700 buildings and “an estimated value of $5.6 billion has gone away.” Crews with cadaver dogs have covered just 3% of the search area,A potent mix of high winds from Hurricane Dora, low humidity levels and a high pressure system over the North Pacific created deadly fire conditions in Hawaii. The fate of some of Lahaina's cultural treasures remains unclear. The historic 60-foot-tall banyan tree marking the spot where Hawaiian King Kamehameha III's 19th-century palace stood was still standing, though some of its boughs appeared charred.The fire that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina in West Maui is now the deadliest US blaze in over 100 years, according to US Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell . Thomas Leonard , a 74-year-old retired mailman from Lahaina, didn’t know about the fire until he smelled smoke. Power and cellphone service had both gone out earlier, leaving the town with no real-time information about the danger. He tried to leave in his Jeep, but had to abandon the vehicle and run to the shore when cars nearby began exploding. He hid behind a seawall for hours, the wind blowing hot ash and cinders over him. Firefighters eventually arrived and escorted Leonard and other survivors through the flames to safety.President Joe Biden signed a Major Disaster Declaration to deliver additional federal resources and support for the emergency response. The action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Maui and provides aid on top of the actions already underway by federal agencies to help state and local search-and-recovery efforts. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is partnering with Native Hawaiian and community organizations and businesses to match up to $1,500,000 in donations for ʻohana (Hawaiian term meaning "family") impacted by the devastating wildfires on Maui. 2023/08/13 Maui Now: Here’s what critical aid FEMA, federal partners are providing for Maui fire response, recovery 2023/08/12 The Hill: Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez pledge $100 million to help Maui wildfire recovery 2023/08/26 March on Washington On August 26, 2023, a 2023 March on Washington will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in 1963, to continue the fight for democracy, social justice and civil rights. Join the King family at the Lincoln Memorial to honor the past, acknowledge the present and march toward a future of progress and equality.Advancing Justice | AAJC is co-chairing this momentous event along with ADL, Human Rights Commission, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Legal Defense Fund, NAACP, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women, National Urban League and UNIDOS.Advancing Justice | AAJC is working on a common gathering place for the AANHPI community place while at the same time making sure that we are well integrated into the March.Advocate Qian Huang 黄倩 reported that the National Action Network (NAN) is looking for hospitality volunteers on Friday, August 25, at 6:30 pm with a walk-through of all the volunteers. The set up work (stage, chairs, booth, flyer, t-shirts...) will be done by NAN. On August 8, 2023, ADL East hosted a webinar titled "The March on Washington: Together Towards Justice." It featured Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway and NAACP New Jersey State Conference President Richard T. Smith . The discussion focused on the historic 1963 March on Washington, the civil rights movement today, the importance of allyship, as well as how to register for this year's March on August 26. Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1MlImhhgbk (57:56) Back View PDF August 15, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #250 FBI Official Remarks; Florida Hearing/Rally/Ban; Contentious FISA; Commissioner Lee; + #250 FBI Official Remarks; Florida Hearing/Rally/Ban; Contentious FISA; Commissioner Lee; + In This Issue #250 · FBI Senior Official: "FBI Did Not Intend Negative Impact" · Florida: Hearing and Rally in Miami; Hiring Ban Harms Research · Biden Signs Bill Reauthorizing Contentious FISA Surveillance Program · Commissioner Yvonne Lee on USDA Equity Report and Asian American Farmers · News and Activities for the Communities FBI Senior Official: "FBI Did Not Intend Negative Impact" Speaking at the Committee 100 conference on April 19, 2024, a senior FBI official said the Bureau did not intend to create negative impact of prosecuting Chinese Academics with ties to Beijing under the previous China Initiative, according to a report by the South China Morning Post . “We value your ideas and your criticisms,” said Jill Murphy , deputy assistant director of counter-intelligence with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “It makes us better.”Murphy added that she is a supporter of scientific collaboration with China, and that the FBI values its relationship with the Asian American community, but said it must also ensure that American secrets are protected.“Hold us accountable,” she added. “My hope is that we can continue our work together.” Shan-Lu Liu , a virology professor with Ohio State University, said too many academics had been caught up in the law enforcement campaign, undermining US competitiveness, particularly in areas that have nothing to do with national security, such as the search for a cure for cancer.The scientific community has legitimate concerns, said David Zweig , professor emeritus with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.There are currently 100,000 Chinese-born scientists in the United States making an enormous contribution to US science and competitiveness.There’s nothing wrong with trying to entice talent to return and blunt the brain drain, he added. Several economies have talent programs, including Germany, Canada and Taiwan. “I am one of those drains,” said the Canadian, who now lives in the US. One lesson Asian Americans need to draw from this experience, said participants in the conference, is the need to stand up more forcefully politically and ensure the right balance is maintained between security and successful collaboration.China Initiative was launched in November 2018 under the Trump administration. It originally aimed at stemming industrial espionage by Beijing; instead, the program prosecuted scientific researchers and academics with ties to China, often without strong evidence for their charges. Facing strong backlash from the Asian American and scientific communities, the Biden administration disbanded the China Initiative in 2022. Brian Sun , Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and C100 member, served as moderator for the session.Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4d3L0uP At the Committee of 100 gala in the evening of April 19, 2024, a lively discussion unfolded between Nicholas Burns , the current U.S. Ambassador to China, and Gary Locke , former U.S. Ambassador to China and current Chair of the C100. They engaged in an insightful exchange, delving into the current state and recent developments in U.S.-China relations, including an upcoming visit to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a pair of pandas from China is coming to the San Francisco Zoo in 2025, and the need for more U.S.-China people-to-people exchanges. Ambassador Burns said only about 900 American students are studying at Chinese universities today. This is far too few in a country of such importance to the United States. Rebuilding the student exchanges is under active consideration. Beijing has also taken steps to attract American students to study in China. Xi Jinping , President of China, said China is ready to invite 50,000 American students to exchange and study programs in the next five years during the APEC summit in San Francisco last year. Florida: Hearing and Rally in Miami; Hiring Ban Harms Research 1. Appeals Court Hearing and Community Rally Against Florida's Anti-Chinese Alien Land Law in Miami According to AP, Bloomberg News, Courthouse News, and other media reports, Ashley Gorski , senior staff attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that “Florida is unlawfully restricting housing for Chinese people.” The state law known as SB 264 bars Chinese nationals and citizens from Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela that Florida sees as a threat from buying property near military installations and other “critical infrastructure.” She asked the court to block the Florida law, calling it discriminatory and a violation of the federal government’s supremacy in deciding foreign affairs. Three of the individual plaintiffs reside in Florida on time-limited, nonimmigrant visas, and the fourth is seeking political asylum. They are being represented by ACLU, ACLU of Florida, DeHeng Law Offices PC, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and the law firm Quinn Emanuel.The panel of three judges holding the hearing are Judge Charles R. Wilson , a Clinton appointee, and Trump-appointed Judges Robert J. Luck and Barbara Lagoa .Gorski compared SB 264 to long-overturned laws from the early 20th century that barred Chinese from buying property. “It is singling out people from particular countries in a way that is anathema to the equal protection guarantees that now exist,” Gorski told the court. The law specifically restricts people from China who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents from owning any real property in Florida, regardless of location. The sole exception is that people with a valid non-tourist visa or who have been granted asylum are permitted to purchase one residential property, but only if it is less than two acres and not within five miles of a military installation. Any person living in Florida that is “domiciled” in China must register their existing property with the state or face civil penalty and forfeiture consequences for failure to comply. Under the law, Chinese immigrants face up to five years in prison for trying to buy a home — the seller faces up to one year in prison — as well as thousands of dollars in fines.The challenge to Florida SB 264 is the biggest legal test so far for a torrent of state laws restricting land ownership by foreign individuals or entities. SB 264 revives a 100-year-old, discredited legal precedent that unconstitutionally discriminates against Asian immigrants. The 1920s case law has been superseded by subsequent rulings, Ashley Gorski told the Eleventh Circuit panel. SB 264 goes even further than that case, Terrace v. Thompson, in its explicit discrimination.The law has had a “chilling effect” for not only Chinese immigrants but Asian Americans generally in the state, said Bethany Li , legal director at AALDEF. “The law sends the message that Asians aren’t welcome in the state of Florida and some of the interactions that we’re seeing day-to-day are certainly reflective of that,” Li said in an interview.The U.S. government filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, arguing that the law violates the Fair Housing Act and equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. "These unlawful provisions will cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the state’s purported goal of increasing public safety," the government wrote in its brief.Florida was one of 16 states that enacted legislation restricting land ownership by foreign entities or individuals last year, according to the Congressional Research Service. And lawmakers introduced bills to regulate foreign property ownership in another 20 states, it found. Opponents say Florida’s law is one of the most sweeping adopted so far.Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/4cZ4wZg . Read the Bloomberg Law report: https://bit.ly/44bPCes . Read the Courthouse News report: https://bit.ly/3w3zRte A coalition of Asian American organizations, community members, elected officials, and allies held a rally on April 19, 2024, in opposition to SB 264, a Florida law banning many Chinese immigrants from buying homes in large swaths of the state. The rally was held immediately following oral arguments at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.Activists from all over the country showed up for the rally. “Many people are leaving or considering [leaving]. The people are selling houses, because we don’t know what to do, you see, not welcoming,” Echo King , co-founder and President of the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA), told AsAmNews . “We don’t feel welcome. So you know, people are leaving.”King expressed during the rally that it is dangerous to conflate individuals with their country of birth. Bethany Li, legal director of AALDEF, echoed the sentiment that the law cannot be divorced from the current political climate, where both Republicans and Democrats have voiced anti-China rhetoric. “Unfortunately, from casting China as the enemy, what we see is that the direct impact of that type of anti-China rhetoric is actually on everyday interactions for Asian Americans in the United States. It worsens the types of daily interactions that we have on streets, in schools, and the workplace, trying to get homes,” Li told AsAmNews .Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/4b6WnQD . Read the press release by Stop AAPI Hate: https://bit.ly/4d4n62d 2. Science: Hiring Ban Disrupts Research at Florida Universities A report by Science on April 12 shared insights on the disruption caused by a new Florida law prohibiting the state’s 12 public universities from employing graduate students and postdocs from China and six other “countries of concern” without special permission. The report featured Zhengfei Guan , an agricultural economist at the University of Florida (UF), who failed efforts to recruit a new Chinese postdoc to join his research team last summer. The candidate rejected his offer because of concerns about the new law. The article further stated that the new law disrupts graduate admissions across Florida’s public universities. One UF department removed every student from a country of concern from a list of people the department wanted to hire as graduate assistants. Another UF department, dependent on students from the country on the list, has asked to lower its usual GPA requirement due to a lack of qualified local applicants.While universities can still hire faculty from targeted countries like China, the law is affecting recruitment. In UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the top two candidates for a tenure-track position declined offers due to the law's employment restrictions.Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/4aI2ET3 Biden Signs Bill Reauthorizing Contentious FISA Surveillance Program According to AP and multiple media reports, President Joe Biden on April 20, 2024, signed legislation reauthorizing a key U.S. surveillance law known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. The law gives the government expanded powers to monitor foreign terrorists and allows the government to gather communications from foreigners overseas without court warrants. For months, privacy and rights groups have argued that it violates Americans' constitutional right to privacy. The bill was blocked three times in the past five months, before passing the House last week by a 273-147 vote when its duration was shortened from five years to two years. Though the spy program was technically set to expire at midnight, the Biden administration had said it expected its authority to collect intelligence to remain operational for at least another year, which was approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.Barely missing its midnight deadline, the Senate approved the bill by a 60-34 vote. Hours before the law was set to expire, U.S. officials were already scrambling after two major U.S. communication providers said they would stop complying with orders through the surveillance program.A group of progressive and conservative lawmakers who were agitating for further changes had refused to accept the version of the bill the House sent over the previous week.The lawmakers had demanded that Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., allow votes on amendments to the legislation that would address civil liberty loopholes in the bill. In the end, Schumer was able to cut a deal that would allow critics to receive floor votes on their amendments in exchange for speeding up the process for passage. The six amendments ultimately failed to garner the necessary support on the floor to be included in the final passage. One of the major changes detractors had proposed centered around restricting the FBI’s access to information about Americans through the program. Though the surveillance tool only targets non-Americans in other countries, it also collects communications of Americans when they are in contact with those targeted foreigners. Sen. Dick Durbin , the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, had been pushing a proposal that would require U.S. officials to get a warrant before accessing American communications. “If the government wants to spy on my private communications or the private communications of any American, they should be required to get approval from a judge, just as our Founding Fathers intended in writing the Constitution,” Durbin said.Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/4a2k1gB Commissioner Yvonne Lee on USDA Equity Report and Asian American Farmers During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 8, 2024, Commissioner Yvonne Lee began with warm memories of Dr. Robert Underwood who also spoke at the meeting, fondly recalling his inspiring demeanor and urging all present to embrace accountability and responsibility as public servants.Commissioner Lee has also dedicated her career to public service, having served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and is the only Asian American member of the USDA Equity Commission that produced a final report for the Secretary of Agriculture in February 2024. The final report contains 66 recommendations. Three of them are specific concerns from the AANHPI community perspective. · Language access, which Commissioner Lee was happy to report, has been fully implemented last year. · Issues related to procurement, minority contracting, sub-contracting, and similar opportunities. · Land ownership. Commissioner Lee emphasized the report's significance as an official federal document chronicling AANHPI community involvement in American agriculture. She discussed the decline of Asian American agricultural dominance, citing historical discrimination. “Dating back to the 1880s, Asian American farmers have contributed two-thirds of California’s produce. Asian American growers introduced asparagus, celery, strawberries, sugar, and beans, to the American palate,” Commissioner Lee wrote in 2023. “When we examine how we want to advance social and economic justice for underrepresented communities and families, we must consider local food systems and how they were shaped. Discriminatory laws dissipated much of Asian American businesses and producers’ work in the agriculture industry.” Today Asian American farmers produced less than 2% of the food output nationwide. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was a major contributor to the decline of Asian American participation in farming as it often extended to people of Asian-descendent and specifically prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers. The Act was a gateway to additional discriminatory and exclusionary laws such as the Alien Land Laws which banned Asian Americans from owning land.The USDA Equity report serves as a poignant reminder of past achievements and ongoing challenges.There is a parallel to today’s continued assault to diminish our right to access land and properties and our role as full-fledged Americans because of a perceived background. "We can use this document to reflect and to use it to educate the public and to continue to advocate within and beyond our communities," Commissioner Lee said as she urged collective reflection and advocacy, particularly regarding recommendation number 37 on page 52 of the USDA Equity Report —"Right to Access Agricultural Land"—as a means to combat discrimination and safeguard community interests.The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency committee chaired by the Secretary of Treasury, has the authority to review, approve, or deny any proposed foreign transactions that might raise national concerns, including in the food and agricultural sector. Currently, USDA is not a CFIUS member, however, the U.S. Treasury may designate USDA as a co-lead in a CFIUS investigation on a case-by-case basis. The Equity Commission recommends that USDA serve as a permanent member of the committee and request the necessary Congressional appropriations to carry out this role.Commissioner Lee explained that this gives the public an additional tool to apply our voice and our advocacy to have one more voice to amplify.Read Commissioner Lee’s 2023 blog: https://bit.ly/3xMfb9C . Read the USDA Equity Report: https://bit.ly/4ceyXKE . A summary for the April monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . Some Facts about Asian American Farm Workers · The agricultural labor movement was inspired by Filipino leaders and workers who pulled their resources together and brought in Cesar Chavez . Read the NPR report about the forgotten Filipinos Who Led A Farmworker Revolution: https://bit.ly/4d6vsX0 · The Bing Cherry was named after a farm worker known by the name of Ah Bing , not Bing Crosby . Ah Bing was a head foreman for a commercial cherry nursery near the city of Milwaukie, Oregon. He was known to be a Chinese immigrant and worked at the nursery for over 35 years. He returned to China in 1889 to visit his family. While he was visiting, tensions rose in the Pacific Northwest against Chinese workers due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. New restrictions were placed on travel, and borders were sealed, preventing Ah Bing from returning to the United States. He did not leave records or any information behind, leading Bing cherries to be the only memory. Read the Atlas Obscura report: https://bit.ly/4b4bRoJ · Before Disneyland, strawberry fields flourished. In 2022, PBS recounted the Fujishige family’s journey, starting in the 1920s when their Japanese parents faced land ownership restrictions due to racist laws. In 1942, when the U.S. military forced Japanese Americans to evacuate the West Coast, the Fujishige family moved in with relatives in Utah. Despite adversity, the brothers bought a 58-acre berry farm for $3,500 in 1953, after the Supreme Court overturned the Alien Land Law. They grew strawberries, vegetables and herbs. Despite Disney's offer to buy the land for $90 million, they refused. The city attempted to seize the land in 1985, leading to Masao Fujishige 's tragic suicide. Expressing solidarity with other people of color who have struggled to hold on to their land across the United States, Hiroshi Fujishige told the LA Times in 1991 that he didn't want to sell too early because he "didn't want to end up like those Indians who used to own Manhattan Island.". The family finally sold the farm in 1998, paving the way for Disney's California Adventure. Read the PBS report: https://bit.ly/3Qd7Ki7 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/04/30 Understanding Implicit Bias and How to Combat It2024/05/02 AAGEN 2024 Executive Leadership Workshop2024/05/04 Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice Book Tour2024/05/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2024/05/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/05/13-14 2024 APAICS Legislative Leadership Summit2024/05/14 Serica Initiative: 7th Annual Women's Gala dinnerVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF April 22, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #346 Gene Wu; TX SB17 Hearing; Land Restrictions; ICE Crackdown; Science Reports; Fed Data+ #346 Gene Wu; TX SB17 Hearing; Land Restrictions; ICE Crackdown; Science Reports; Fed Data+ In This Issue #346 · Committee of 100 Condemns Loyalty Attacks on Texas Rep. Gene Wu · 08/14 Public Court Hearing on Lawsuit Against Texas Alien Land Bill SB17 · Restrictions on Chinese Land Ownership in the U.S. · Concerns Over ICE Crackdown Tactics · Science: NIH Funding and Editorial on Columbia Deal · Federal Data at Risk: NASEM Warning, IRS Clash, and BLS Firing · News and Activities for the Communities Committee of 100 Condemns Loyalty Attacks on Texas Rep. Gene Wu On April 8, 2025, the Committee of 100 issued a public statement on Respectful Civil Discourse , condemning rhetoric that questions the loyalty or belonging of Chinese Americans based on ethnicity or political views. The statement cited an August 6 Texas Tribune article reporting that Texas State Senator Mayes Middleton targeted Representative Gene Wu 吳元之 , linking him to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and suggesting he should “go back to China.” “Suggesting that an American lawmaker is aligned with a foreign regime because of his heritage or political advocacy draws on a long and dangerous history of anti-Asian scapegoating and racism in this country,” the Committee of 100 said. “Such statements are outrageous and un-American. Disagreements on public policy are part of a healthy democracy. But invoking race, ethnicity, or foreign associations—especially when aimed at Asian American elected officials—incites xenophobia, invites slurs, and increases the potential for real-world harm.” Wu, leader of the Texas House Democrats, recounted his family’s persecution during China’s Cultural Revolution, noting that accusations of being a “communist spy” are deeply offensive given his family history. In recent months, he has faced escalating racist attacks from GOP officials amid his role in blocking Republican-led redistricting. Republican leaders, including Middleton and Texas GOP Chair Abraham George , have publicly questioned Wu’s loyalty, labeling him “CCP Wu” and accusing him on social media of being an operative of the Chinese Communist Party doing China’s bidding in the Legislature while baselessly questioning his loyalty to Texas and the U.S. Democrats and Asian American leaders warn that such unchecked rhetoric is dangerous, especially as Texas’s Asian American population grows rapidly. In contrast to past instances when racist remarks prompted swift condemnation, top GOP leaders have remained largely silent—signaling a troubling erosion of norms around respectful public discourse. 08/14 Public Court Hearing on Lawsuit Against Texas Alien Land Bill SB17 On July 3, 2025, the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA 华美维权同盟) filed a lawsuit on behalf of three Chinese nationals alleging Texas state law (SB 17), barring Chinese citizens from buying property in the state, is discriminatory and unconstitutional.A public hearing on Wang v. Paxton (4:25-cv-03103) will be held on August 14, 2025, starting at 10:00 am CT at Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX 77002.CALDA is calling on community members to attend the court hearing. “Even just quietly sitting in the back of the courtroom, your presence is the strongest form of support,” CALDA’s call to action states. “This is not only a legal battle but a fight for our right to live with dignity on this land.”The hearing is open to the public, but with only a few dozen seats expected to be available. Standing in the courtroom is not allowed. It is recommended to arrive at least 30 minutes early and enter after passing security screening. The court strictly prohibits carrying any electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Photography, video recording, and audio recording are forbidden. Lockers are provided at the court entrance for storage. The hearing is expected to last 30 to 60 minutes. During this time, attendees must not enter or leave freely, talk, or create noise. Please obey the rules; violators may be removed by court officers.CALDA’s lawsuit compares Texas’s SB 17 law to historically notorious anti-Asian laws like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and California’s 1913 Alien Land Law, both targeting Asian immigrants. Texas had repealed similar discriminatory restrictions in 1965, deeming them unreasonable and discriminatory. SB 17 bans citizens of certain countries—unless they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents—from owning most real estate or signing leases longer than one year in Texas. The law applies even to long-term residents with valid student or work visas, treating them as if they still reside in their country of origin. Violators risk forced property sales, felony charges, imprisonment, and hefty fines.CALDA contends that SB 17 is not an isolated law; it equates “place of birth” with a “national security threat,” treating people of Chinese origin as potential enemies. This is not merely a restriction on foreign nationals but a form of systemic discrimination that marginalizes the entire Chinese community. U.S. history has long shown that once prejudice based on nationality takes root, it spreads and harms the innocent. Among these waves of legislation, SB 17 is neither the beginning nor the end. It is part of a nationwide surge of anti-Chinese laws. We cannot remain silent, retreat, or be absent.SB 17 is set to take effect September 1, 2025. The plaintiffs request the court to rule that SB 17 is preempted by federal law and unconstitutional, to issue temporary and permanent injunctions preventing its enforcement, and to order payment of attorney’s fees and related litigation costs. Restrictions on Chinese Land Ownership in the U.S. Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications AssociateAccording to Nikkei Asia , the U.S. is intensifying its crackdown on Chinese ownership of American agricultural land in the name of national security. Legislative efforts at both the federal and state levels to restrict Chinese property ownership have reached an all-time high.According to a recently released report by the Committee of 100 , U.S. Congress is currently considering 15 alien land bills, and 25 states have passed similar legislation aimed at restricting foreign ownership of property, including but not limited to agricultural land. This year alone, 11 such bills have already been enacted into law, with 129 introduced.Last month, the Department of Agriculture released a seven-point national security plan, enhancing public disclosures of foreign ownership of farmland and working with Congress and states to ban purchases of farmland by foreign adversaries and countries of concern. Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins pointed specifically to the ownership of American farmland by Chinese nationals as an existential threat. Rollins hinted she might “claw back” land currently owned by Chinese investors.In May, Texas passed Senate Bill 17, prohibiting people and companies from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from purchasing land and other property in the state. It also bars certain people from leasing homes or apartments for more than a year. ACLU Texas maintains this legislation violates the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause.Florida passed similar legislation in 2023 that bans Chinese citizens from buying most property in the state. The law went into effect on July 1, 2023, although enforcement has been curtailed in specific cases pending legal review. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a temporary injunction blocking the law’s enforcement against two plaintiffs while their appeal is under consideration.In April, West Virginia enacted House Bill 2961, explicitly banning Chinese citizens who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents from owning or possessing real property or mineral rights within the state. Speaking at the August 2025 APA Justice monthly meeting, Joanna YangQing Derman of Advancing Justice | AAJC explained that, while the legislation defines “prohibited foreign party” as individuals from China, the actual ban applies to individuals acting on behalf of companies and does not ban individuals from directly renting or purchasing land for themselves. The bill specifies that a violation of the law allows six months for full divestment of the sale, enforceable by the state court system and the West Virginia attorney general.The Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) represents plaintiffs in lawsuits against the legislation in Florida and Texas. CALDA legal director, Justin Sadowsky , says “the purpose [of the legislation] appears to be harming Chinese people.” Vincent Wang , chair of the Ohio Chinese American Association (OCAA) and APA Justice co-organizer, has been working with Ohio legislators with OCAA to amend proposed legislation in Ohio. The legislation, House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88, would bar U.S. permanent residents from China from purchasing homes or businesses within 25 miles of military bases or critical infrastructure, such as water treatment plants, pipelines, dams, and telecommunication systems.Wang says he and his group have tried to relay to lawmakers the impact the legislation will have on business, employment, and investment in the state. Wang estimates roughly 110,000 people could be impacted if the legislation passes.He added, “While China is on the U.S. ‘foreign adversary’ list, conflating the Chinese government with people of Chinese origin risks racial profiling and discrimination — harming innocent individuals and businesses without meaningfully advancing national security.”Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland dropped last year to 265,000 acres, near the 2019 level, accounting for 0.03% of the 876 million acres nationwide. According to Sarah Bauerle Danzman , a former foreign investment analyst with the State Department and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, such a miniscule proportion poses no national security threat. Concerns Over ICE Crackdown Tactics Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications AssociateAccording to CNN , AsAmNews , and multiple media reports, Yeonsoo Go , a 20-year-old South Korean at Purdue University’s College of Pharmacy, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 31. Five days later, August 4, she was released and reunited with her mother in Federal Plaza in New York.In 2021, Go moved to the U.S. with her mother on a religious worker’s dependent visa. Three years later, she graduated from Scarsdale High School, located in Westchester County, New York. Go’s mother, the Rev. Kyrie Kim , serves as a priest in the Asian ministry of the Episcopal Diocese in New York and is recognized as the first woman ordained in the Seoul Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea.On July 31, 2025, Go attended a visa hearing in Manhattan with her mother, during which a judge scheduled a hearing for October. However, ICE agents arrested her outside the courthouse immediately after the hearing. She was first held at a nearby federal detention site, then transferred to a facility in Monroe, Louisiana. ICE has not provided an explanation for why she was placed in immigration detention.According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin , Go had overstayed a visa that “expired more than two years ago” and was placed in expedited removal proceedings. McLaughlin added, “The fact of the matter is those who are in our country illegally have a choice — they can leave the country voluntarily or be arrested and deported.”However, Go’s current visa is reported to be valid until December, and her hearing on July 31 was part of an effort to extend her status, raising serious questions about the legality and appropriateness of her detention.On August 2, supporters called for Go’s release during a gathering in Manhattan’s Federal Plaza. Friends spoke of her positive attitude and kind heart, noting that Go had been increasingly nervous leading up to her hearing given the current political climate.A Purdue University spokesperson Trevor Peters confirmed the university was aware of the situation and that the dean of students had reached out to Go’s family.Following her release, Republican Representative Mike Lawler wrote on X “Yeonsoo’s case is yet another example of why we must fix our broken immigration system and make it easier for folks to come here and stay, the right way.”Go’s detainment comes just over a week after Tae Heung "Will" Kim , PhD student at Texas A&M University, was first detained at San Francisco International Airport. Kim spent a week sleeping in a chair with the lights on 24/7, before being moved to immigration detention centers in Arizona and then Raymondville, Texas. Kim was denied access to counsel while he was held in San Francisco. Karl Krooth , Kim’s attorney, stated that his client’s detention underscores serious flaws in the immigration system. He noted that Kim was deprived of due process protections typically available through immigration court proceedings, and held in an airport under questionable authority. “CBP [Customs and Border Protection] officers are not neutral arbiters — they are interrogators,” Krooth said. Becky Belcore , co-director of National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), says Kim’s prolonged detention is indicative of a larger crackdown on immigrants’ rights. Earlier in July, Muhanad J. M. Alshrouf was detained by immigration officials for nine days at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX. Alshrouf had a valid visa and had no criminal history. CBP officials have not provided reasoning why he was detained.Similarly, CBP officials held naturalized citizen Wilmer Chavarria , a Vermont school district superintendent, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport for hours on July 21, searching his electronic devices. Chavarria was returning from a trip to Nicaragua where he visited family.On August 8, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) addressed a letter to Kristi Noem , Todd Lyons , and Rodney Scott expressing deep concern over the treatment of lawful permanent resident AAPI individuals by CBP and ICE. They pointed to several reports in which individuals — Will Kim, Yeonsoo Go, Lewelyn Dixon , Maximo Londonio , and Yunseo Chung — were detained without due process, suggesting potential violations of constitutional protections. CAPAC also alleges that CBP has violated its own National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search, which requires CBP officials to “hold detainees for the least amount of time required” and, generally, for no more than 72 hours. The cases cited by CAPAC exemplify how CPB has purportedly failed to uphold this code.The CAPAC letter underscores growing concerns about the protection of constitutional rights, serving as a reminder of the importance of transparency, accountability, and adherence to due process. Upholding these principles helps ensure that enforcement practices remain fair and that the rights and dignity of immigrant communities are respected. Breaking News : According to the Intercept , a 32-year-old Chinese immigrant named Chaofeng Ge died by suicide in the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a privately run ICE detention facility in Pennsylvania. Ge had been detained there for five days after being handed over to ICE following a guilty plea for a credit card fraud-related arrest. The Moshannon facility, operated by the GEO Group and the largest ICE detention center in the Northeast, has faced numerous complaints about abusive conditions, including poor language services that leave detainees, especially Chinese speakers, isolated.Ge was found hanging in a shower room early on August 6, 2025, and despite emergency medical efforts, he was pronounced dead around 6 a.m. His death marks the first ICE detainee death in the Northeast this fiscal year and the third suicide in ICE facilities nationwide this year.The Moshannon center has come under scrutiny for overcrowding, lack of adequate medical and mental health care, and harsh conditions that resemble a prison rather than a temporary holding center. A 2024 Department of Homeland Security investigation found “egregious and unconstitutional conditions,” but its findings were largely ignored after oversight offices were closed.Nationwide , deaths in ICE detention have increased sharply this fiscal year, with 12 detainee deaths reported as of June 2025—more than the previous year and the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The rise in deaths highlights ongoing concerns over ICE detention conditions and treatment of immigrants. Science : NIH Funding and Editorial on Columbia Deal According to Science on July 31, 2025, The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected President Trump’s proposed 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and major reductions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), instead approving a 2026 funding bill that boosts NIH’s base budget by $400 million (1%) to $47.2 billion and keeps the CDC at $9.15 billion. The bill preserves NIH’s 27 institutes, blocks a cap on indirect research costs, and funds targeted research areas such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Lawmakers from both parties criticized the administration’s attempts to freeze funds and reorganize agencies, framing the measure as a strong bipartisan defense of biomedical research and public health. The Senate bill must still go to the full Senate for approval and be reconciled with a House of Representatives version. According to a Science editorial titled “ The Columbia deal is a tragic wake-up call ” on July 31, 2025, Columbia University has entered into an agreement with the U.S. government to restore $1.3 billion in annual research funding after the Trump administration raised concerns about antisemitism, admissions practices, faculty hiring, and campus protests. While university leaders framed the deal as a necessary step to free up critical science funding—emphasizing its importance for advancing research that benefits the nation and humanity—it imposes obligations far beyond research oversight. The terms focus heavily on undergraduate education and require Columbia to answer questions on a range of politically sensitive topics. Michael Roth , the president of Wesleyan University, who has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and has decried the timidity of universities in standing up for higher education, declined to criticize Columbia for entering the agreement, likening it to a parent who understandably had to pay a ransom for their kidnapped child. Many in academia believe that Columbia’s decision has put other universities at risk of being required to meet the same kind of demands. The Columbia case underscores the vulnerability of universities that have become deeply reliant on federal research funding since World War II, often prioritizing financial growth and prestige over safeguarding academic independence. It also illustrates the difficult trade-offs administrators face when balancing core educational principles against the need to secure resources. While Columbia opted to negotiate rather than challenge the government, Brown University has followed a similar path, and Harvard University is fighting its own dispute in court. The real danger, some warn, is that such political and financial pressures—combined with heightened scrutiny of teaching and scholarship—could erode the fundamental mission of higher education: preparing future generations for the public good. Federal Data at Risk: NASEM Warning, IRS Clash, and BLS Firing On August 8, 2025, Marcia McNutt , President of the National Academy of Sciences, and Victor J. Dzau , President of National Academy of Medicine, issued a public statement , emphasizing that federal statistical agencies must remain free from political or other undue influence to maintain public trust and ensure effective decision-making. They highlighted the critical role accurate, objective data plays for businesses, governments, and the public, and reaffirmed long-standing principles—articulated since 1992—requiring agencies to operate independently of political agendas. The statement urges federal leaders to protect the integrity, objectivity, and statutory safeguards that enable these agencies to serve the nation impartially and in the public interest. Related Resources: Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency: Eighth Edition On August 9, 2025, the Washington Post reported that tensions erupted between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the White House after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked the IRS to use confidential taxpayer data to locate 40,000 suspected undocumented immigrants. IRS privacy lawyers had opposed the April data-sharing agreement, and Commissioner Billy Long limited cooperation, verifying fewer than 3% of names and refusing to share additional information such as Earned Income Tax Credit claims, citing privacy laws. DHS has suggested future requests could target up to 7 million people. The dispute occurred hours before Long’s abrupt removal as IRS commissioner, though it is unclear if it was a direct cause. Long, a former congressman appointed in June, will become ambassador to Iceland, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent serving as interim commissioner. His short tenure also saw clashes over delaying tax season and eliminating the IRS’s Direct File program. This episode illustrates the type of political pressure NASEM warns could undermine public trust in federal agencies. On August 1, 2025, President Donald Trump fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer from her role as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after alleging the jobs report was “rigged” to harm him and Republicans. In a statement issued by the Economic Policy Institute, Heidi Shierholz , President of EPI, called the claim “preposterous” and warned the move risks politicizing the office of Commissioner by threatening removal if economic data displeases the White House. Taken together, these developments underscore a growing pattern of political interference in statistical and data-driven agencies — a trend that, if unchecked, could erode public confidence in the integrity of government information. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/08/11 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Gary Locke2025/08/12 Teaching and Researching Controversial Topics in the Sciences2025/08/14 Court Hearing on Wang v. Paxton (4:25-cv-03103)2025/09/06 The 2025 Asian American Youth Symposium2025/09/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/09/08 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Janet YangVisit 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 August 11, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #288 US Rep. Grace Meng Remarks; TX Rep Gene Wu on Vigilance; Exclusion Legacy; C100 Update #288 US Rep. Grace Meng Remarks; TX Rep Gene Wu on Vigilance; Exclusion Legacy; C100 Update In This Issue #288 · Congresswoman Grace Meng Remarks at APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Texas Rep. Gene Wu Urges Community Vigilance, Solidarity, and Action · The Legacy of Exclusion, Racism, and Xenophobia · C100 Updates AAPI Curriculum Research Project · News and Activities for the Communities Congresswoman Grace Meng Remarks at APA Justice Monthly Meeting Congresswoman Grace Meng gave remarks during the APA Justice monthly meeting on October 7, 2024. Congresswoman Grace Meng is serving her sixth term representing New York's Sixth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State. Grace serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where she is New York's senior member and is the Vice Ranking Member. During the monthly meeting, Congresswoman Meng delivered a heartfelt message, beginning by expressing gratitude for the invitation and recognition of her fellow colleagues. She gave special praise to Texas State Representative Gene Wu for his leadership and advocacy for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during these challenging times. Congresswoman Meng also highlighted the critical role of Chair Judy Chu , Senator Mazie Hirono , and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), who have been working tirelessly to combat discriminatory legislation. Congresswoman Meng voiced her concern over the intensifying anti-China rhetoric in Congress. She specifically mentioned the recent attempt by House Republicans to pass a bill that could reinstate the China Initiative, which unfairly targeted individuals of Chinese descent under the guise of national security. While the bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate, Congresswoman Meng emphasized that such efforts continue to harm the AAPI community. In response, Congresswoman Meng and CAPAC urged Congressional leadership to remove language that would restart the China Initiative from the final government spending bill for 2025. She commended organizations like the Asian American Scholar Forum, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and APA Justice for their advocacy during “China Week” and beyond, and gave a special mention to Casey Lee for her contributions. Congresswoman Meng also raised alarm about Project 2025, a Republican policy roadmap that includes reinstating the China Initiative and ending family-based immigration, a move that would disproportionately impact Asian American communities. Project 2025 also calls for cutting funding to vital programs like food assistance and healthcare, directly affecting vulnerable populations, including the 4.5 million AAPI Medicaid recipients. It also targets reductions in the H1B visa program, which would harm skilled workers, many of whom are from AAPI communities. Congresswoman Meng stressed that these issues are not about party politics but about safeguarding the future and well-being of our community. Despite these challenges, Congresswoman Meng remains committed to fighting discriminatory policies and advancing progressive initiatives. One such initiative is the creation of the National Museum of Asian Pacific American History in Washington DC. The first legislation to establish the museum as part of the Smithsonian Institution was passed in 2022, and Congresswoman Meng is excited to continue working on this project. The museum will preserve and celebrate the rich histories and cultures of Asian Pacific Americans. In closing, Congresswoman Meng reflected on the hardships the AAPI community has faced, particularly during the pandemic, and urged continued unity and collaboration to address the challenges ahead.We thank Congresswoman Meng for her leadership and public service. Watch her talk at https://bit.ly/3Ysvaof (8:08). A summary of the October 7 monthly meeting is being finalized at this time. Texas Rep. Gene Wu Urges Community Vigilance, Solidarity, and Action Texas State Representative Gene Wu reminded the community of the necessity for vigilance, solidarity, and action in the face of rising anti-Asian sentiments and discriminatory legislation during the APA Justice monthly meeting on October 7, 2024. Gene serves the constituents of District 137 in the Texas House and is also an attorney in private practice. A dedicated advocate for the Asian Pacific American community in Texas and across the nation, Gene is committed to raising awareness and fostering dialogue about the pressing issues facing Asian Americans today. He regularly hosts town hall meetings and travels nationwide to engage with communities and promote understanding.Gene began his remarks by expressing profound gratitude to Congresswoman Grace Meng for her unwavering leadership in advocating for the Asian American community. He underscored the urgent need for awareness regarding the rising anti-Asian sentiment and legislation that disproportionately impacts Chinese Americans. This acknowledgment of the broader context of discrimination serves as a foundation for his call to action.Highlighting his recent travels to states like Tennessee and Florida, Gene shared his experiences engaging with Asian American communities and raising awareness about these critical issues. In Tennessee, for instance, a law was initially enacted that barred all immigrants from purchasing land but was later amended to specifically target Chinese individuals. This shift exemplifies a troubling trend across the United States, where anti-Chinese and anti-Asian measures are increasingly pervasive. Gene noted that there are currently 24 states with some form of anti-Asian land law legislation, with 13 of these states imposing restrictions explicitly against Chinese individuals. He traced this alarming trend back to historical patterns of discrimination, recalling how anti-Asian sentiments have roots that extend to the 1850s when waves of Chinese and Japanese immigrants faced similar oppressive laws.Drawing parallels between past and present discrimination, Gene recounted how laws from the late 19th and early 20th centuries specifically targeted Asian communities. Often justified under the guise of national security, these laws include the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act and other discriminatory measures against Japanese immigrants. He highlighted that such practices were not only legislated but also deeply embedded in societal attitudes toward Asian Americans. Gene cautioned that many within the community might dismiss these discriminatory practices as benign, believing they only affect specific groups like those from mainland China. He emphasized that this perspective is fundamentally flawed, as it sets a dangerous precedent where discrimination can escalate unchecked.Reflecting on significant historical moments when anti-Asian sentiments were codified into law, Gene recalled restrictions placed on Chinese women in the 1870s aimed at controlling population growth and the anti-alien laws passed in California in the early 1900s. He stressed that many of these laws remained in effect until the mid-20th century, highlighting a long-standing legacy of dehumanization and discrimination against Asian communities in America. Gene pointed out that the modern narrative of suspicion and fear directed at Chinese Americans is not a new phenomenon but rather a continuation of historical patterns of vilification and scapegoating. He called attention to the inflammatory rhetoric from prominent political figures, including Donald Trump and JD Vance , who portray Chinese Americans as threats to national security. Such rhetoric perpetuates a cycle of fear and distrust that not only harms Chinese Americans but also has broader implications for all Asian communities. Gene warned that this kind of vilification can lead to severe consequences, drawing parallels to the injustices faced by Japanese Americans during World War II when many were forcibly relocated to internment camps despite being U.S. citizens. Challenging the notion that only certain Asian groups are targeted by discrimination, Gene asserted that all Asian Americans are perceived as potential threats in a climate of suspicion. He urged the community to acknowledge this shared vulnerability and the necessity for solidarity among Asian Americans of all backgrounds. The historical context of discrimination serves as a crucial reminder that complacency can lead to dire repercussions. Gene called for heightened awareness and activism within the Asian American community, emphasizing that understanding the history of discrimination is vital to effectively combating the resurgence of these harmful ideologies.Gene also addressed the recent surge in anti-Asian violence that escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gene asserted that the violence and discrimination faced by Asian Americans, irrespective of their specific ethnic backgrounds, underscores the urgency of collectively addressing these pressing issues. He emphasized that current societal attitudes toward Asian Americans are not isolated incidents but rather part of a broader historical narrative of discrimination that demands attention and action. In conclusion, Gene issued a rallying call for the Asian American community to awaken from complacency and recognize the challenges that lie ahead. He implored individuals to confront the systemic nature of racism and discrimination against Asian Americans, urging them to advocate for themselves and their communities. The resurgence of old hate signals that the struggles faced by Asian Americans in the past are far from over. It is crucial for everyone, especially the Asian American community, to unite in combating these threats. Gene's message serves as a vital reminder of the necessity for vigilance, solidarity, and action in the face of rising anti-Asian sentiments and discriminatory legislation.We thank Texas Rep. Wu for his leadership and public service. A video of his talk will be made available soon, along with a summary of the October 7 monthly meeting that is being finalized at this time. On October 18, 2024, the Houston Chronicle highlighted Texas State Representative Gene Wu and raised this question, "Asian Americans are Texas' fastest growing population. How ill that impact the elections?" In the upcoming 2024 Texas elections, the rapidly growing Asian American population is becoming an increasingly significant voting bloc. Both Democrats and Republicans are working to engage this diverse community, which has historically been under-represented in political outreach. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) now make up 4% of the Texas electorate, with substantial growth across multiple counties. While this group has leaned Democratic in recent years, there is significant diversity within the community, with variations in political preferences across ethnic groups. Both parties see the potential for the AAPI vote to be decisive in close races, but challenges such as language barriers and underinvestment in outreach persist. As Texas continues to grow and diversify, the AAPI electorate could play a crucial role in shaping the state's political landscape.Read the Houston Chronicle report: https://bit.ly/3A99Pqv The Legacy of Exclusion, Racism, and Xenophobia The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 stands as a glaring reminder of our nation’s darker history. As the first federal immigration law aimed at excluding a specific ethnic group based on race and nationality, it arose from a climate of anti-Chinese sentiment during the late 19th century. Chinese immigrants, who primarily sought work in mining and railroad construction, were scapegoated as “parasites,” blamed for taking jobs from white workers and undermining the societal norm of a “Country of White Men.” Other Asian groups, such as Japanese and South Asian immigrants, also faced restrictive measures later on.The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Chinese Exclusion Case of 1889 (Chae Chan Ping v. United States) upheld the federal government’s authority to restrict immigration, validating laws, even in ways that targeted specific racial or national groups. This created a precedent for ongoing anti-Chinese and broader anti-Asian sentiment, which persisted for decades and laid the groundwork for racially exclusionary immigration policies.Subsequent legislation, such as the Immigration Act of 1924, further codified these racial preferences, establishing quotas that favored immigrants from Northern and Western Europe while severely restricting those from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943 during World War II, largely to strengthen ties with China as an ally. However, even then, the Magnuson Act limited immigration of Chinese persons to a mere 105 individuals annually, offering little more than a symbolic gesture toward equality.The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 marked a significant turning point, abolishing the national origins quota system and prioritizing immigrants based on family reunification and skills rather than race or national origin. In 2011, Rep. Judy Chu , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, introduced a resolution expressing regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act. This initiative united various organizations under the 1882 Project , which included Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Committee of 100, Japanese American Citizens League, the National Council of Chinese Americans, and OCA, serving on the Steering Committee. It led to a remarkable moment in 2021 and 2022 when both the Senate and the House unanimously passed the resolution to acknowledge historical injustices. Read about the 1882 Project: https://bit.ly/3j7StPa The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) published a report titled " The Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act on the Economic Development of the Western U.S." in October 2024. The paper investigates the economic consequences of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. The Act reduced the number of Chinese workers of all skill levels residing in the U.S. It also reduced the labor supply and the quality of jobs held by white and U.S.-born workers, the intended beneficiaries of the Act, and reduced manufacturing output. The results suggest that the Chinese Exclusion Act slowed economic growth in western states until at least 1940. Read the NBER report: https://bit.ly/405zbjy According to Reason on the NBER report October 7, 2024, one of the main rationales for the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act was to benefit white workers, who were supposedly victimized by competition from the Chinese. The NBER study shows that it did not achieve that goal. Mass deportations of immigrants destroy more jobs for native-born citizens than they create. The Chinese Exclusion Act benefited "local" white miners competing with Chinese miners. But such effects were outweighed by the much larger number of white workers who benefited from Chinese migration, including the associated job opportunities it created. The economy is not a zero-sum game, and the interests of workers from different ethnic and racial groups are more mutually reinforcing than conflicting. Read the Reason report: https://bit.ly/4f9v7TU C100 Updates AAPI Curriculum Research Project On October 17, 2024, the Committee of 100 (C100) announced an update to its ongoing AAPI Curriculum Research Project, which tracks state legislation and local education standards that require or encourage the teaching of AAPI history in K-12 schools. Launched in 2022, this project is updated annually. New to this year's update is an interactive map that provides summaries of legislations and education standards related to AAPI or ethnic studies for each state, along with the name and full text of each statue.“For almost two centuries, the AAPI community has made significant contributions to the U.S., yet Asian Americans are still battling the stereotype of being perpetual foreigners,” said Cindy Tsai , Interim President of C100. “Public schools play a crucial role in shaping informed citizens. However, in many states, schools don’t teach students about the contributions of Asian Americans, even though Asian American history is American history. If children aren’t taught this, how can they grow into citizens who understand the experiences and challenges faced by all Americans?” According to the C100, as of October 3, 2024: · 12 states have statutes that require AAPI studies curriculum · 4 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require AAPI studies curriculum · 15 states have academic standards that require AAPI studies · 22 states have statutes that require ethnic studies curriculum · 3 states are considering recently introduced bills that would require ethnic studies curriculum · 33 states have academic standards that require ethnic studies · 8 states have no statutes, recently introduced bills, or academic standards that require or make optional AAPI studies or ethnic studies curriculum For more information, visit https://bit.ly/4fd9EcO News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2024/10/22 Engage with AAAS: 2024 U.S. Elections2024/10/24 Why Do Legislators Brawl? Lawmaking, Fist Fighting and Messaging in Taiwan 2024/10/25-27 Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the American Studies Network2024/10/26 Common Ground and Banquet2024/10/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/06 Asian American Women in Media and Music2024/11/10 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/12 Threats to International Engagement and Academic Freedom2024/11/14 An Advice and Networking Event (Financial Services, Investing and Consulting)Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. NOTE: Because the regular scheduled day falls on the eve of Election Day, we have moved the next APA Justice monthly meeting to Monday, November 18, 2024. 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 . 2. USCET Internships The U.S.-China Education Trust is seeking intern(s) for Spring 2025 to support its communications and programs. Undergraduate juniors, seniors, and graduate students are welcome to apply. The internships offer an opportunity to gain experience in the nonprofit sector and develop expertise in the field of US-China relations. The interns work a hybrid and flexible part-time schedule to accommodate their student schedules. The position includes a stipend or academic credit. Send in your applications by November 8, 2024, 11:59PM ET. For more information, contact https://bit.ly/3Nz4Tyi 3. APA Justice Newsletter Web Page Moved to New Website As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters . Content of the existing website will remain, but it will no longer be updated. We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF October 21, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #176 4/17 Roundtable; Red Scare/McCarthyism; Texas; ISSCO Videos/Photos; Non-Random Surveys #176 4/17 Roundtable; Red Scare/McCarthyism; Texas; ISSCO Videos/Photos; Non-Random Surveys In This Issue #176 2023/04/17 Roundtable on a National Alert Network Fight Back the Return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism Chinese Americans Fight for Their Place in Texas Online Videos and Photos of the ISSCO 30th Anniversary Conference "Inference Using Non-Random Samples? Stop Right There!" 2023/04/17 Roundtable on a National Alert Network WHEN: Monday, April 17, 2023, 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT WHAT: Online Roundtable DESCRIPTION: Inaugural roundtable to establish the purpose and functions of a national media alert network and strike teams to assertively address immediate xenophobic challenges to our freedoms and longer-term proactive actions to ensure fairness and justice for all, including the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and immigrant communities. REGISTRATION: This is an event by invitation only to guests and official representative(s) of AAPI organizations. Members at the Roundtable will be sent a panelist link. Others please register at http://bit.ly/3KvlMI8 Fight Back the Return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism According to a report by the Los Angeles Times on April 9, 2023, the far-rightring site Daily Caller, co-founded by Fox News showman Tucker Carlson , published a hit piece devoid of damning facts, heavy on innuendo and liberally sprinkled with the words "alleged" and "allegedly," that painted former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Walter Wang as dangerous stooges of the Chinese Communist Party. Walter Wang, a Taiwanese immigrant, is chief executive of Los Angeles-based pipe manufacturer JM Eagle and a longtime American citizen.Wang 's friends and close business associates know better than to believe the story, "but the people who are not close to me and don't know me well are going to think of me now in a negative light. It could really hurt my reputation." The Garcetti piece also lit into Dominic Ng , Chief Executive of Pasadena-based East West Bank. And previous Daily Caller stories have taken aim at Frank Wu , the president of Queen's College, City University of New York, and Asian Americans involved with the mainstream news outlet the China Project. As tensions rise between the governments of the United States and China, the Daily Caller has leaned into narratives with a similar theme: Chinese and Taiwanese Americans with any connections to China are probably up to some unAmerican activities."If every Chinese American in a photo with any Chinese official is suspect, you're talking about every successful Chinese person," said Frank Wu, "this is about whether or not you have an Asian face."Wu himself became a target of accusations by the Daily Caller last December. That story went after an English language news site called the China Project. No solid facts underpin the innuendo. The article named Wu and other ethnic Asians who sit on the China Project's advisory board. They "appear to belong," the Daily Caller said, to a group called the Committee of 100. Wu says he is in fact a proud members of the committee, which was founded by architect I.M. Pei and cellist Yo-Yo Ma and comprises prominent Chinese Americans who work together to address political, cultural and economic issues between the U.S. and China.Wu, Ng, and Wang see the articles as part of a poisonous campaign to smear political opponents, an approach that pairs McCarthy-era Red Scare tactics with anti-Asian racism.At the same time, all three say they enjoy powerful positions that protect them to some extent from the worst forms of racism.Asian Americans in general have been known to keep a low profile in politics, but it is time to speak up. "We can't just be talking among ourselves in the Asian community, the outreach has to be broader. I'm worrying about being the silent majority," Ng said."We have to fight this," said Wang, who is contemplating a lawsuit. "If we don't fight it, who will?" Read the Los Angeles Times report: http://bit.ly/3GqwM8I Chinese Americans Fight for Their Place in Texas According to a report by the Texas Tribune on April 3, 2023, a mid-January Twitter post by Governor Greg Abbott alerted Chinese Americans across Texas that their rights might be trampled as state lawmakers rushed to burnish their geopolitical credentials.On January 15, the Republican governor told his 1 million followers he was ready to sign into law Texas Senate Bill 147 that would ban “citizens, governments & entities” of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing land in the state, in effect blocking some immigrants from becoming homeowners.The bill restricting land ownership was followed by kindred proposals to ban international college students from those same countries and to cut off Texans’ access to TikTok and another social media platform that’s become crucial for the Chinese diaspora living in the state to communicate with family in China.As the Legislature’s work has ramped up, the political headwinds have drafted Chinese Americans into defending their foothold in a state where many have lived for decades, and where Asian Americans have reliably made up the fastest-growing segment of population for years. They’ve grown fearful of a legislative culture that could feed challenges to the rights of Asian Texans, as well as Texans from the other targeted countries. “You can target foreign governments, you can target [the] foreign Chinese Communist Party, but you have to separate that from the individuals that are already in this country and protected by the Constitution,” said Hugh Li , president of the Austin Chinese-American Network and a naturalized citizen of 18 years. “This is our land too. This is our home too. So for the Texas Legislature to want to pass these kinds of bills targeting us and strip away our rights, it’s just not right.”More recently, House Bill 2206 was introduced to ban social media platforms “developed or provided” by entities in the four countries. The social media bill echoes federal efforts to scrutinize popular platforms like TikTok and WeChat over security concerns related to China’s access to Americans' data.The proposals have left it to Chinese Americans to delineate for lawmakers that their lives in Texas exist far apart from geopolitical considerations. At a House hearing in March, a contingent of Chinese Americans waited more than six hours to testify against the legislation that would ban social media platforms, detailing how they rely on WeChat to stay in touch with family. They held up screenshots of video chats between grandparents and grandchildren. One Texan grew emotional as they described how the bill would sever the “bridge for emotional connection” for many Chinese Americans.WeChat is used by 1.3 billion people every month. In China, the platform is reportedly heavily censored and serves as an instrument for mass government surveillance. In households across the state, however, Chinese Americans primarily rely on the messaging and calling tools available through WeChat to connect with family members and friends back in China, where the use of the app is ubiquitous and where other social media or messaging platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are banned.In 58 pages of testimony submitted in writing to the committee, Texans described WeChat as an “indispensable lifeline connecting us to our families, friends, and culture.” Some described how the use of WeChat in the U.S. has grown into an important tool for businesses connecting with supplies overseas. It was crucial for Chinese restaurants fighting to stay afloat at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s used by day cares to send notifications to parents and by community groups to distribute news, notifications and even weather warnings that otherwise would not be translated from English. The app even serves as a platform for Bible studies among Chinese-speaking churches.Others raised claims of unconstitutionality and questioned why Chinese Americans would be targeted in what they described as an affront to their First Amendment and equal protection rights. Federal courts blocked the Trump administration’s 2020 efforts to block TikTok and WeChat in the United States through executive orders, though the effort has more recently gained bipartisan support in Congress, where national security concerns have reverberated among lawmakers from both parties. Some described how the use of WeChat in the U.S. has grown into an important tool for businesses connecting with supplies overseas. It was crucial for Chinese restaurants fighting to stay afloat at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s used by day cares to send notifications to parents and by community groups to distribute news, notifications and even weather warnings that otherwise would not be translated from English. The app even serves as a platform for Bible studies among Chinese-speaking churches.Others raised claims of unconstitutionality and questioned why Chinese Americans would be targeted in what they described as an affront to their First Amendment and equal protection rights. Federal courts blocked the Trump administration’s 2020 efforts to block TikTok and WeChat in the United States through executive orders, though the effort has more recently gained bipartisan support in Congress, where national security concerns have reverberated among lawmakers from both parties. “It’s just a reminder that the place of immigrants in this country and this state is so tenuous, and it can all be taken away so easily,” she said.Read the Texas Tribune report: http://bit.ly/40RvbRi Online Videos and Photos of the ISSCO 30th Anniversary Conference ISSCO, the International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas, was established in 1992. On November 11-12, 2022, ISSCO convened its 30th Anniversary Conference in San Francisco.Five videos from the plenary sessions of the conference are online: Keynote by Mae Ngai and Welcome (1:22:08). Introduction: Lok SIU; Welcome: Raka RAY, LIN Rupeng, LI Minghuan, WANG Gungwu, and Ling-chi WANG; Keynote: Mae M. NGAI Racial Profiling and Discrimination against Chinese American Scientists and Engineers (1:39:06). Speakers: Sherry CHEN, Xiaoxing XI, Gang CHEN, and Jeremy S. WU; Moderator: Lillian K. SING The Pandemic and Anti-Asian Violence in the U.S. (1:30:43). Welcome: Lok SIU; Speakers: Russell JEUNG, John WALSH, and Cynthia CHOI, Moderator: Henry DER Changing US-China Relations and Their Impact on Chinese in the U.S. and Elsewhere (1:27:43). Speakers: Julie TANG, Gordon CHANG, K.J. NOH, and George KOO; Moderator: Don TOW; Concluding remarks: Lok SIU ISSCO Founders Roundtable (54:24). Moderator: Madeline HSU; Slideshow by: Wei LI; Speakers: Ling-chi WANG, Karen HARRIS, Emmanuel MA MUNG, and Teresita ANG SEE An album of photos from the conference is available here: https://bit.ly/3mj3py2 . If you would like to use the photos for any purpose, please contact the photographer Joyce Xi at joyceyxi11@gmail.com . Joyce can also provide higher-resolution files. "Inference Using Non-Random Samples? Stop Right There!" Surveys are commonly used to measure the current state of affairs or the opinions of a group of people. One of the most significant scientific innovations at the end of the nineteenth century is the introduction of probability-based or random sampling. According to the Significance Magazine in October 2021 ,"statistical inference is a powerful concept. Among other things, it allows us to infer information about a population based on a sample of data from that population. To make appropriate inferences from sample to population, certain pre-conditions need to be met. One of these pre-conditions is that data come from a random sample." Incredibly, a small random sample of say 1,000 individuals would allow statistical inference to be made about the Chinese American population of about 5.5 million within some margin of measurable sampling error.However, random surveys can be costly, laborious, and difficult to conduct. Non-random surveys are also conducted, but the scope of inference is limited to the survey respondents. The temptation to go beyond this boundary is strong. The Significance article observes that inferential statistics should not be used in non-random studies. "However, in many cases, they are. A lack of awareness of the need for random sampling among researchers leads them to go through the motions... Even when researchers themselves do know this, they can find themselves compelled to perform inference by ignorant referees.""in short, if we do not start with a random sample, turning what we have into one is challenging or even impossible. In such cases, we should accept the hard truth that statistical inference is not possible. We must simply report what the data show - and refuse to push them statistically further," the Significance article concludes.In a separate article by Nature in December 2021 which examined the estimates of first-dose COVID-19 vaccine uptake in US adults from 9 January to 19 May 2021, it was shown "how a survey of 250,000 respondents can produce an estimate of the population mean that is no more accurate than an estimate from a simple random sample of size 10. Our central message is that data quality matters more than data quantity, and that compensating the former with the latter is a mathematically provable losing proposition." Next time you see the release of a survey and its results, you may want to look deeper into how the inferences are made on the respondents only or an entire population. 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 April 10, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #240 3/4 Meeting; "China Initiative"; Alien Land Laws; US-China STA Extended; Climate Bill #240 3/4 Meeting; "China Initiative"; Alien Land Laws; US-China STA Extended; Climate Bill In This Issue #240 · 2023/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Relaunching "China Initiative" Stopped · Alien Land Laws: Reports by USDA Equity Commission and Advancing Justice | Atlanta · US-China Science and Technology Agreement Extended Another 6 Month · Justice Is Global and Rollout of US-China Climate Cooperation Bill · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The March APA Justice monthly meeting was held via Zoom on Monday, March 4, 2024. Invited speakers for the meeting were: · Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Assistant to the President for Science and Technology · Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) · X. Edward Guo, President, Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE); Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Professor of Medical Sciences, Columbia University · Cindy Tsai, Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100 · Thông Phan, Senior Policy Associate, Advancing Justice – Atlanta · Steven Kivelson, Professor of Physics, Stanford University; Peter Michelson , Former Senior Associate Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Physics, Stanford University Kei Koizumi , Principal Deputy Director for OSTP, led the Q&A discussion. Cole Donovan , Assistant Director for Research Security and Infrastructure at OSTP, also attended the meeting.A summary for the meeting is being prepared at this time. The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . AAU Letter to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar On February 14, 2024, the White House OSTP announced the release of two memoranda aimed at supporting a secure and fair research ecosystem in the United States: 1. On Policy Regarding Use of Common Disclosure Forms , OSTP outlines guidelines on the use of common disclosure forms for federal agencies to use when evaluating proposals. These will help the government identify conflicts of commitment and potential duplication with the work of foreign governments. 2. On Guidelines for Federal Research Agencies Regarding Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs , the OSTP guidance provides a definition of foreign talent recruitment programs, guidelines for federal employees regarding foreign talent recruitment programs, and guidelines for individuals involved in malign foreign talent recruitment programs in federal projects. During the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology hearing on February 15, 2024, a letter from the Association of American Universities (AAU) to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar was submitted for record: https://bit.ly/49qi2CV . AAU, along with several other higher education associations and research organizations, expressed concerns about the delay on the release of final research security program requirements or an update to the research community on the status of finalizing the requirements. Relaunching "China Initiative" Stopped During the March 4 monthly meeting, Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), reported that the language to relaunch the "China Initiative" was removed from the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act (H.R. 5893) which funds the Departments of Commerce, Justice and other science-related programs.In January , CAPAC Chair Judy Chu joined Vice Chair Grace Meng and Executive Member Senator Mazie Hirono in leading a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson , Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer , Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the matter.On March 6, 2024, CAPAC released a press statement on the formal stoppage of reinstating the China Initiative, a Trump-era program created in 2018 that purported to combat espionage but in effect targeted and profiled those of Chinese descent. Read the CAPAC press statement: https://bit.ly/43g5zzy On March 7, 2024, The Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) issued a statement, citing that “[i]t is a win for Asian American scholars, especially, to see the removal of the ‘China Initiative’ language." AASF and partnering organizations previously led nearly 50 organizations in opposing the reinstatement, detailing the “chilling effect” a return of the Initiative would have on Asian Americans scholars. Read the AASF statement: https://bit.ly/3wSMxDn Earlier on February 22, 2024, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) published a position statement opposing the in-instatement of the "China Initiative." Read the ASBMB position statement: https://bit.ly/3TfeDS6 Nature Reports on Why the US Border Remains "A Place of Terror" for Chinese Researchers According to a comprehensive report by Nature on February 26, 2024, the US border remains "a place of terror" for Chinese researchers. Two years after the end of the controversial "China Initiative," academics describe being treated like spies, a loss of talent, and a chilling atmosphere that is stifling science. The report cited a Survey of Chinese Espionage in the United States Since 2000 conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in 2023 that identified 224 allegations of Chinese espionage against the United States since 2000, as well as the tracking of the 162 defendants in known China Initiative cases compiled by MIT Technology Review . The report covers the experiences and testimonials of · An unnamed engineer of Chinese descent, who was detained and interrogated, said border agents "are treating us like spies,” · Gang Chen, Professor of Mechanical Engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), · Jenny Lee, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Practice at the University of Arizona, · George Karniadakis, Professor of Applied Mathematics and Engineering at Brown University, · Gabriela S. Schlau-Cohen Professor of Chemistry at MIT, · Yu Xie, Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, · Kai Li, Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University and Vice President of Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), · Steven Chu, Professor of Physics at Stanford University and former US Secretary of Energy, · Yiguang Ju, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, · Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of AASF. Read the Nature report: https://go.nature.com/49Tv5Nn Republic Sentinel: Reports on Government Institutional Racism: A National Security Threat According to The Republic Sentinel on February 26, 2024, House and Senate GOP efforts to revive a racist Trump era program, known as the "China Initiative," targeting people of Chinese heritage are morally repugnant and endanger our national security.It would be over two months after the release of the MIT Technology Review report before the Biden administration would allegedly end the "China Initiative." The author uses the word "allegedly" because absent an independent audit of FBI cases and Department of Justice's National Security Division (NSD) records, the public has no way of knowing whether NSD and FBI have, in fact, stopped systematically targeting Chinese American STEM specialists for surveillance, including travel surveillance between the U.S. and China. In May 2022, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report that stated outright that Chinese government intelligence services did not prioritize the targeting of Chinese Americans for espionage or technology theft purposes.The language suggests that the assessment in question was completed prior to February 2022, when the end of the "China Initiative" was announced. What we do not know is 1. how much earlier than February 2022, and 2. how wide the distribution of the assessment was within the U.S. government. Both of these questions matter because they go to the heart of whether such an assessment existed before November 2018 (the start of the "China Initiative"), between then and the end of the Trump administration in January 2021, or whether the assessment was only conducted and circulated in the year prior to the alleged end of the "China Initiative." If this assessment was on the books during the Trump administration, it means DoJ officials deliberately ignored an intelligence assessment stating that Chinese intelligence was not systematically targeting Chinese Americans for recruitment--and that any presumption that they were had no factual basis.Read the Republic Sentinel report: https://bit.ly/3uV8zVd Chinese Chipmaker Cleared in US Criminal Trade Secrets Case According to Bloomberg and other media reports, a Chinese chipmaker was cleared of economic espionage and other criminal charges in a setback for a US Justice Department crackdown on intellectual property theft by China under the now-defunct "China Initiative" ( Case 3:18-cr-00465 ).More than five years after the Commerce Department blacklisted Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. as a threat to national security, US District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in San Francisco found the company not guilty following a non-jury trial. Her ruling may temper the Biden administration’s pursuit of aggressive prosecutions to protect American technology.Chesney concluded that US prosecutors failed to prove that the Chinese state-sponsored company misappropriated proprietary data from Micron Technology, America’s largest memory-chip maker, that allegedly passed through Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) in a manufacturing deal with Fujian Jinhua.Read the Bloomberg report: https://bit.ly/3Tf3MHL Alien Land Laws: Reports by USDA Equity Commission and Advancing Justice | Atlanta On February 22, 2024, the USDA Equity Commission submitted its final report to Secretary of Agriculture in response to Presidential Executive Order 13985 On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.On Page 52 of the report, The Equity Commission recommends that USDA should support policies that lead to pathways to access citizenship and family reunification, particularly about the Right to Access Agricultural Land. The report said, "Historical racism and discrimination have led to exclusionary laws that restrict immigrants from owning U.S. properties. The 1879 Oregon constitution specified that 'no Chinaman may own property.' In 1913, in response to anti-immigrant forces, California passed the Alien Land Law to ban Asian immigrants from purchasing properties including farmlands. Subsequent laws extended the ban to include U.S. born children of immigrants and restrict land leases. Fifteen more states followed with similar alien land laws. It wasn’t until after World War II that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down these laws as unconstitutional. "Today, fueled by anti-immigration sentiments, several states are considering alien land legislation to prohibit foreign nationals from certain Asian, Central American, and Middle Eastern countries from purchasing agricultural lands, under the guise of national security protection. Thirteen states have already passed legislations to prohibit Chinese foreign nationals from owning agricultural land or lands within certain distance of a U.S. military installation. Since their arrival, immigrants of color have been perceived as perpetual foreigners. These state proposals would put specifically some communities, specifically Chinese, under unfair, discriminatory scrutiny and suspicion again." Yvonne Lee , who retired from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, serves on the USDA Equity Commission. Read the USDA Equity Commission report: https://bit.ly/4ceyXKE Modern-Day Alien Land Laws' Resurgence Throughout The South According to Advancing Justice | Atlanta, over the years, Georgia has benefited from welcoming businesses and newcomers from around the world. However, in 2023, the Peach State joined 32 other states that introduced 81 bills to restrict land ownership of target persons and entities from certain non- U.S. countries. All of these bills target people from China, though a number also targeted individuals from other nations such as Iran, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Given these law’s historical connection to racist and xenophobic property restriction laws of the early 20th century, we refer to these restrictive laws as “alien land laws.” Not only do they reprise racist laws of the past, but they contribute to the current anti-Asian fervor stemming from COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions. From a legal standpoint, they violate the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and Equal Protection Clause under the 14th Amendment. Georgia remains one of a few states in the South that still has the opportunity to decide against implementing a discriminatory and harmful land law that could lead to unintended legal and economic consequences. The Advancing Justice | Atlanta report examines the history of anti-Chinese legislation in the U.S., and compares provisions across states to present a case for policymakers and stakeholders on why the policy has no place in Georgia.During the APA Justice Monthly Meeting on March 4, 2024, Thông Phan, Senior Policy Associate, Advancing Justice - Atlanta, gave an update on Georgia State Senate Bill 420 and Georgia State House Bill 1093 . Read the report: https://bit.ly/3Ik2iW8 US-China Science and Technology Agreement Extended 6 Months According to Voice of America on March 7, 2024, the United States and China agreed to extend a science and technology agreement (STA) for another six months. “The short-term six-month extension keeps the agreement in force while we continue negotiations,” a State Department spokesperson said.The STA was originally signed in 1979 by then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and then-PRC leader Deng Xiaoping .The agreement has been renewed about every five years since its inception, with the most recent 5-year extension occurring in 2018. Last August, it received a 6-month extension as officials from the two countries undertook negotiations to amend and strengthen the terms.Read the Voice of America report: https://bit.ly/3Pm3SuD Justice Is Global and Rollout of US-China Climate Cooperation Bill During the APA Justice Monthly Meeting on February 5, 2024, Sandy Shan, Executive Director of Justice is Global, introduced its mission of organizing everyday people to advocate for policy changes promoting an equitable and sustainable future. It has focused on challenging narratives that blame China for economic and social issues in the US, recognizing the connection between such narratives and anti-Asian racism.Sandy used a 4-slide presentation in her talk: https://bit.ly/4byMnRe . She was joined and supported by her colleague Valentina Dallona .Sandy focuses on building narratives around US-China cooperation, particularly regarding climate change. Through deep canvassing, they engage communities susceptible to anti-China rhetoric, shifting conversations towards cooperation. They conducted successful discussions in rural Wisconsin, leading to increased support for US-China cooperation on climate issues. Sandy emphasizes the urgency of climate action and the vital role of cooperation between the US and China. She highlights the historic contributions of AAPI communities to scientific collaboration, framing US-China cooperation as crucial for protecting AAPI communities and fostering innovation. She outlines proposed legislation focusing on climate finance, trade, and technology sharing with China. Sandy invites support for their efforts, including messaging, garnering organizational and congressional support, and hosting community events. They provide links for individuals interested in getting involved and express readiness to collaborate.Read the summary of the February 2024 APA Justice monthly meeting at: https://bit.ly/3TzGVqr . Watch Sandy's talk and the February monthly meeting: https://bit.ly/49okkmc (57:00) News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/03/24 Committee of Concerned Scientists Annual Meeting 2024/03/25 Committee of 100: Asian American Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News2024/04/07 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/04/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/04/19 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2024/05/02 AAGEN 2024 Executive Leadership Workshop2024/05/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF March 14, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #181 Heritage Month; Alien Land Bills; C100 Conference; Monica Bertagnolli; Fulbright; + #181 Heritage Month; Alien Land Bills; C100 Conference; Monica Bertagnolli; Fulbright; + In This Issue #181 May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills in Florida and Texas Committee of 100 Annual Conference Who is Monica Bertagnolli, Biden's pick to lead NIH? Want to Improve US-China Relations? Bring back Fulbright Program, Advocates Say Activities and News for the Communities May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month 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. It became the AANHPI Heritage Month under President Joe Biden . May was selected as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 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, 1869.2023/04/28 White House: A Proclamation on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2023 2023/05/01 Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus: CAPAC Members and House Democratic Leader Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023/05/01 National Academy of Public Administration: AAPI Heritage Month Spotlight - Pursuing a More Perfect Union and an Equitable Society by Jeremy Wu On May 1, 2023, CNN updated a story about the terms such as Asian American. APA. APIDA. AAPI. and AANHPI to describe this population of more than 24 million people with roots in East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, Hawaii, Samoa, Guam, Fiji, Tonga, Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands and other Pacific islands. It comprises scores of ethnic groups with distinct histories, cuisines, languages and cultures. It includes recent immigrants, those who have been in the US for generations and those who have endured centuries of colonization.The US government currently defines Asian Americans as those “having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.” It uses the separate category of “Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander” to describe those “having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.”Read the CNN report: https://cnn.it/3NX7eo6 Latest Developments on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills in Florida and Texas According to an opinion by the Los Angeles Times on May 3, 2023, while our country celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature are busy resurrecting a long-dead form of anti-Asian discrimination. The Florida Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 264 in April, and on May 3, the Florida House rushed to pass its twin, House Bill 1355, purportedly to prohibit the Chinese government from buying real estate in Florida. By targeting “any member of the People’s Republic of China,” the bill could also wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people.On May 9, 2023, multiple media including Axios reported that Gov. DeSantis signed legislation that prevents certain foreign nationals from China and six other countries from purchasing what the state deems sensitive American land. It becomes effective on July 1, 2023. DeSantis also signed off on two other bills: one restricting government desktops or servers from downloading TikTok, an app owned by a Chinese company; and another prohibiting Florida colleges and universities from engaging in a partnership with schools overseas without governmental approval. Also on May 9, 2023, United Chinese Americans (UCA) issued a statement calling for national action against the discriminatory law that "among other things, prohibits Chinese nationals from acquiring real property in the state based solely on race, ethnicity and country of origin, ostensibly in the name of national security." According to the statement, UCA will work with Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA), Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) and others to challenge this misguided Florida law and see to it that it is struck down by the Federal court or repealed by the people of Florida. UCA calls on Americans in all walks of life, corporations, civic organizations and faith-based groups, to condemn this act of blatant discrimination. A video titled " A Dark Day in America " (4:09) including statements by Haipei Shue, UCA President, and Anders Fung , Member of Millbrae City Council, was posted by Ding Ding TV.Also on the same day, CALDA issued a statement that the Florida bill may seem to be limited to real estate transactions, but in fact it regards the Chinese people as a threat to the national security of the United States and a target for isolation by the whole society. Despite some last minute changes, the bill still contains undisguised racial discrimination. These provisions mainly target ordinary people and various companies in several countries, prohibiting or restricting their basic rights to directly or indirectly purchase real estate. These provisions violate the US Constitution's prohibition of racial discrimination, and also conflict with the basic values of American society such as equality, tolerance and diversity.Once this discriminatory law is established, it will undoubtedly set off a wave of hatred against Chinese and even all Asians, and no one can be alone. States such as Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia are actively promoting bills similar to those in Florida.CALDA announced immediate legal action to overturn this discriminatory bill. It expects to file a lawsuit in Florida court in about a week, and a court injunction preventing the law from taking effect before the end of this month. CALDA has already begun assembling a team of attorneys and contacting potential plaintiff representatives. It will also work with all like-minded groups, including FAAJA and UCA, to stem this latest anti-Chinese wave. Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition (TMAC) and Civil Rights Town Hall on 2023/05/13 According to Houston Style Magazine on May 9, 2023, the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, with the support of Congressman Al Green , is organizing a Civil Rights Town Hall on May 13th, 2023, at 1 pm at FountainLife Center, located at 14083 S. Main St. Houston, TX 77035. The event will bring together a diverse group of community leaders and organizations, including Congressman Al Green, Rep. Gene Wu , Rep. Ron Reynolds , Bishop James Dixon (NAACP, Houston Branch), Wea Lee (International Trade Center), Judson Robinson (Houston Area Urban League), Dr. Steven Pei (United Chinese Americans), Nabila Mansoor (Rise AAPI), Niloufar Hafizi (Emgage Texas), Dawn Lin (Asian Real Estate Association of America), Gary Nakamura (Japanese American Citizens League, Houston), Claude Cummings, Jr. (Communications Workers of America), Kenneth Li (Asian American Business Council), Eileen Huang (United Association of Chinese Alumni), Dr. Sergio Lira (Greater Houston LULAC 4967), Dr. Pretta VanDible Stallworth , Hua Gu (Sino Professionals Association), Guowei Gu (Shandong Fellowship Association of Southern USA), Baohua Yang (Henan Fellowship Association of Southern USA), Liang Han (Southern Jiangsu Association USA), Yizhu Liao (Hunan Club of Houston), Kathy Xu (Texas Northeast Chinese Association), Casey Kang (Korean American Chamber of Commerce), Terrance Koontz (Texas Organizing Project), Ruth Kravetz (Community Voices for Public Education), Lani Cabral Pasao (People Caring for the Community), Stephen Yoe (Myanmar Chamber of Commerce), Harry Sun (Chinese Chamber of Commerce), H.C. Chang (OCA Greater Houston), William White (CAIR Houston) and many others. The participation of these organizations highlights the broad support for the event and the urgent need to stand against the harmful actions that threaten the rights and opportunities of communities of color.The primary objective of the town hall is to unite multicultural organizations and individuals against the racist and xenophobic Senate Bill 147 and the state takeover of the HISD school board. These actions are detrimental to communities of color: SB 147 threatens the right to property ownership, and the HISD takeover imperils access to quality education and equal opportunities.Read the Houston Style Magazine report: https://bit.ly/3nLxkzV Committee of 100 Annual Conference On May 5, 2023, Jeremy Wu , Founder of APA Justice and Member of the Committee of 100, delivered opening remarks to set the context on Turbulent Times for Chinese Americans. The presentations with and without script are posted at https://bit.ly/3NSmYZx . Eight categories of challenges are identified to be of top concerns to the Chinese American and scientific communities. Legalizing discrimination at the state and federal levels Return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism Warrantless surveillance Mini "China Initiative" conducted by the National Institutes of Health Cross-border profiling, interrogation, harassment, and denial of entry Continuing fallout from the now-defunct "China Initiative" Collateral damage from the deteriorating U.S.-China relations Anti-Asian hate and violence 2023/05/07 Los Angeles Post: Focusing on Challenges Faced by Chinese Americans in Turbulent Times, Committee of 100’s 2023 Annual Meeting Concludes in Silicon Valley 2023/05/07 South China Morning Post: Asian-Americans should prepare for more hate, committee warns 2023/05/06 South China Morning Post: Asian-Americans face numerous hurdles to win greater acceptance and influence, experts say Who is Monica Bertagnolli, Biden's pick to lead NIH? According to Science on April 27, 2023, Monica Bertagnolli never had the luxury of easing into her new job as head of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI).Several weeks after taking over the largest component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in October 2022, the then–63-year-old surgical oncologist was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Early in April, she unveiled a plan to implement President Joe Biden ’s signature Cancer Moonshot initiative. And Biden is expected to cap Bertagnolli’s whirlwind first 7 months in Washington, D.C., by nominating her to become the 17th director of NIH, the federal government’s crown jewel of biomedical research.The previous NIH Director, Francis Collins , stepped down in December 2021. If confirmed by the Senate, Bertagnolli would be only the second woman to lead NIH, following Bernadine Healy , who stepped down in 1993.Once nominated, her first hurdle will be a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee . Bertagnolli has never testified before Congress (and leading NCI doesn’t require Senate confirmation). The HELP panel is chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders (I–VT).On March 23, 2023, Science published an investigative report titled PALL OF SUSPICION - The National Institutes of Health’s “China initiative” has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers and an editorial titled Eroding Trust and Collaboration . "Given the information available in the public domain, the scientific community could easily conclude that this is a xenophobic program to harm Chinese scientists and cut off international scientific cooperation. The federal government needs to figure out a way to let the NIH and the institutions reassure the community that this is all worth it," the editorial concluded.Read the Science report at https://bit.ly/3oWH1eY and its editorial at https://bit.ly/3z24z40 Want to Improve US-China Relations? Bring back Fulbright Program, Advocates Say According to the South China Morning Post on April 28, 2023, as tensions between Washington and Beijing keep rising, a loose alliance of former officials, politicians and ordinary US citizens are pushing to restore one of America’s oldest and most prestigious connections to China that observers hail as unmatched in its potential to put the relationship back on track.The Fulbright China program, which for over four decades sent American scholars to the country and brought their Chinese counterparts to the US, was cancelled in 2020 by an executive order from then-president Donald Trump over Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in Hong Kong. President Joe Biden has extended the order twice.Opposition came thick and fast from within and outside the Fulbright community. Seton Hall University professor Margaret Lewis , for example, likened the decision to “shooting ourselves in the foot”, and an alumni-led petition to restore the program garnered more than 700 signatures in two days.“Appalled” by the cancellation, Colleen O’Connor and fellow alumni formed a group of 100 volunteers called the Protect Fulbright China Coalition to push for its restoration. On March 29, 2023 Representatives Rick Larsen of Washington, Don Beyer of Virginia and Judy Chu of California reintroduced the Restoring Fulbright Exchanges bill .Under the Nationalist government in 1947, China was the first country to sign a Fulbright agreement with the US, though the program was paused after the Communist Party came into power in 1949. Since restoring operations after the two countries normalized relations in 1979, the US sent more than 3,500 Americans to China under the program and received more than 1,500 Chinese in the US. Proponents describe its impact as profound.The Fulbright China program counts among its alumni Kevin Nealer , a former member of president Barack Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board; Scott Kennedy , senior adviser in Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; John Pomfret , The Washington Post’s former Beijing bureau chief; and legions of academics.As of last October, there were fewer than 400 American students in the country – a sharp contrast from 2018, when China was hosting more than 11,000.There are organizations in the Biden administration, particularly in intelligence and law enforcement, “who are opposing restoring the Fulbright on national security grounds”, said Dennis Wilder , a research fellow at the Initiative for US-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, while noting these concerns were not necessarily shared by the White House. Neither the Trump nor Biden administration spelled out what the concerns with the program were.Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/3ngzvLl News and Activities for the Communities 1. Victims of Mass Shooting in Allen, Texas According to multiple media reports, eight people including four Asian Americans were killed, and at least seven others were injured in a mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Texas on May 6, 2023.Three of the victims killed in Saturday's shooting belonged to one family. Cindy Cho, 35, and Kyu Cho, 37, and their 3-year-old son, James Cho , were among the victims. Their 6-year-old son, William , was also shot and has been released from the ICU. He is now with his extended family. The Korean American family was visiting the Allen Premium Outlets to exchange clothes William had gotten for his birthday four days prior to the shooting. Aishwarya Thatikonda, an engineer from India who lived in the Dallas suburb, was among those killed. She was less than a week away from celebrating her 28th birthday. Thatikonda was at the Allen mall with a friend when the shooting took place. Her friend was wounded in the shooting. Her family is now planning to repatriate her remains to India with the help of the Telugu Association of North America. She received a master's degree in construction management from Eastern Michigan University in the US in 2020. For the last two years, she was working for a Dallas-based contracting firm on a US work visa.On May 9, 2023, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus issued a statement about the mass shooting. “While investigations into specific motive are ongoing, Allen, Texas, and the surrounding areas have among the highest percentage of Asian Americans outside of the coasts and half of the victims are also of Asian descent. With the shooter’s likely social media presence demonstrating an ugly promotion of neo-Nazism and violent white supremacist ideology, it remains clear Congress and elected officials around the country have a lot more to do to fight extremism here at home and create a safe, welcoming multiracial democracy for us all.“This is the second largest mass shooting in this country this year, but every single day Americans die from gun violence. From going to the mall, going to school, to celebrating Lunar New Year, knocking on the wrong door or driving down the wrong driveway, it is clear that the problem is the guns. We must ban assault weapons now. Letting these weapons of war remain on our streets comes at the cost of American lives.” 2. Turbulence Ahead: Racial & Religious Profiling at the Border and Ports According to Advancing Justice | AAJC on April 20, 2023, 22 years after 9/11, racial and religious profiling is still the harsh reality for many Americans. Last March, three Muslim-American travelers from Minnesota, Texas, and Arizona sued the Department of Homeland Security after they were stopped multiple times by U.S. officials over several years at the border and in international airports. They were interrogated to determine if they were Muslims, if they attended a mosque, and how often they prayed. The distress of these experiences has led one man to stop wearing a kufi and to stop carrying religious texts when he travels internationally to avoid scrutiny. In recent months, there have also been reports of academics and scientists of Chinese descent being stopped, questioned, and harassed by law enforcement upon re-entry into the U.S., creating a chilling effect for many in the community.Profiling people at the border due to their race, ethnicity, or religion is illegal under the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is required to base its enforcement activities solely on credible intelligence and legitimate law enforcement purposes.In recent years, several racial and religious profiling cases have been widely reported and further highlight the problem at the border. Racial and religious profiling has created an environment of fear for communities of color across the country, but there are steps you can take to stand up for yourself.Read the Advancing Justice | AAJC blog at https://bit.ly/3ndt0ZJ 3 . 'Anti-Asian Racism' names the sin of white supremacy in Catholic Church According to the National Catholic Reporter on April 29, 2023, Servite Fr. Joseph Cheah is hopeful that telling Asian American-centered stories will help communities and individuals begin to understand the ways in which racism and white supremacy have shaped history. In his latest book, Anti-Asian Racism: Myths, Stereotypes, and Catholic Social Teaching , Cheah takes a wide and integral view on how Catholic social teaching can inform the way Catholics engage in the work of anti-racism in the context of Asian American communities. Read the National Catholic Reporter interview at https://bit.ly/3ALaV8F 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 . Copyright © 2023 APA Justice, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in or have expressed interest. Our mailing address is: APA Justice P.O. Box 257 McLean, VA 22101-0257 Add us to your address book We do not share, sell, rent or trade any of your information with third parties unless you provide explicit consent. Read our Privacy Policy here . Back View PDF May 11, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter