Newsletter - #349 9/8 Meeting; Revamped Website; CT AG William Tong Remarks; Intro of FALA; Litigations+ #349 9/8 Meeting; Revamped Website; CT AG William Tong Remarks; Intro of FALA; Litigations+ In This Issue #349 · 2025/09/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · APA Justice Launches Revamped Website · Remarks by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong · Introduction of Federation of Asian Professor Associations · Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/09/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, September 8, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET. The meeting is postponed one week because September 1 is Labor Day, a federal holiday. In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Rosie Levine , Executive Director, U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) · Cindy Tsai , Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Committee of 100 (C100) · Bob Sakaniwa , Director of Policy and Advocacy, APIAVote · Thu Nguyen , Executive Director, OCA National Center Rosie and Cindy return to announce the launch of a series of webinars co-hosted by C100, USCET, and APA Justice. The dual mission of C100 is to promote the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and to advance constructive relations between the U.S. and Greater China. The mission of the US-China Education Trust (USCET) is to promote US-China relations through education and exchange for China's next-generation leaders by fostering greater mutual understanding of the US and China.Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is the nation’s leading nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging, educating, and empowering Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to strengthen and sustain a culture of civic engagement. Bob will update us on APIAVote's plans and activities as we approach the November election.Founded in 1973, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a 501(c)(3) national member-driven nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. with 35+ chapters and affiliates across the U.S. The 2025 OCA National Convention was held in Seattle, Washington, July 24 - 27, 2025. Thu returns to update us on OCA's latest plans and activities.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 . APA Justice Launches Revamped Website Effective August 28, 2025, APA Justice has launched its redesigned website: https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/ . Visitors to the previous site will be automatically redirected. The new site offers a sharper focus on APA Justice’s mission, improved organization, and a forward-looking design ready for the integration of AI tools that will expand accessibility and understanding.This revamp was led by Vincent Wang , Co-Organizer of APA Justice, together with two interns: Charlotte Ding , a recent Cornell University graduate in Computer Science, and Ryan Zhao , a junior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Computer Science. Highlights of the New Website The redesigned site features a streamlined structure for easier navigation across key issue areas. It is built to be dynamic and will continue to evolve and improve. Racial Profiling · The China Initiative · Attempts to Revive The China Initiative · FBI & Law Enforcement · Chinese Exclusion Act · McCarthyism Rights & Fairness · Birthright Citizenship · Warrantless Surveillance Social Justice · Alien Land Laws · Impacted Persons Activities · Monthly Meetings · Newsletters · Yellow Whistle Campaign · Community Calendar News · News Archive on APA Justice Issues Resources · Know Your Rights · Library · COVID-19 Resources · Who Is Chinese American? · APA Heritage Month · Asian American History · Report Hate Incidents About · History and Mission of APA Justice What’s Next? APA Justice is also exploring the development of AI tools and a chatbot to help users more easily navigate and engage with the site’s content.We welcome your feedback. Please send comments and suggestions to: contact@apajustice.org . Remarks by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong William Tong 湯偉麟 is the Attorney General of the State of Connecticut and the first Chinese American ever elected to serve as Attorney General in any state in the union. He is also the first Chinese American—and first Asian American—elected to any state office in Connecticut's history. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 5, 2025, AG Tong emphasizes the significance of recent achievements for the AAPI community, particularly Chinese Americans, acknowledging that such progress came far too late. He highlights the persistent issues of xenophobia, racism, and scapegoating that target Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. He also challenges harmful stereotypes portraying AAPI individuals as quiet, non-confrontational, and lacking leadership. A key point is the community’s limited political power—a reality often overlooked. He underscores the urgent need for increased AAPI representation and leadership across public and private sectors. He points out the political progress of the South Asian community within the broader AAPI group, noting its stronger voice and greater representation, including members of Congress, a governor, and the Vice President. In contrast, the East Asian community, particularly Chinese Americans, has lagged in political representation. He underscores this disparity by pointing out his own milestone as the first Chinese American elected as Attorney General only in 2018 and currently the highest-ranking Chinese American state official—emphasizing how few such leaders exist. He discusses the lack of political power and representation for Chinese Americans, emphasizing that when the community is targeted, there are very few voices to speak up—and even fewer that are actually heard. He stresses the importance of speaking out, especially on critical issues like birthright citizenship, which is foundational for many Asian Americans. He argues that if more AAPI leaders held power, they could both defend the community and help prevent discrimination. He highlights ongoing challenges, including being seen as perpetual foreigners and the rise in anti-Asian hate, but affirms that the AAPI experience is deeply American, not foreign. Speaking from Connecticut, he shares historical examples—like Joseph Pierce , a Chinese American Civil War soldier, and Yung Wing , the first Chinese American Yale graduate and lawyer—to highlight the long-standing presence and contributions of Chinese Americans in U.S. history. He challenges the misconception that the community only arrived in recent decades, emphasizing that many Chinese Americans have deep roots in the country. Whether fleeing hardship or seeking opportunity, their story is not foreign or recent—it's a longstanding and truly American story. AG Tong closes by sharing an incident involving Amara Walker, a part-Korean CNN journalist who faced racist attacks despite her public status. Walker’s statement, “I’m as American as Korean barbecue,” resonated deeply with the speaker, who relates similarly to American cultural identity through food like egg rolls and pork fried rice. The talk stresses the importance of telling AAPI stories to highlight their deep roots in America and affirm their rightful place in the country. He condemns discrimination against Asian academics and scientists as not only wrong but an attack on their identity. Ultimately, he calls for a critical mass of voices to stand together against such attacks—emphasizing unity and collective strength to better protect the community. A video recording of Attorney General William Tong’s talk is available at https://youtu.be/vXDx013lmwA Introduction of Federation of Asian Professor Associations Another distinguished speaker from Connecticut at the APA Justice monthly on May 5, 2025, was Haifan Lin 林海帆 , President, Federation of Asian Professor Associations (FAPA); Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, Yale University. Haifan Lin was elected as the inaugural president of the Federation of Asian Professor Associations (FAPA) in 2024. FAPA was formed to protect the academic rights of AAPI faculty amid growing threats to academic freedom and due process, especially during heightened U.S.–China tensions. The unjust targeting of Chinese American scientists underscored the need for collaboration rather than isolation. Several Asian faculty associations from accredited academic institutions across the U.S. came together with a shared mission to seek fairness and justice. FAPA is not a membership organization for individuals, but a national umbrella organization designed to coordinate and amplify these efforts toward a more just and inclusive academic future. FAPA’s missions are: · To promote open collaboration in education, research, scholarship, and professional development. · To advocate for and safeguard academic freedom, legal rights, and career advancement opportunities for its members. Since forming its leadership team in October 2024, FAPA has established itself as a legally sound, independent nonprofit organization. It has streamlined governance, built a skilled volunteer team, partnered with Yale Law School for legal guidance, officially incorporated in Delaware on February 16, 2025, and is currently finalizing its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. FAPA has also launched several key initiatives: · Conducted a nationwide wellness survey—led by the Columbia University Asian Faculty Association—to assess the climate and mental health of Asian faculty. · Hosted public forums with leaders such as Azad Ranjanali from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Ambassador Gary Locke to elevate the voices of Asian American scholars. · Advocated for due process protections in federal investigations, particularly in cases involving foreign affiliations, and submitted policy recommendations to OSTP that balance national security with civil liberties. · Publicly supported scholars such as Professor Xiaofeng Wang of Indiana University, whose termination—lacking transparency—raises serious legal and ethical concerns. · Launched the Synergy newsletter to inform and connect the growing community. FAPA's work goes beyond advocating for Asian faculty; it is about protecting the integrity of American academia. Racial profiling, political pressure, and the erosion of due process harm not only individuals but the entire academic system. Marginalizing any group puts others at risk, stifles innovation, and deprives students of mentors and role models. FAPA believes that diversity is not just a value—it is a strategic asset. Defending that asset is a collective responsibility. FAPA calls for unity in building a more just academic future. It continues to partner with key organizations and invites faculty associations, administrators, students, and allies to join in efforts to drive policy change, share best practices, and support colleagues under threat—emphasizing that we are stronger when we stand together. In the words of FAPA's founding message: Diversity is our strength, and synergy is our power .A video recording of Professor Haifan Lin’s talk is available at https://youtu.be/oho2pPBXECg Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions As of August 27, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump 's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 383 with the following summary: · Case Closed in Favor of Plaintiff: 0 · Blocked: 24 · Temporarily Blocked: 77 · Blocked Pending Appeal: 18 · Temporarily Blocked in Part; Temporary Block Denied in Part: 11 · Temporary Block Denied: 39 · Not Blocked Pending Appeal: 36 · Awaiting Court Ruling: 147 · Case Closed: 22 · Misc: Transferred: 2 · Case Closed/Dismissed in Favor of Government: 7 Among the recent developments is: United States of America v. Russell (D. Md.). Case: 1:25-cv-02029. A Trump-appointed federal judge, Judge Thomas Cullen , dismissed the administration’s lawsuit against all 15 sitting and senior judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The administration had challenged Chief Judge George L. Russell ’s court-wide order imposing temporary pauses on deportations when petitioners file habeas corpus claims. Calling the case “unprecedented and unfortunate,” the court found that the District Court judges have sovereign and judicial immunity, and that the suit was a violation of separation of powers. Judge Cullen said the litigation was “novel and potentially calamitous” and that the government should have appealed in the relevant cases instead. The administration quickly filed an appeal . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 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 Yang2025/09/09 China Connections — Chinese Encounters with America: Profiles of Changemakers Who Shaped China2025/09/16-17 2025 AANHPI Unity Summit 2025/09/23 Committee of 100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable?Visit 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 . 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Racial Profiling Alien Land Bills Alien land bills, also known as alien land laws upon passage, have historically restricted the landownership and property rights of immigrants, particularly those of Asian descent. They are being revived today. Dive into the issue Latest developments Court Hearing and A New Movement Emerges This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Lawsuit Against Florida Senate Bill 264 This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Texas House Bill 1075 and Senate Bill 552 This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Campaign to Oppose The Nomination of Casey Arrowood This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. More News Research Grant Politicization Research grants to organizations and academics with Chinese ties have become politicized, posing a threat to apolitical, peer-reviewed science. Learn More Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882, which Iowa Congressman John Kasson described as "one of the most vulgar forms of barbarism." Learn More Learn more about related issues Featured: Interactive map Tracking Alien Land Bills The Committee of 100 launched an alien land bill tracker and a companion interactive map on December 15, 2023. This database tracks and maps state and federal bills that target property ownership by non-citizens, particularly from countries like China. These resources are updated four times a year in March, July, October, and December. Committee of 100: 2024 Alien Land Bill Tracker and Map Committee of 100: 2023 Alien Land Bill Tracker and Map In early 2023, APA Justice launched an interactive Alien Land Bill tracker with an interactive map to monitor restrictive state land ownership legislation. Following collaborative efforts, the Committee of 100 launched its own Alien Land Bill tracker and interactive map on December 15, 2023. Subsequently, APA Justice discontinued updates to its original tracker and map. As of May 28, 2023, there are 33 states known to have introduced some form of alien land and property bills in the current or recent legislative session. A few had passed and signed into state law; some have died; others were still pending. Original state-by-state links to the legislations and map were provided as community resources. They were collected from multiple sources including research by APA Justice, Advancing Justice | AAJC, Committee of 100, National Agricultural Law Center, Project South, media reports, and crowdsourcing. California's 1913 Alien Land Law During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 3, 2023, Paula Madison, businesswoman and retired executive from NBCUniversal, proposed a proactive and assertive national media alert network for the Asian American community. The idea was prompted by the challenge of Texas Senate Bill 147 (SB147) and the revival of discriminatory alien land bills. While this bill was introduced in Texas, the implications nationally and globally were huge. It was decided that a roundtable will be convened to further discuss the development and implementation of the concept and strategies for the near term and the longer term. Following a discussion with the Asian American Journalists Association on April 10, 2023, the virtual Inaugural Roundtable was hosted by APA Justice on April 17, 2023. April 2023 Meeting Apr. 3rd 2023 National Media Network Read More According to the Equal Justice Initiative , on May 3, 1913, California enacted the Alien Land Law, barring Asian immigrants from owning land. California tightened the law further in 1920 and 1923, barring the leasing of land and land ownership by American-born children of Asian immigrant parents or by corporations controlled by Asian immigrants. The 1913 California Alien Land Law was one of the earliest and most influential U.S. laws specifically restricting Asian immigrants' land ownership rights. Anti-Asian land restrictions had been developing, especially on the West Coast, influenced by widespread anti-Asian sentiment. California's law became a model for similar legislation in other states. California did not stand alone. Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming all enacted discriminatory laws restricting Asians’ rights to hold land in America. In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed various versions of the discriminatory land laws—and upheld every single one. Most of these discriminatory state laws remained in place until the 1950s, and some even longer. California's 1913 Alien Land Law According to the Equal Justice Initiative , on May 3, 1913, California enacted the Alien Land Law, barring Asian immigrants from owning land. California tightened the law further in 1920 and 1923, barring the leasing of land and land ownership by American-born children of Asian immigrant parents or by corporations controlled by Asian immigrants. The 1913 California Alien Land Law was one of the earliest and most influential U.S. laws specifically restricting Asian immigrants' land ownership rights. Anti-Asian land restrictions had been developing, especially on the West Coast, influenced by widespread anti-Asian sentiment. California's law became a model for similar legislation in other states. California did not stand alone. Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming all enacted discriminatory laws restricting Asians’ rights to hold land in America. In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed various versions of the discriminatory land laws—and upheld every single one. Most of these discriminatory state laws remained in place until the 1950s, and some even longer.

Newsletter - #230 1/8 Meeting Summary; Foreign Ownership of US Farmland; Military-Industrial Complex; + #230 1/8 Meeting Summary; Foreign Ownership of US Farmland; Military-Industrial Complex; + In This Issue #230 · 2024/01/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary · Foreign Ownership of US Farmland and Tracking "Alien Land Laws" · President Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell Speech on "Military-Industrial Complex" · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/01/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary The January 8, 2024, APA Justice monthly meeting summary is now available at https://bit.ly/3tQykpr . We thank the following speakers for their remarks and updates: · Congresswoman Judy Chu 赵美心, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), kicked off the new year with her review of 2023 and a look ahead to 2024. Rep. Chu acknowledges the community's importance in addressing profiling issues and commends their leadership for raising awareness. Rep. Chu highlights the challenges faced by the Asian American scientific community, citing major wins in 2023. She covers legislative challenges, focusing on bills restricting land ownership for Chinese and immigrant communities in various states. Rep. Chu shares the successful advocacy efforts in Texas but notes similar laws passing in other states. She emphasizes their negative impact on families and realtors and her joint effort with Rep. Al Green to introduce a federal bill countering such discriminatory laws. Rep. Chu addresses successful advocacy against harmful language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), emphasizing the importance of protecting the Asian American community. She underscores the need to recognize and preserve the resilient history of Asian American communities, mentioning regrets of both Senate and House resolutions on the historical discrimination of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Rep. Chu outlines future priorities, including combating anti-Asian discrimination and advocating for FISA Section 702 reform. A transcript of Rep. Chu’s remarks was published in Issue 229 of the APA Justice Newsletter at https://bit.ly/48AZIqx . A YouTube video of her remarks is posted at https://bit.ly/3tUixpp (11:56). · Hongwei Shang 商红伟, co-founder and vice president of the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA), described the significant growth of FAAJA since it was created in response to SB 264, a discriminatory bill prohibiting land and property ownership by Chinese and other nationals in Florida, especially after a memorable rally with prominent speakers and support from media groups, the Asian American, Latin American, black, and Jewish communities, and national organizations such as UCA, NAACP, LULAC, and AREAA in Miami on December 16, 2023. FAAJA memberships is now about 500. Haipei Shue 薛海培, President of United Chinese Americans (UCA) expresses gratitude to Congressman Judy Chu , Gene Wu , and Andrew Yang for speaking at the protest in Miami. Despite facing a major storm, the protest drew support from various minority groups serving as a model for moving forward. Haipei acknowledges the vulnerability of the Chinese community and the challenges they will face in the next two decades, including civil rights issues and concerns about political extremism. UCA is working to launch a civil rights movement in response to these challenges. Overall, Haipei remains optimistic that the Chinese community will overcome these challenges and see better days ahead. · Ted Gong, Executive Director, provides an overview of the 1882 Foundation, which began almost 12 years ago. The importance of the Senate and House resolutions in 2011 and 2012 was not just to express regret of what Congress did with the Chinese Exclusion Act, but also to reaffirm that Congress has the responsibility to protect the rights of all people in the U.S. The Foundation focuses on preserving oral histories and sites, working with school systems on lesson plans and curriculum, and collaborating with museums to spread awareness about the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Despite the recent 80th anniversary of its repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, issues like anti-Asian hate persist. Ted and APA Justice are working on a potential series of webinars on immigration laws where Martin Gold , Pro Bono Counsel of the 1882 Project and Partner of Capitol Counsel, will provide historical insights. Martin emphasizes that what was done in 2011 and 2012 should not gather dust on the shelf but be a point of ongoing education for the community and for others. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the third of 8 separate enactments of Congress. It became permanent in 1904 and remained so until 1943 when the law was repealed in the middle of the Second World War as a war measure. The Senate resolution sponsored by Senator Scott Brown passed by unanimous consent. The House resolution sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu passed under suspension of the rules. At the time of their sponsorship, they were members of the minority party in their respective chambers. Martin went on to explain how Scott Brown, a Republican Senator from Massachusetts, got to be the sponsor in the Senate. · Dr. Yawei Liu 刘亚伟, Senior Advisor, China Focus at the Carter Center, reported that the Carter Center was founded in 1982. Carter Center’s work in China started in the mid-1990s. Although Kissinger went to China in 1971 and Nixon went to China in 1972. It was President Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 who made the joint decision to normalize the relationship in 1978. Diplomatic relations were normalized on January 1, 1979. Dr. Liu told the story of the first Carter Center project in China and how it pivoted to the mission of promoting a better understanding between the two countries and how to prevent conflicts in the Pacific and in East Asia after President Carter met the new leader Xi Jinping 习近平 in 2012. Starting in December 2012, the inaugural Carter Center Forum on US China Relations was opened in Beijing. From 2012 to 2019, a total of 7 forums were held. This year is the first in-person forum on US-China relations after the pandemic to be held at the Carter Center in Atlanta. It is also the first time the forum is named the Jimmy Carter Forum on US-China Relations. In the US, the Carter Center is criticized as being too soft on China as well as colluding with the Chinese Communist Party. In China, the Carter Center is blacklisted because of the government's belief that it is trying to promote human rights and political reform in China. The most important mission for China Focus at the Carter Center is to wage peace between the 2 countries through better understanding of each other, through communicating with each other, and through recommendations on mechanisms to stabilize relationships. · Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, provided three updates. First, the discriminatory Rounds Amendment was stripped from the final version of the NDAA. It would have effectively prohibited foreign citizens including Chinese citizens from purchasing various forms of US land. Second, a four-month extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was included in the NDAA which was signed by President Joe Biden . Third, senators on both sides of the aisle are considering extreme permanent changes to US immigration law in exchange for Ukraine aid. These harmful immigration policy proposals include gutting the asylum system, locking up more immigrants and families in detention, and expedited removals that would endanger undocumented people across the country. · Eri Andriola, Associate Director of Policy & Litigation for Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), substituted for Gisela Perez Kusakawa and provided three updates. First. AASF is monitoring the impacts of Florida's SB 846, which restricts Florida's public colleges and universities from hiring researchers and graduate assistants from several “countries of concern,” which include China and Iran. Second, on December 7, 2023, AASF sent a joint letter with 48 coalition partners to Congress to oppose language to reinstate the Department of Justice's China initiative in a House appropriations bill and any future iterations of the initiative. The letter highlighted the lasting harms to scholars targeted, as well as the chilling effect on Asian American scholars and their leadership in science and technology. Third, Eri also expressed thanks to APA Justice for co-hosting a community briefing webinar on FISA Section 702 on December 12, 2023. The briefing featured civil rights, national security, and policy experts, who broke down what FISA Section 702 is and how it impacts Asian American communities. Read the 2024/01/08 monthly meeting summary: https://bit.ly/3tQykpr . Read past monthly meeting summaries: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP On December 12, 2023, a coalition of five organizations hosted a Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA: Sweeping Reforms to Warrantless Surveillance Initiative. Panelists discussed the key reform bills at play, including the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GSRA) and the Protecting Liberty and Ending Warrantless Surveillance Act (PLEWSA), and how the Asian American community and advocates can get involved on this issue. Video of the webinar is posted here: https://bit.ly/3O4Lw0v (YouTube video 59:22). Foreign Ownership of US Farmland and Tracking "Alien Land Laws" As reported at the January 8 APA Justice monthly meeting, the Rounds Amendment was successfully kept out of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. If enacted, it would have effectively prohibited foreign citizens including Chinese citizens from purchasing various forms of US land, very much in line with the resurgence of the discriminatory alien land laws at the state level. The Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA) became law in late 1978. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains a nationwide system for the collection of information pertaining to foreign ownership in U.S. agricultural land and produces annual reports at: https://bit.ly/3u9DInv . Detailed data with individual entries in Excel files are available at: https://bit.ly/47CxomkOn November 2, 2023, the American Farm Bureau Federation analyzed the 2021 AFIDA data and published a report with a series of maps and charts on Foreign Investment in U.S. Agricultural Land. As of 2021, 40.83 million acres of U.S. agricultural land are owned by foreign investors and companies. This corresponds to 3.1% of all privately held agricultural land and 1.8% of all land in the United States. Canadian investors own the largest portion of foreign-held U.S. agricultural land with 31% of the total and 0.97% of all U.S. agricultural land. Following Canada, investors from the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany own 0.37%, 0.21%, 0.19%, and 0.17% of U.S. agricultural land, respectively. Figure 2 further breaks down foreign-investor-held land by predominant origin nation. Forestry and energy production are the main interests for foreign ownership of US agricultural land. In 2021, 48% of reported foreign-held agricultural land was forestland, 29% was cropland, 18% was pastureland and 5% was other agricultural land and non-ag land, which accounts for factors like owner or worker housing and rural roads. These proportions vary widely depending on the state. Forestland, for instance, makes up 99%, 98%, 86% and 85% of foreign-held agricultural land in Maine, Alabama, Louisiana and Michigan, respectively. In states with significant timber industries, this land is primarily held by investors from Canada and the Netherlands. Of the top eight states with the highest concentrations of foreign-investor-held land, only two (Colorado and Oklahoma) have cropland as their largest foreign-held land category, with investors primarily from Canada, Italy, and Germany. Between 1981 and 2021, foreign ownership of US. agricultural land increased from 1% to 3.1%. Many of the current concerns about foreign ownership of U.S. ag land have focused on China. China is ranked 18th in the ownership of U.S. ag land with 383,000 acres, less than 1% of total foreign-owned U.S. ag land, or just 0.03% of all agricultural land in the U.S. The combined total ownership by the other "countries of concern" - Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela - is about 95,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S., which corresponds to 0.007%.The Land Report 100 produces a list of the 100 largest landowners in the U.S. In 2024, America’s largest landowner is Red Emmerson . He and his family own 2,411,000 acres in California, Oregon, and Washington through their timber-products company, Sierra Pacific Industries. The Emmersons became America’s largest landowners in 2021 when they acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon, surpassing Liberty Media chairman John Malone ’s 2,200,000 acres. CNN founder Ted Turner is America’s third largest landowner with 2 million acres in the Southeast, on the Great Plains, and across the West. Chinese entrepreneur Tianqiao Chen ranks 82 as the owner of 198,000 acres of Oregon timberland. An ongoing onslaught of federal and state legislation prohibiting property ownership by citizens of foreign countries (i.e. “alien land laws”) has raised alarm throughout the Asian American community. In response, the Committee of 100 has created a database and interactive data visualization tool to help individuals and organizations identify and track related legislative activity by state governments and Congress, especially those related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The tracking results and interactive tools are available at https://bit.ly/3Hxta4B . According to the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) on January 17, 2024, the plaintiff's motion for an expedited appeal has been granted by the Appeals Court in Atlanta. Oral argument and disposition have been ordered for the court's calendar. A separate order will follow on the motion for injunction pending appeal to block the Florida alien land law SB 264, which went into effect in Florida on July 1, 2023. President Dwight Eisenhower's Farewell Speech on "Military-Industrial Complex" According to the National Archives, 63 years ago on January 17, 1961, in this farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the establishment of a "military-industrial complex." In a televised speech, he surprised many with his strong warnings which still ring true today. As President of the United States for two terms, Eisenhower had slowed the push for increased defense spending despite pressure to build more military equipment during the Cold War’s arms race. Until World War II, the United States had no armaments industry. Nonetheless, the American military services and the defense industry had expanded a great deal in the 1950s. Eisenhower thought this growth was needed to counter the Soviet Union, but it confounded him. A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be might, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.... American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions.... This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience.... Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications.... In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.... We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together. President Eisenhower's warning remains a cautionary message against the undue concentration of power and influence within the military-industrial complex, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balance between national security and the preservation of democratic values and institutions. President Eisenhower was the commanding general of the victorious forces in Europe during World War II. He served as President of Columbia University in 1948-1953. He obtained a truce in Korea and worked incessantly during his two terms as U.S. President (1953-1961) to ease the tensions of the Cold War. The end of Eisenhower’s term as President not only marked the end of the 1950s, but also the end of an era in government. A new, younger generation was rising to national power that would set a more youthful, vigorous course. He died in 1969.Watch President Eisenhower's farewell address: https://bit.ly/3O6eeyq (video 16:03). Read the National Archives transcript of his speech: https://bit.ly/47JdHZY News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2024/01/22 White House Briefing on the 51st Anniversary of Roe v. Wade2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/02/10 New Year's Day of the Year of the Dragon2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/04/07 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/04/19 Committee of 100 Annual Conference & GalaVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Asian American gymnasts at University of Florida According to the Alligator on January 18, 2024, Morgan Hurd , a redshirt sophomore at the University of Florida (UF), is a Chinese American and has competed in gymnastics since she was little. She shares similar identities with her teammates, senior Victoria Nguyen and junior Leanne Wong , who are also Asian Americans. Wong is also a Chinese American, and Nguyen is Vietnamese. In a sport that has recently seen a rise in prominence by Asian Americans like Suni Lee , who became the first Asian American woman to win gold in gymnastics all-around, student-athletes like Hurd still struggled for years to find their sense of belonging within sports because of her identity. In the NCAA and at the Division I level, where UF athletics compete, Asians make up just 2% of all student-athletes, according to a 2022-2023 report. The report stated there were just 11,326 (2.2%) Asian student-athletes out of 526,084 total across the NCAA. At the Division I level, there are 3,735 (2.0%) Asian student-athletes out of 188,485 total. While the figure of Asian American student-athletes in the NCAA has grown from 6,859 in 2012 to 11,326 in 2023, the percentage of Asian-American student-athletes has remained at just 2% despite the overall growth in numbers. Of the more than 500 student-athletes at UF, only 16 are Asian.Despite the many challenges they face going back to when Nguyen was 7 years old and through the pandemic, they share similar cultures at UF and thrive at their sport. “In the pandemic, I really found community in that,” Hurd said. “I realized there is no being ‘Asian enough,’ and I do belong in this [Asian American] community.”Although Hurd, Wong and Nguyen represent a small number of Asian student-athletes, their impact has gone a long way. The trio were key members of a Florida team that won the 2023 Southeastern Conference Championship and finished second in the 2023 National Championship. Wong became the 2023 SEC balance beam champion. Nguyen was named a 2023 NCAA All-American, and the pair both claimed 2023 All-SEC honors. Their strength in their identity has helped them grow as people and helped show others they can do it too. Read the Alligator report: https://bit.ly/3S9uXSq 3. One Year Anniversary of Monterey Park January 21, 2024, marks one year since a gunman entered Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, and opened fire, murdering 11 individuals and seriously wounding 9 others. The shooter then went on to Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra, attempted to enter and continue his killing spree, and was only stopped by the heroic actions of Brandon Tsay , who saved countless lives that day. This shooting, the worst in Los Angeles County history, occurred on the eve of Lunar New Year in a community that is majority Asian American and is considered the first suburban Chinatown in the nation. Read the CAPAC statement: https://bit.ly/3O9WB0A . Read the White House statement: https://bit.ly/4b1DGPbAccording to TIME , Monterey Park—typically the first in the region to kick off Lunar New Year celebrations— has pushed back its annual festival by a week, and plans to hold a vigil to honor the victims lost a year ago. While the anniversary throws a spotlight on Monterey Park, healing has been an ongoing effort for residents over the past year. A resiliency center was established by the Chinatown Service Center, an Los Angeles-based non-profit working to address the needs of Chinese immigrants in the region. Read the TIME report: https://bit.ly/3HrVGVn Back View PDF January 22, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #324 4/7 Meeting; Rallies and Hearing in TX; US Data Integrity; Rule of Law; Litigations;+ #324 4/7 Meeting; Rallies and Hearing in TX; US Data Integrity; Rule of Law; Litigations;+ In This Issue #324 · 2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Texas Tri-City Rallies Against Alien Land Bills and Hearing · Threats to U.S. Statistical Data Integrity · Opinions: Advocate to Safeguard the Rule of Law · Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, April 7, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Mark Takano , First Vice Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Member, U.S. House of Representatives · Erwin Chemerinsky , Dean, Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley · Cindy Tsai , Interim President, Committee of 100 · X. Edward Guo , President, Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE) The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . Texas Tri-City Rallies Against Alien Land Bills and Hearing Hundreds of concerned Texans gathered in Austin, Dallas, and Houston on March 29-30, 2025, to protest the discriminatory and unconstitutional proposals of State Bill 17 (SB17) and House Bill 17 (HB17). Their demonstrations received extensive local media coverage: · 2025/03/30 KTRK (ABC13) @Houston: Eyewitness News at 5:30pm - March 30, 2025 (starts at 7:33) · 2025/03/30 WFAA (ABC9) @ Dallas: Protestors gather in Plano against bills in the Texas House, Senate · 2025/03/29 KVUE (ABC24) @ Austin : 'Who gets to be American?' | Texans protest bills that would ban some foreign land ownership In an open letter to Texas legislators, a coalition of 49 Texas-based organizations and 32 national and other organizations outlined their concerns: · These bills are unconstitutional and discriminatory, as they target individuals based on their nation of origin. In other words, individuals are being targeted and rights taken away, not because of something they did, but because of where they came from. In so doing, these bills threaten the protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution and Texas constitution. · These bills will discourage foreign investments and talents from coming to Texas, leading to loss of jobs and economic opportunities – when the bills aim to punish some of Texas’ largest trading partner(s). This is especially the case when President Trump specifically stated, “we want them to invest in the U.S.” (Feb. 26, 2025). · These bills falsely equate individuals with governments; and will punish individuals who may have no political affiliation in their former or current countries. · These bills are based on paranoia and have no legitimate basis in reality. There have not been any realistic data or facts that support the implementation of these restrictions, or how these bills will actually support national security. · These bills will provoke discrimination against the Asian and immigrant community. Similar discriminatory alien land law was repealed by the 59th Texas Legislature in 1965. The coalition urges lawmakers not to repeat past mistakes and to reject SB17 and HB17.SB17 passed the Texas Senate on March 19. A public hearing for HB17 took place on April 2 before the Texas House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans Affairs Committee. After about five hours of testimonies, the bill was left pending. Threats to U.S. Statistical Integrity According to the government website https://www.statspolicy.gov/ , relevant, timely, credible, and objective statistical information is part of the foundation of democracy and the fundamental responsibility of the U.S. Federal statistical system. Since the Nation's founding, the U.S. Federal statistical system has collected and transformed data into high quality statistical information, making it readily available to inform all types of decision-making, while protecting the responses of individual data providers. Such decisions may include those made by Federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal policymakers; the private sector, including businesses; and individuals. Led by the U.S. Chief Statistician and the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP), the U.S. Federal statistical system is a decentralized, interconnected network of 16 Recognized Statistical Agencies and Units, 24 Statistical Officials (across 24 major cabinet agencies), approximately 100 additional Federal statistical programs engaged in statistical activities, and several cross system interagency and advisory bodies. According to a Washington Post opinion on March 11, 2025, the Trump administration has aggressively deleted taxpayer-funded data, limiting Americans’ ability to understand critical issues. Elon Musk 's DOGE has removed key datasets, canceled data collection contracts, and suppressed inconvenient statistics, preventing public access to crucial economic, health, and demographic information. Tactics include misrepresenting statistics, altering economic metrics, and eliminating entire categories of public data, often to obscure politically damaging facts. This manipulation mirrors authoritarian practices, eroding trust in U.S. data and hampering informed decision-making. While some external groups archive lost data, they cannot replace missing government statistics, leaving Americans with only what Trump chooses to disclose.The American Statistical Association (ASA) has identified that five statistical science advisory committees under the Department of Commerce were disbanded. These committees have served for decades as crucial resources for the Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and BLS, providing expert guidance on complex statistical challenges. This concerning development threatens the quality and integrity of federal data that policymakers and businesses rely on daily. Without these independent advisory bodies, federal statistical agencies lose both valuable expertise and an essential accountability mechanism that ensures their methodologies remain sound and transparent. ASA and the George Mason University have set up a website to monitor and share updates on the health of the federal statistical agencies: https://bit.ly/4ih5Qsp The Trump administration dismantled the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through budget cuts, staff reductions, and the cancellation of key data programs. Reports on racial disparities, special education, and school funding gaps were also suppressed. Without NCES, policymakers and researchers lose a crucial source of reliable education data, widening state-level disparities and reducing accountability. This aligns with Trump’s broader strategy of controlling public information and to obscure politically inconvenient statistics, leaving Americans without an impartial assessment of the education system. Opinions: Advocate to Safeguard the Rule of Law On March 28, 2025, David Leopold , former President and General Counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, published an opinion in the Washington Post titled " Trump’s immigrant purge is part of a larger agenda ."Leopold argues that by denying immigrants due process, the Trump administration is undermining the rule of law. It has pursued mass deportations by bypassing traditional immigration laws, instead invoking wartime-era statutes with minimal safeguards. This has led to detentions and deportations without proper legal review, including cases involving alleged Venezuelan gang members and student activists. Border czar Tom Homan has openly dismissed judicial oversight, while the administration has attempted to use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify deportations, despite the U.S. not being at war with Venezuela. Courts have intervened, but the administration has ignored rulings and even sought to impeach judges who challenge its authority. The Trump administration has invoked Cold War-era laws to detain and deport student activists without due process, raising concerns about targeting individuals based on political beliefs. This includes the arrests of Rumeysa Ozturk , a Turkish Fulbright scholar, and Mahmoud Khalil , a Palestinian activist protesting the Gaza war—both detained based on a determination by Secretary of State Marco Rubio . These actions set a dangerous precedent, threatening constitutional protections and potentially leading to wrongful deportations, including of U.S. citizens. Leopold warns that this broader erosion of due process endangers fundamental rights and liberties for all, not just noncitizens.On March 28, 2025, John Palfrey , President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, published an opinion in Newsweek titled "It's Time for Zealous Advocacy to Safeguard the Rule of Law." Palfrey warns that the rule of law in the U.S. faces an unprecedented assault—court rulings are being ignored, judges face impeachment threats and personal risks, and government officials openly dismiss judicial authority. Lawyers representing political opponents are being targeted, law firms are losing security clearances, and executive orders are restricting legal representation in government contracts. "These are full-frontal attacks on the fundamental system of the rule of law in America. Today, the Constitution of the United States of America, and the system of law that it undergirds, is in serious peril," Palfrey wrote.Beyond the legal ramifications, he argues that undermining the rule of law will disrupt commerce, deter investments, and weaken philanthropic efforts that rely on legal protections. A strong legal system is essential for ensuring freedoms, including the right to donate to causes and invest in economic growth. He calls on the legal profession to take an active role in defending these principles, warning that inaction could permanently erode justice and democracy in America.On March 29, 2025, the Harvard Crimson reported that at least 82 of the Harvard Law School’s 118 active professors, along with nine emeritus professors, signed a letter condemning government of retaliation against lawyers and law firms representing clients and causes opposed by President Donald Trump . Most of the Law School’s top leadership signed the letter. “ While reasonable people can disagree about the characterization of particular incidents, we are all acutely concerned that severe challenges to the rule of law are taking place, and we strongly condemn any effort to undermine the basic norms we have described ,” the letter stated. Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions As of April 2, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump 's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 162 (3 closed cases). These are some of the latest developments: · On April 1, 2025, Democratic attorneys general and governors in 23 states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr ., alleging that the department’s sudden rollback of $12 billion in public health funding was unlawful and harmful. In the lawsuit, the states are seeking a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to immediately halt the administration’s funding cuts that they say will lead to key public health services being discontinued and thousands of health-care workers losing their jobs. State of Colorado v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1:25-cv-00121) · On April 1, 2025, The League of Women Voters Education Fund sued the Trump administration over President Trump's elections executive order which purports to regulate federal elections by directing the Election Assistance Commission to require a citizenship document to register to vote. League of Women Voters Education Fund v. Trump (1:25-cv-00955) · On March 31, 2025, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), a labor union that represents federal government employees, sued the Trump Administration alleging President Trump’s Executive Order that terminates certain federal employees’ collective bargaining agreements, including 12 such agreements negotiated by NTEU, is unlawful. NTEU has asked the court to block termination of these agreements. National Treasury Employees Union v. Donald J. Trump (1:25-cv-00935) News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar 2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/14 State of Play Virtual Town Hall2025/04/15 China Connections: A Conversation with Emily Feng2025/04/22 Scholars Not Spies: Fighting for International Academic Workers’ Rights in an Era of Rising US-China Conflict2025/04/24 CHINA Town Hall: The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/05/06 Asian American Careers - How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic AlliesVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. 2025/04/14 State of Play Virtual Town Hall WHAT: State of Play Virtual Town Hall WHEN: April 14, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET WHERE: Online Event HOST: Asian American Scholar Forum Keynote: Grace Meng , Chair Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Welcome Remarks : Kai Li , Vice Chair, AAASF; Professor, Princeton University Moderator : Gisela P. Kusakawa , Executive Director, AASF Facilitator : Xiaoxing Xi , Professor, Temple University Speakers: · Steven Allan Kivelson , Professor, Stanford University · Peter Michelson , Professor, Stanford University · Tobin L. Smith , Senior Vice President, Association of American Universities · Brian A. Sun , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, CAPAC · Keliang "Clay" Zhu , President and Co-Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance DESCRIPTION: This vital conversation will address growing challenges scholars, scientists, and researchers face, including the potential return of the China Initiative, increased investigations, restrictive legislation like the proposed ban on Chinese student visas, and heightened scrutiny of scientists and international students. Experts will also discuss high-impact legal cases, concerns over travel and reentry, and strategies to foster a more welcoming and supportive research environment. This town hall encourages questions and feedback from the public as we strive to address the unique challenges of our day! Register today and ask questions for our experts and policy leaders! REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4jaA40N 3. 2025/04/22 Scholars Not Spies WHAT: Scholars Not Spies: Fighting for International Academic Workers’ Rights in an Era of Rising US-China Conflict WHEN: April 22, 2025, 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT WHERE: Webinar HOST: Justice Is Global CO-SPONSORS : APA Justice, Massachusetts Society of Professors MSP (MTA-NEA), GEO Local 6300 IFT-AFT, UMD Graduate Labor Union (UAW), UE Local 256 MIT GSU. DESCRIPTION: Only weeks into President Trump’s second presidency, we are witnessing a barrage of executive orders and measures targeting immigrant academics. From the DHS attempting to deport Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, to a proposed bill that would ban student visas for all Chinese nationals, international academic workers are at risk. Amid rising scrutiny of international academics, growing U.S.-China tensions have made Chinese scholars targets, often viewed as spies and national security threats. This webinar brings together academic workers from across the country to speak about how the US-China rivalry fosters nativism and harms all international academic workers. It hopes to spark discussions about how our unions can build contracts and organize advocacy efforts that meet the moment and protect our peers. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/wearescholarsnotspies 4. 2025/04/24 China Town Hall – The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy WHAT: China Town Hall – The First 100 Days: President Trump's China Policy WHEN: April 24, 2025, 5:30 pm ET WHERE: Hybrid event - see registration · In person - Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street NW, Suite 605, Washington, DC 20052 · Livestream program HOSTS: US-China Education Trust; National Committee on U.S.-China Relations; Young China Watchers 5:30 – 6:30 pm On-site discussion with Sean Stein , president of the US-China Business Council 6:30 pm - Panel discussion Panelists: · Ryan Hass, Director, John L. Thornton China Center, Brookings Institution · Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution · Lingling Wei , Chief China Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal DESCRIPTION: The China Town Hall, organized by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), is a nationwide program that offers a comprehensive overview of the current U.S.-China relationship and its local impact—shaping discussions in communities across the country. By connecting local audiences with U.S. policymakers and leading experts on China, the program fosters informed dialogue on this vital bilateral relationship. The 2025 China Town Hall will feature an in-depth discussion on President Trump’s China policy in his new term, bringing together top experts to analyze the evolving U.S.-China dynamic. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4iTMqKW # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF April 3, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

McCarthyism WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME Go Go Prev Next Table of Contents Overview What is McCarthyism? Historical Key Figures The Role of The Media - Then and Now Today’s McCarthyism on Chinese and Asian Americans Continuing Developments Overview During "China Week" in September 2024, Representative Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), took the House floor to denounce efforts to revive the "China Initiative," calling it a New McCarthyism. An era of suspicion, paranoia, and surveillance, McCarthyism serves as a historical warning against government overreach, racial profiling, and suppression of dissent. Recently, under the guise of national security, the U.S. government has enacted stringent measures against Chinese and Asian Americans, such as extensive alien land laws and the “China Initiative.” References and Links APA Justice: The China Initiative APA JUstice: Attempts to Revive The China Initiative 2024/09/10 Radio Free Asia: EXPLAINED: What is ‘China Week’ at the US Congress? Back to Table of Contents What is McCarthyism? McCarthyism refers to the period in the early 1950s in the United States when Senator Joseph McCarthy led a campaign to root out alleged communists in government, media, academia, and other institutions, often without substantial evidence. It has since become a term that describes the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations, using fear and intimidation to suppress dissent, and damaging reputations without proper evidence or due process. Notoriously harsh on writers and entertainers, McCarthyism also targeted government officials, educators, and union leaders. Famous artists investigated include Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Leonard Bernstein, Lena Horne, Dalton Trumbo, Langston Hughes, Arthur Miller, Burl Ives, and Dashiell Hammett. McCarthyism led to investigations by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and loyalty tests for federal employees. Many individuals lost their jobs, were blacklisted from industries (especially in Hollywood), or faced public shaming. The era created an atmosphere of fear and repression in which dissenting political views were brutally suppressed. Although many of Senator McCarthy’s claims were eventually proven to be unsubstantiated, McCarthyism was fueled by rising anti-communist sentiment due to the inception of the Korean War and communist advances in eastern Europe and China. Furthermore, the first Red Scare (1917-1920), fueled by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and increasing labor unrest, remained fresh in the minds of many American citizens, exacerbating the pervasive atmosphere of hysteria and vigilance. In 1954, the movement began to collapse after McCarthy’s own credibility was questioned during the televised Army-McCarthy hearings, leading to his censure by the U.S. Senate. Ultimately, McCarthyism drove a wedge between the populace and the U.S. government, leaving American citizens wary of government overreach, racial profiling, and suppression of dissent. Back to Table of Contents Historical Key Figures Senator Joseph McCarthy Born in Wisconsin in 1908, Joseph McCarthy began his career as an attorney, spending three years as a circuit judge. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, he won the Republican nomination for the senate in 1946 and was elected. On February 9, 1950, he delivered his infamous “Enemies from Within” speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, declaring that 205 communists had infiltrated the State Department, launching him into headlines nationwide. However, when testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he was unable to name a single communist in any government department. Historian Margaret Brennan noted that McCarthy’s numbers changed frequently, saying “He had no list. He had no names. It was all a big lie.” Following McCarthy’s initial claim, he began a relentless anti-communist crusade, investigating various government departments and questioning innumerable witnesses. Despite failing to identify a single “card-carrying communist,” his actions caused several people to lose their jobs and many more to receive popular condemnation. In the last two years of the Truman administration (1951-1953), 6,000 federal employees left the government. McCarthy’s relentless persecution of countless individuals and the forced conformity that the practice caused came to be known as McCarthyism. Only in 1954 did public opinion finally turn against him, following a televised 36-day hearing on his charges of subversion by U.S. Army officers and civilian officials. The hearing exposed his aggressive and brutal interrogation techniques, famously prompting Joseph Nye Welch, special counsel to the army, to rebuke, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” In December of 1954, the Senate formally condemned him for conduct “contrary to Senate traditions,” an action taken only once before in Senate history. McCarthy died in 1957 from alcoholism and withdrawal before he completed his second term in office. Roy Cohn Born to an affluent Jewish family in the Bronx in 1927, Roy Cohn graduated from Columbia University with both an undergraduate degree and a law degree by the age of 20. Cohn earned a national reputation as a ruthless prosecutor for his contribution to the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union in 1951 and were executed by electric chair in 1953. In 1953, Cohn served as chief counsel on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, headed by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Cohn became instrumental to McCarthy’s efforts to investigate, interrogate, and purge federal employees accused of being communists. Cohn’s preference not to hold hearings in open forums and aggressive questioning of suspected Communists aligned with McCarthy’s inclination towards holding “executive sessions” and “off-the-record” sessions away from the Capitol. This strategy minimized public scrutiny and enabled the interrogation of witnesses without significant accountability. Through rhetoric linking communism with homosexuality, McCarthy and Cohn also instigated the Lavender Scare, a concurrent moral panic and wave of repression forcing thousands of LGBTQ+ federal employees out of their jobs. In McCarthy’s famous “Enemies from Within” speech, he singled out two of the cases involving alleged homosexuals. McCarthy and Cohn’s effort to purge LGBTQ+ employees led to an incredibly destructive and effective witch hunt, causing between 5,000 and 10,000 federal employees to resign from their jobs or be terminated. After resigning from the Senate subcommittee in 1954, Cohn returned to New York, establishing himself in private practice at Saxe, Bacon & Bolan. Cohn became a powerful attorney known for his aggressive and unethical legal strategies and had many high-profile clients, including several organized-crime bosses, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and Donald Trump. Over the years, he became Donald Trump’s mentor and close personal friend. The 2024 film The Apprentice chronicles their relationship. During the debate over the passage of New York’s first gay rights bill, Cohn aligned himself with the Archdiocese of New York, calling homosexual teachers “a grave threat to our children.” While Cohn vehemently refused to self-identify as gay, his longtime friend Roger Stone shared that Cohn often had sexual encounters with men, and Cohn frequently attended public events with his partners. Cohn died from complications of AIDS in 1984. Edward R. Murrow Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow played a pivotal role in countering McCarthyism. Born in North Carolina in 1908, Murrow joined the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1935 and gained national fame through his highly reliable and dramatic eyewitness reportage of the German occupation of Austria, the German takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1939, and the Battle of Britain during World War II. He returned to radio broadcasting in 1947 and moved on to television where he launched his broadcast See It Now . On March 9, 1954, Murrow’s See It Now broadcast exposed McCarthy’s fear-based tactics, claiming McCarthy’s chief accomplishment had been “confusing the public mind as between the internal and external threats of communism.” Murrow reminded Americans that "accusation is not proof” and warned against being “driven by fear into an age of unreason,” famously ending the segment with the parting words “good night, and good luck.” Afterwards, CBS received tens of thousands of letters, telegrams, and phone calls praising the broadcast. By challenging McCarthyism when other journalists did not, Murrow profoundly shaped broadcast journalism, setting powerful standards with his unwavering commitment to factual reporting, democratic principles, and the press’s role as a vigilant watchdog. The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University continues this legacy, promoting ethical journalism, journalistic integrity, and strategic communication. The House Un-American Activities Committee Formed in 1938 as an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, the House un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigated alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having communist ties. It became a standing (permanent) committee in 1946 and was known as the House Committee on Internal Security beginning in 1969. When the House abolished the committee in 1975, its functions were transferred to the House Judiciary Committee. By the late 1940s, HUAC had acquired such power that the mere threat of investigation by it could ruin a person’s career. While the HUAC remained staunchly anticommunist in nature, several of its members retained alarming affiliations and sympathies. Martin Dies Jr., the founding member of the committee, was a known supporter of the Klu Klux Klan (the Klan) and had spoken at several of its rallies. Tennessee Representative and HUAC member John E. Rankin was also a Klan supporter, as was lawyer, politician, and fellow HUAC member John S. Wood. On one occasion Wood defended the Klan, arguing that “The threats and intimidations of the Klan are an old American custom.” Martin Dies Jr. and John E. Rankin were also known antisemitics. The committee especially targeted entertainers and artists in Hollywood, beginning a stringent campaign to ferret out “subversives” in the entertainment industry. Of seventeen subpoenaed screenwriters, producers, and directors, ten refused to answer the now-infamous question “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist party?” on First Amendment grounds. Fined $1,000 and sentenced from six months to a year in jail, these ten became known as the Hollywood Ten. Six of the ten were Jewish. According to Walter Goodman, author of The Committee (1964), “The source of Rankin’s animus against Hollywood — and he made no particular effort to conceal it — was the large number of Jews eminent in the film industry. In Rankin’s mind, to call a Jew a Communist was a tautology.” In early 1947, President Harry S. Truman enacted executive order (EO) 9835 requiring a loyalty oath for all federal employees, designed to root out communist influence in the government. The vague nature of this EO allowed HUAC to begin widespread investigations of every person suspected of communist sympathies or affiliations. By the early 1950s, HUAC had investigated nearly a fifth of all federal government employees. While HUAC never clearly defined what constituted an “un-American activity,” the committee remained anticommunist in nature. In 1948, Nixon and Rep. Karl Mundt coauthored two bills aimed at eradicating communist influences in the government. The first, the Mundt-Nixon Bill, required the federal registration of the Communist Party of the USA (CPUSA) and its front organizations. The second sought to outlaw many activities of CPUSA but failed in the Senate before it could pass. HUAC’s severe anticommunist zeal, and particularly the Mundt-Nixon Bill, created a dilemma for many American communists. Members needed to register their organizations but failure to do so could result in imprisonment. As an investigative committee, HUAC did not have the authority to prosecute suspected individuals, but they acquired much power through their ability to circumvent constitutional guarantees of due process, presumption of innocence, and free speech. HUAC has been criticized for violating First Amendment rights, particularly because its anticommunist agenda seemed to supersede the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of assembly. The committee’s anticommunist investigations are often associated with McCarthyism, although Joseph McCarthy himself, as a U.S. Senator, had no direct involvement with the House committee. McCarthy was the chairman of the Government Operations Committee and its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate. In the wake of McCarthy’s downfall, the prestige and authority enjoyed by HUAC began to gradually decline. In 1959, the committee was denounced by former President Harry S. Truman as “the most un-American thing in the country today.” In August 1966, HUAC hearings called to investigate anti-Vietnam war activities were disrupted by hundreds of protestors. The committee faced witnesses who were openly defiant. As author Joel Kovel remarked, “other nations never were able to define communism as somehow ‘un-’ the identity of that nation.” Back to Table of Contents The Role of The Media - Then and Now The media played a significant role in amplifying and affirming McCarthyism to the American public. Throughout McCarthy’s stringent crusade against communism, newspapers, radio stations, and television broadcasts continually reported his accusations uncritically, lending credibility to his unsubstantiated claims. In 1950, the New York Times covered McCarthy’s “Enemies from Within” speech without questioning its validity. Sensational headlines and constant broadcast coverage heightened public fear, reinforcing McCarthy’s portrayal of Communism as a pressing internal threat. Meanwhile, television brought the HUAC hearings directly into American homes, magnifying McCarthy’s influence. Despite constant, uncritical coverage of McCarthy’s crusade throughout all media channels, “there was never anybody in government that they could prove to be a card-carrying communist,” according to historian Margaret Brennan. While the media exacerbated the chaos, fear, and fervor of McCarthyism at its height, it also encouraged and accelerated McCarthy’s downfall. Namely, the 36-day hearing on McCarthy’s charges of subversion by U.S. Army officers was broadcast nationally, delivering an estimated 188 hours of television directly to American homes. Likewise, Edward R. Murrow’s See It Now broadcast exposed McCarthy’s fear-based tactics and reminded Americans that "accusation is not proof.” Throughout U.S. history, the media has often depicted Americans and immigrants of Asian origin using biased and derogatory rhetoric, particularly during times of geopolitical tension. Their coverage has fueled harmful public perception and policies with lasting impacts on Asian communities. Media Bias in the Case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee On March 6, 1999, the New York Times published an inflammatory exposé , accusing “a Los Alamos computer scientist who is Chinese-American” of conveying American nuclear secrets to the Chinese government. This marked the beginning of a witch hunt by NYT reporters James Risen and Jeff Gerth. Just three days later, before any arrests or charges had been made, Risen reported the unnamed scientist to be Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwan-born scientist working in the nuclear weapons design area at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Lee was subjected to a rushed, three-day interrogation by FBI officials before being fired from his job. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson directed that Dr. Lee be fired without review. Government officials believed the theft of American nuclear secrets from Los Alamos in the 1980s helped China miniaturize its bombs, accelerating its nuclear development to a level on par with the U.S. However, the suspected espionage was not detected until 1995, leaving the New York Times and many government officials to blame the White House for the delay, inaction, and skepticism. These criticisms gained traction as Republican lawmakers were simultaneously entrenched in a full-blown campaign to convince President Bill Cllinton of the dawn of a new cold war. In December of 1999, Dr. Lee was finally arrested for 59 counts of downloading restricted data to unrestricted systems. According to experts, the codes he downloaded were so tailored to American testing and engineering that they would not have been intended for or useful to China. Dr. Lee was not charged with nuclear espionage because there was no evidence. Before his trial, he was placed into a 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement, shackled for his one hour of exercise. He was jailed in solitary confinement without bail for nine months. During family visits (one hour each week), he was forbidden to speak in Mandarin. In September 2000, Dr. Lee pleaded guilty to one felony count of mishandling data and was released. In 2006, Dr. Lee settled a lawsuit over violations of his privacy rights and received $1.65 million from the federal government and five news organizations, The Washington Post , The New York Times , The Associated Press , The LA Times , and ABC News. In Judge James A. Parker of Federal District court in Albuquerque’s statement to Dr. Lee, he expressed extraordinary remorse for the abuse of power by the executive branch throughout Dr. Lee’s case, vehemently insisting the executive branch "embarrassed our entire nation and each of us who is a citizen of it.” He expressed his deep regret for his role in the case and issued a sincere apology. After Dr. Lee’s release, the New York Times published a reflection on their role in the case, remaining “proud of work that brought into open a major national security problem” and “careful reporting” that “accurately portrayed a debate behind the scenes on the extent and importance of Chinese espionage.” The Times did express some remorse over not giving Dr. Lee “the full benefit of the doubt” but remained firm that they did not “initiate the case against Wen Ho Lee.” In 2001, the Subcommittee on Department of Justice Oversight released the “ Report on the Government’s Handling of the Investigation and Prosecution of Dr. Wen Ho Lee .” Despite finding insufficient evidence to support charges that Dr. Lee’s ethnic heritage was a factor in the government’s actions during the case, the FBI claimed that “Dr. Lee was more likely to have committed espionage for the People’s Republic of China because he was ‘overseas ethnic Chinese’” to obtain the warrant to search his house. Robert S. Vrooman, the former head of counterintelligence at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, said that ethnicity “was a key factor” and that Dr. Lee was unfairly singled out for federal investigation because of his ethnicity. In October 2000, Notra Trulock, former Director of Intelligence at the Department of Energy, vehemently denied that he held “‘racist views toward minority groups’ and that this was the factor in targeting Dr. Lee.” However, he also shared that Robert Vrooman alleged that he had stated “no ethnic Chinese should be allowed to work on U.S. nuclear weapons programs,” which Trulock claimed was “categorically false.” In the words of then President Bill Clinton, “the whole thing was quite troubling.” Media Bias in Japanese American Internment Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the FBI had identified German, Italian, and Japanese nationals who were suspected of being potential enemy agents and who were kept under constant surveillance. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, this suspicion spread to include all persons of Japanese descent, whether foreign born or American citizens. The task was turned over to the U.S. Army as a security concern. In order to prevent a repeat of Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command believed stringent measures needed to be taken. DeWitt prepared a report with false evidence, arguing for the creation of military zones and Japanese detainment. His original report also included detainment of Germans and Italians, although the idea of rounding up people of European descent did not seem to be as popular. Despite the falsehoods included in his argument, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 with the stated intent of ensuring national security and preventing espionage on American shores. Thereafter, the entire West Coast was deemed a military area and was divided into military zones, authorizing military commanders to exclude civilians from military zones. Although the EO did not specify a certain military group, the army began to enforce curfews that applied solely to Japanese Americans. Next, the army encouraged voluntary evacuation by Japanese Americans. Finally, Lt. General John L. DeWitt began the forced evacuation and detention of Japanese American West Coast residents. Acting under the authority of the EO and amid growing public paranoia and fear over the perceived threat Japanese Americans posed, the U.S. army targeted all Japanese Americans within varied distances from the Pacific. In the span of four months, approximately 112,000 people (nearly two-thirds of whom were American citizens) were sent to “relocation centers” which were to be their homes for the remainder of the war. Anyone who was at least 1/16 Japanese was forcibly evacuated. Three Japanese American citizens challenged the constitutionality of the forced relocation and curfew orders through legal actions: Gordon Hirabayashi, Fred Korematsu, and Mitsuye Endo. Of the three, only Mitsuye Endo was determined to be “loyal” and allowed to leave the detention center in Topaz, Utah. In Ex parte Mitsuye Endo , Justice Murphy of the Supreme Court wrote that Japanese internment is “another example of the unconstitutional resort to racism inherent in the entire evacuation program” and that “racial discrimination of this nature bears no reasonable relation to military necessity and is utterly foreign to the ideals and traditions of the American people.” Fred Korematsu was arrested in 1942 for refusing to relocate to a Japanese internment camp. When the Supreme Court heard the case, his attorneys argued that the EO violated the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process of law. Although Korematsu lost the case, he became a civil rights activist and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998. In his dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Jackson argued the EO violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and called it “the legalization of racism.” The final Japanese internment camp closed in March 1946. President Gerald Ford officially repealed Executive Order 9066 in 1976. Only in 1988 did Congress acknowledge and apologize for the injustice of internment, providing $20,000 to each formerly incarcerated person. Tennessee Rep. and HUAC member Rankin was a staunch proponent of Japanese American internment. In Michi Weglyn’s Years of Infamy , Rankin is quoted as saying “I’m for catching every Japanese in America, Alaska, and Hawaii now and putting them in concentration camps.” In late 1942, he re-introduced Senate Bill 2293 which would have allowed for the removal of any ethnic Japanese in the U.S. and its territories. Rankin’s position on HUAC gave him the unique authority and audience to spread suspicion and paranoia about many of America’s immigrants and racial and religious minorities. During Japanese American internment, American newspapers contributed to pervasive anti-Japanese sentiment by portraying Japanese Americans as disloyal spies and saboteurs. Headlines warned of a “Fifth Column” within the U.S., stoking fear and prejudice. This coverage, based on unsubstantiated claims, helped garner support for the internment of 120,000 persons of Japanese heritage. Before his children’s books, Dr. Seuss worked as a political cartoonist and propagandist during World War II, creating cartoons and illustrations that were published in newspapers and used in military training films. One of his infamous cartoons published on February 13, 1942, depicts Japanese Americans lined up as the “Fifth Column” along the West Coast, awaiting the “signal from home,” playing into mass hysteria and derogatory stereotypes. Two days after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing Japanese American internment, the Los Angeles Times published an editorial endorsing it, asserting that Japanese Americans posed a national security risk. Seventy-five years later, on February 19, 2017, the Los Angeles Times formally recanted its 1942 editorials. Acknowledging its own role in garnering public support for internment, the paper expressed regret for fueling anti-Japanese sentiment and drew parallels with the current climate replete with xenophobia, discrimination, and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The 2017 editorial warned against repeating such injustices, highlighting the need to protect civil liberties for all. Recent Media Coverage and Bias Today, many investigative journalists and media outlets uphold the principles Edward R. Murrow and others embodied. Jamie Satterfield, investigative reporter at the Knoxville News Sentinel, built a reputation as a prolific and dedicated crime and courts reporter. Following the 2008 disaster at the Kingston coal-fired power plant in which more than 1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash spilled onto nearby homes and waterways, Satterfield mined internal documents, lawsuits, and reports. She chronicled the names and circumstances of all of the employees at the plant that have died and fallen sick. In a related incident, she relentlessly reported on the health hazards at a local playground, in which coal ash waste was used as infill. Satterfield has earned recognition from the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the First Amendment Center, and many more. After 27 years at Knoxville News Sentinel, Satterfield parted ways with her employer in 2021. It is not known if her relentless investigations were related to her departure. During the “China Initiative,” MIT Technology Review played a significant role in holding the government accountable by embarking on a thorough research investigation to determine the initiative's efficacy. They found that only a quarter of people charged had been convicted. Although several reporters and media outlets remain committed to upholding journalistic integrity and the press’s role as a vigilant watchdog, many sources choose to be complicit by simply repeating and echoing the government’s narrative. This is especially harmful when it concerns critical issues such as racial profiling, public corruption, civil rights violations, and environmental crime. Back to Table of Contents Today’s McCarthyism on Chinese/Asian Americans and Immigrants The China Initiative Today, Chinese and Asian Americans and immigrants are still facing unwarranted suspicion, investigations, and arrests under the guise of national security. In November 2018, the Department of Justice launched the China Initiative, aiming to combat economic espionage and theft of intellectual property purportedly conducted by Chinese entities, including individuals and organizations with ties to the Chinese government. However, the project actually resulted in increased racial profiling and enhanced stigmatization of Asian Americans, in addition to government overreach and loss of scientific innovation. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions commenced the project on November 1, 2018 with no clear definition of what deemed a significant national security concern to be investigated under the initiative. Less than a year later, Kansas University Professor Feng “Franklin” Tao became the first academic and scientist of Chinese origin to be indicted. By September 2021, multiple media outlets had questioned the efficacy of the initiative, following a string of highly publicized dismissed cases. Three months later, MIT Technology Review published two investigative reports on the China Initiative, finding that only about a quarter of people and institutions charged had been convicted and that most of the cases had little or no obvious connection to national security. Nearly 90% of defendants charged under the initiative are of Chinese heritage. Officially, the China Initiative ended in February 2022 under the Biden Administration, but the harm it has inflicted on targeted individuals and the broader AAPI community remains. Attempts to Revive the China Initiative Despite its official end, Republican lawmakers are pushing to reinstate the initiative. In February 2025, Senator Rick Scott announced the reintroduction of his Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act to reinstate and codify President Trump’s CCP Initiative under the Department of Justice. The same day, Representative Lance Gooden reintroduced a companion bill in the House. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party vs. the House Un-American Activities Committee In 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives established the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, focusing on economic and security competition with China. In December of 2022, Rep. Kevin McCarthy unveiled the committee, writing: To win the new Cold War, we must respond to Chinese aggression with tough policies to strengthen our economy, rebuild our supply chains, speak out for human rights, stand against military aggression, and end the theft of Americans’ personal information, intellectual property, and jobs. We must recognize that China’s “peaceful rise” was pure fiction and finally to confront and respond to the Chinese Communist Party with the urgency the threat demands. To do that, House Republicans will establish a Select Committee in the new Congress. In addition to international issues, the Committee also focuses on domestic issues regarding the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the U.S., such as Chinese purchases of American farmland. It also investigates human rights issues and “ideological warfare.” The House Select Committee is reminiscent of the House un-American Activities Committee in its targeting of a specific subgroup under the guise of national security. Like its infamous predecessor, it risks wielding investigative power not as a tool for genuine security concerns, but as a means to exacerbate racial prejudice, bias, and stigmas. Without clear safeguards or accountability, the Committee could easily devolve into an entity that issues unsubstantiated, warrantless claims, tarnishing reputations without due process. Such practices not only fuel suspicion and paranoia across the population, but also discourage legitimate political expression and further entrench xenophobia. Qian Xuesen 钱学森 and Brain Drain Born in Hangzhou in 1911, Qian was raised in an aristocratic family with well-educated parents, one of whom (his father) established China’s national education system. Qian graduated from the top of his class at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学) and was awarded a rare scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study aeronautical engineering. From there, he transitioned to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where he studied aerodynamics and jet propulsion. During World War II, he helped create and organize the U.S. long-range rocket research program and directed research on the country’s first successful solid-fueled missile at the newly established Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). Qian was given security clearance to work on classified weapons research and even served on the U.S. government’s Science Advisory Board. Along with the influential aeronautical engineer Theodore von Karman, Qian was sent on an extraordinary mission to Germany under the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel in 1945. He became the Robert H. Goddard Professor of Jet Propulsion at Caltech and the director of the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Jet Propulsion Center. In 1949, a new director at the JPL expressed concerns about the possible presence of a spy ring within the lab, sharing his suspicions with colleagues. Notably, according to author and lecturer Fraser MacDonald, all of the suspected spies were either Jewish or Chinese. As the fervor of McCarthyism rapidly gained traction, the FBI accused Qian and others in the lab of being communists and threats to national security. Qian was detained on grounds of espionage and placed on house arrest for five years. He returned to China in 1955 with his wife and two children where he became the director of the Fifth Academy of the Chinese Ministry of Defense. Today, he is often hailed as “the father of Chinese aerospace” because he personally mentored the inaugural generation of revolutionary Chinese aerospace engineers. His political integrity and patriotic zeal were instrumental in securing critical institutional and financial support. After his retirement in 1970, Qian focused on music, the martial arts, and traditional Chinese philosophy, living the last two decades of his life in relative isolation. Qian’s story marks the beginning of a much larger problem: brain drain. The Trump administration’s actions in the spring of 2025 have prompted chaos, confusion, and fear as mass deportations and raids frequently occur. In addition, the State Department has prompted much confusion over international student visas as it implemented a three-week pause on interviews and then severely tightened the visa screening process. As such, many international students are scared to leave the country to visit relatives, fearing they will not be allowed re-entry. Many international students do not consider pursuing higher education in the U.S. at all. The Trump administration’s abrupt and volatile cancellation of funding and grants has also discouraged many scientists and academics. In March 2025, Nature conducted a survey asking American scientists if they would consider leaving the U.S. Of the over 1,200 respondents, 75% indicated that they are considering leaving, with many searching for jobs in Canada and the U.S. Other Victims In 2010, the FBI investigated Dr. Yanping Chen in relation to her previous work with the Chinese astronaut program. Dr. Chen became a U.S. citizen in 2001 and founded the University of Management and Technology in Arlington, Virginia in 1998. The FBI’s investigation of her was dropped in 2016 and no charges were ever filed. However, her confidential information was leaked to a Fox News reporter, Katherine Herridge, who used the information to publish three stories implying that Dr. Chen was gathering intelligence for the Chinese government. Herridge has refused to name the identity of her source. In October 2013, scientists at Eli Lilly, Guoqing Cao and Shuyu Li, were arrested for passing $55 million worth of secrets to a Chinese drug company. They were jailed and placed under house arrest. Over a year later, the charges were dropped. In October 2014, Sherry Chen, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service, was arrested. She had sent publicly available information to an old classmate in China and referred that person to a colleague for further information. The colleague reported her as a potential spy. While charges were dropped six months after her arrest, the National Weather Service refused to give Chen her job back. In May 2015, Xiaoxing Xi, chair of the Temple University physics department, was arrested for allegedly sharing designs for a “pocket heater,” a device used in semiconductor research, with contacts in China. However, investigators without the proper scientific background had misinterpreted the plans and the charges were dropped four months later. Back to Table of Contents Continuing Developments Back to Table of Contents Timeline Contents McCarthyism

Newsletter - #225 Section 702; Pushback Alien Land Bills; Carter Center; "China Initiative" Revival; + #225 Section 702; Pushback Alien Land Bills; Carter Center; "China Initiative" Revival; + In This Issue #225 · Reminder: Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA · Asian American Groups Pushed Back Against 17 GOP Governors on Alien Land Bills · China Focus, the Carter Center and Conference for 45th Anniversary of U.S.-China Relations · Over 40 Organizations Oppose Appropriations Proposal to Reinstate the China Initiative · News and Activities for the Communities Reminder: Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA WHAT: Webinar - Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA: Sweeping Reforms to Warrantless Surveillance Initiative WHEN: December 12, 2023, 2-3 pm ET/11-12 noon PT HOSTS: Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), Advancing Justice | AAJC, APA Justice, Brennan Center for Justice, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) MODERATOR: Eri Andriola , Associate Director of Policy & Litigation, AASF SPEAKERS: · Noah Chauvin, Counsel, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice · Joanna YangQing Derman, Director of Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights, and National Security, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, AASF · Andy Wong, Managing Director of Advocacy, CAA DESCRIPTION: The briefing will feature civil rights, national security, and policy experts, who will break down what Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is and how it impacts Asian American communities. Panelists will discuss the key reform bills at play, including the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GSRA) and the Protecting Liberty and Ending Warrantless Surveillance Act (PLEWSA), and how the Asian American community and advocates can get involved on this issue. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/41ejxkG Breaking News: Do not miss the opportunity to attend the community briefing and learn how it may impact us individually and collectively for years to come. As early as Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson will bring a significant expansion of warrantless surveillance, known as the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act ( H.R.6611 ), to the House floor. This bill, dubbed "PATRIOT Act 2.0," poses a significant threat to privacy. Among other things, it vastly widens the scope of businesses eligible to be compelled to give the government access to their systems without a warrant and grossly expands warrantless surveillance of all people seeking to travel to the U.S. Read more from the Brennan Center on this radical expansion of Section 702. Asian American Groups Pushed Back Against 17 GOP Governors on Alien Land Bills According to AsAmNews on December 7, 2023, several Asian American groups including APA Justice push back a letter from 17 Republican governors calling on President Joe Biden to crack down on Chinese ownership of private land in the U.S.The letter instigated by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders called on Biden and congressional leaders to use “all available tools to prevent continued acquisition of American lands by adversarial foreign governments and entities.” “Committee of 100 believes that if such restrictions become law, they will make it difficult, if not impossible, for individuals in the U.S. on long-term visas to purchase a home and are likely to lead to direct discrimination against any individuals of Chinese American or AAPI descent,” said the Committee of 100. Florida has already enacted a law that bans ownership in the state by Chinese citizens. A lawsuit against the Florida state law is ongoing. The Congressional Research Service says 14 other states have enacted similar laws with more than 20 states considering their own bills. “As Americans, we are all concerned about national security but when elected officials whip up fear painting an entire group whether based on race, ethnicity and or national origin, you have to ask what is the real agenda and purpose,” Cynthia Choi , a founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action said. APA Justice has been tracking various state alien land bills and local media reports across the nation, but have not found substantive factual evidence to support the rhetoric of security threats of foreign land ownership in the U.S. by China. Farm Progress reported that China has only 19 acres in Nebraska out of 800,000 acres of Nebraska land that are owned or controlled through leases by foreign entities. Canada is the largest foreign holder of land in the state and in the nation. Investigate Midwest reported that the only Oklahoma land owned by a Chinese company is a combined 2,571 acres held by Smithfield Foods, a large pork producer that moved into the state several years ago." says while foreign landownership in Nebraska has spiked in recent years, Chinese landowners have not contributed to that increase.A bill introduced by Rep Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep Al Green (D-TX) would ban states from enacting such laws based on citizenship and race. The Preemption of Real Property Discrimination Act would move that authority to the federal government.Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/3t1A3YD China Focus, the Carter Center and Conference for 45th Anniversary of U.S.-China Relations China Focus, headed by long-time China expert Dr. Yawei Liu , is the primary team at the Carter Center working on issues related to China. Dr. Liu has been in charge of the Center’s China program for over two decades. While adapting to the demands of the 21st century, the Carter Center remains committed to preserving the legacy of President Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping ’s historic decision to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and China.The Carter Center’s China Focus fosters greater dialogue, exchange, and critical reflection on the past, present, and future of U.S.-China relations. The China Focus produces original scholarship that provides action-oriented insights for advancing U.S.-China engagement. The China Focus organizes a range of activities designed to enhance mutual understanding of American and Chinese interests.The China Focus engages the U.S. and China online. The Center publishes two websites focused on bilateral relations and U.S.-China public opinion. These are the English- and Chinese-language U.S.-China Perception Monitor websites. Content includes a wide variety of interviews with American and Chinese scholars, insightful analyses of U.S.-China relations, surveys of Chinese public opinion, profiles of key opinion leaders in the bilateral relationship, translations of influential commentaries into English or Chinese, and more. Conference for 45th Anniversary of U.S.-China Relations On January 9, 2024, the Carter Center, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and the U.S.-China Business Council will host a public in-person event to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Through keynote speeches and panel discussions, the event will bring together experts to discuss the legacy, controversies, and future of U.S.-China engagement. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/46SW8pO Over 40 Organizations Oppose Appropriations Proposal to Reinstate the China Initiative According to a press release by the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), 45 organizations led by AASF and a coalition of Asian American and allied partners who worked to end the Department of Justice’s “China Initiative” sent a letter to Congress on December 7, 2023, to oppose legislative language that would reinstate the “China Initiative” in the House version of the FY 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill ( H.R. 5893 ) and any future iterations of the Initiative. The proposal would reverse the decision to end the “China Initiative”—a devastating program ended last year that raised serious concerns of racial profiling and targeting of Asian Americans and immigrants, particularly of Chinese descent.Read the coalition letter to Congress here: https://bit.ly/41dhn4C News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/12/10 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/12 Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA2023/12/13 APIAVote In-Person Event: Taste of Democracy2023/12/15 Webinar on Voices of AAPI Communities2023/12/17 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly town hall meetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. APAPA National Unity Awards Gala Among others, Rep. Grace Meng received the Community Champion Award and Professor Xiaoxing Xi was honored for his Unity & Resilience during the APAPA National Unity Awards Gala on December 9, 2023. 3. APIAVote In-person Event: Taste of Democracy WHAT: In-person Annual Event on Taste of Democracy WHEN: December 15, 2023, 1:00 pm ETWHERE: 700 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, 6th Floor, Washington DCDESCRIPTION: An annual year-end event to celebrate APIAVote accomplishments in getting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders out to vote. The evening will also include a presentation of the Beacon of Democracy award. HOST: APIAVoteREGISTRATION: https://apia.vote/ToD2023 4. APIAVote Webinar: Unveiling Insights from New AAPI Data/AP-NORC Survey WHAT: Webinar on Voices of AAPI Communities: Unveiling Insights from New AAPI Data/AP-NORC Survey WHEN: December 15, 2023, 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PTDESCRIPTION: Learn about AAPI views on voting rights, threats to democracy, and trust in political institutions. This poll is conducted by AAPI Data and AP-NORC.HOSTS: APIAVote, AAPI Data, Asian American Journalists Association REGISTRATION: https://apia.vote/dec23poll 5. California Teenager Who Passed Bar Exam at 17 is Now Practicing Attorney According to the Guardian on December 8, 2023, Peter Park , now 18, enrolled in the Northwestern California University School of Law at age 13 and graduated earlier this year, has become the youngest person to ever pass California’s bar exam and is now working as a practicing attorney. The Tulare county district attorney’s office announced that Peter Park, a Korean America, learned last month at 17 that he had passed the rigorous exam on his first attempt in what officials described as a “legal history making moment”. In July 2023, 51.5% of the 7,555 people who took the exam passed. Park has been a law clerk with the office since August after completing law school. Read the Guardian report: https://bit.ly/47Re3yz . Read also the Washington Post : https://wapo.st/47R9hRQ 6. Conference on Social Progress Since Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act 80 Years Ago (CRCEA80) The CRCEA80 Conference was held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC on December 5, 2023. More than 400 individuals attended the event. Speakers included US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Reps Judy Chu and Ted Lieu . · Video summary of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ucBsUaVw9I (5:18) · Office of The U.S. Trade Representative: Remarks by Ambassador Katherine Tai at Event Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act · U. S. Department of State: 戴琪大使在《排华法案》废除 80 周年纪念活动上的讲话 Back View PDF December 11, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #92 Franklin Tao Trial; Chronicle Report on UTK/MIT; 11/01 Meeting; Events + Developments #92 Franklin Tao Trial; Chronicle Report on UTK/MIT; 11/01 Meeting; Events + Developments Back View PDF October 28, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #148 "China Initiative" Cases Crumble; Caught in Tension/Hate; 10/03 Meeting; 09/12 Summary #148 "China Initiative" Cases Crumble; Caught in Tension/Hate; 10/03 Meeting; 09/12 Summary Back View PDF September 30, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #79 Letter To Judge; Letter To President; 2020 Census Results; 08/02 Meeting Summary #79 Letter To Judge; Letter To President; 2020 Census Results; 08/02 Meeting Summary Back View PDF August 25, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #120 Sign On Letter; 3/7 Meeting Summary; Tao Trial; Upcoming Events; One Year After #120 Sign On Letter; 3/7 Meeting Summary; Tao Trial; Upcoming Events; One Year After Back View PDF March 24, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Charles Lieber Docket ID: 1:20-cr-10111 District Court, D. Massachusetts Date filed: June 9, 2020 Date ended: May 8, 2023 Charles Lieber, former chair of Harvard's Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, was prosecuted under the U.S. Department of Justice’s China Initiative. Arrested in January 2020, he faced six felony charges, including Making false statements to federal authorities Failing to report income from China Failing to disclose a foreign bank account The case centered on Professor Lieber's undisclosed ties to China’s Thousand Talents Program and Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). Prosecutors alleged that Lieber received significant compensation (including a $50,000 monthly salary and over $1.5 million in research funding) from WUT, which he failed to report to U.S. agencies while receiving U.S. grant funding. In December 2021, a federal jury convicted Professor Lieber on all six felony charges. In April 2023, Professor Lieber was sentenced to time served, 2 years of supervised release, $50,000 fine, and $33,600 restitution. Professor Lieber’s case became a high-profile example of the program’s controversial targeting of academics with ties to China, despite no charges of espionage. In May 2025, Professor Lieber accepted a new academic position in China. He joined the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) as a full-time chair professor and is also serving as an Investigator at the newly established Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), led by biologist Nieng Yan. References and Links CourtListener: United States v. Lieber (1:20-cr-10111) Wikipedia: Charles M. Lieber 2025/05/02 Inside Higher Ed: US academic convicted over China ties joins Tsinghua University 2025/05/02 Chemistry World: Harvard’s former chemistry chair takes new position at Chinese university 2025/05/01 South China Morning Post: Former Harvard professor convicted over China ties joins Tsinghua University 2024/10/30 The Harvard Crimson: After Conviction for Lying About China Ties, Ex-Harvard Chemist Gets Approval to Visit Beijing 2023/04/26 New York Times: Ex-Harvard Professor Sentenced in China Ties Case 2021/12/28 ScienceInsider: What the Charles Lieber verdict says about U.S. China Initiative Previous Item Next Item

Newsletter - #20 10/05 Monthly Meeting; WSJ Report On The Tao Case; UMich Webinar #20 10/05 Monthly Meeting; WSJ Report On The Tao Case; UMich Webinar Back View PDF October 2, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter