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

Newsletter - #51 "Is This Patriot Enough?"; National Day Of Action And Healing; Upcoming Events #51 "Is This Patriot Enough?"; National Day Of Action And Healing; Upcoming Events Back View PDF March 29, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #249 4/19 C100 Conference/Miami Rally; FISA Vote; Dr. Underwood; Citizenship Question; + #249 4/19 C100 Conference/Miami Rally; FISA Vote; Dr. Underwood; Citizenship Question; + In This Issue #249 · Committee of 100 Conference and Miami Rally on April 19, 2024 · Second Vote on Reauthorization of FISA Coming Up in House? · Dr. Robert Underwood on AANHPISI and Bogus Rhetoric of Espionage · Opposition to Citizenship Question in Future Census - Founding Fathers were "Illegals" · News and Activities for the Communities Committee of 100 Conference and Miami Rally on April 19, 2024 1. Committee of 100 Conference in New York City This session on "The Impact of U.S.-China Tensions on Asian Americans in Government" in the Committee of 100 Conference was inadvertently left out of the previous newsletter. The conference will be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on April 19, 2024. In an environment where U.S.-China geopolitical tensions continue to escalate, Asian Americans serving in the federal government often find themselves unfairly treated when it comes to postings and assignments. The panel will explore the nuanced potential barriers to career advancement that spin from the tensions with China, the complexities of obtaining security clearances and the uncomfortable scrutiny regarding loyalty that Asian Americans endure due to concerns over foreign influence.Speakers: · Carol Lam , Former United States Attorney, Southern District of California · Chuck Rosenberg , Former United States Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia · Andy Kim , Representative, United States Congress · Jiashen You , PhD, Chief Data Officer, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Moderator: · Paula Madison , Chair & CEO, 88 Madison Media Inc. For more information about the C100 conference and registration: https://bit.ly/4d9giAD 2. Community Rally Against Florida's Anti-Chinese Alien Land Law in Miami On April 19, 2024, a community rally will be held at 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit will hold a hearing on the Shen vs. Simpson lawsuit. The rally supports overturning Florida's hateful and discriminatory property law known as SB 264, which unconstitutionally bans many Chinese immigrants from buying homes in Florida.The rally is sponsored by · Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) · United Chinese Americans (UCA) · Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) · League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Florida · Stop AAPI Hate Second Vote on Reauthorization of FISA Coming Up in House? According to the Washington Post , the House reauthorized a part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in a bipartisan vote of 273-147 on Friday, April 12, 2024. The reauthorization window was shortened from five to two years. The post-9/11 provision known as Section 702 of FISA gave U.S. spy agencies the ability to collect without a warrant the communications of noncitizens abroad who are suspected of threatening U.S. national security or whose emails and text messages might provide foreign intelligence. At issue is whether spy agencies can analyze communications by Americans who may have interacted with foreign targets, which privacy advocates on the far right and left say is unconstitutional.An amendment to require a warrant if the FBI wants to analyze Americans’ communications swept up under Section 702 was not adopted because of a tie vote of 212-212.Privacy advocates decried the bill’s passage without a warrant requirement. Elizabeth Goitein , senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, characterized lawmakers who supported the vote for passage of the bill as “a craven betrayal of the Americans who placed their faith in these members to protect their rights.”Stark opposition from another bipartisan group of lawmakers moved far-right members to compel a motion to reconsider the legislation, forcing the House to vote the following week on defending the measure and stalling its passage to the Senate, which must act before a lapse occurs on April 19, 2024.Read the Washington Post report : https://wapo.st/4aTgp13 . During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 8, 2024, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported on the fast pace movement on the FISA Section 702 reauthorization legislation. The second vote in the House, as reported by the Washington Post , may be procedural.On April 14, 2024, the Brennan Center published a one-pager detailing how the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA) authorizes the largest expansion of surveillance on domestic soil since the Patriot Act. According to the one-pager, the administration obtained approval from the FISA Court on April 4 to continue conducting Section 702 surveillance until April of 2025. According to the government itself, that approval will “grandfather” Section 702 surveillance for a year even if Section 702 itself were to lapse. "The Senate must not let a meaningless deadline pressure it into creating a surveillance state," the one-pager said. Dr. Robert Underwood on AANHPISI and Bogus Rhetoric of Espionage Dr. Robert Underwood gave remarks on two topics during the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 8, 2024. He joined the meeting from Guam around 4:00 am Chamorro standard time. It is the only time zone that is named after a people. On January 24, 2000, Congress passed the Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands Standard Time Zone Act. The Act established the Chamorro standard time zone for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The term Chamorro refers to the culture and people of that area. Dr. Underwood is former President of the University of Guam and former Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). He is currently a Member of the President's Advisory Commission AA and NHPI, serving on the data disaggregation and higher education subcommittee. One topic the Commission has been advocating is higher education, particularly the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving institutions (AANHPISI). There are almost 200 such institutions across the country. About half of the AANHPI enrollment goes to AANHPISI institutions. Based on FY 2022 appropriations, AANHPISI institutions would receive approximately $75,000.There is a wide variety of minority serving institution programs in almost every federal agency. However, when AANHPISI applies, sometimes the agencies are hesitant because they do not really understand this network, which has been around for a couple of decades. There are calls for advocacy and some actions by federal agencies on this basis. In Guam and the Northern Marianas, one of the issues that has surfaced is the number of undocumented immigrants coming from the Northern Marianas to Guam on boats.The Northern Marianas is also a US territory, but they have a unique agreement where people can come from China without a visa as tourists and stay for 2 weeks. In the past couple years, about 100 to 200 people have rented a boat or get dropped from boats into Guam.According to the Stars and Stripes , there had been 118 unlawful or attempted unlawful entries by Chinese citizens to Guam since 2022 - 85 in 2022, 27 in 2023, and six were reported for the first two months of 2024.Some think tanks and Congressional members have surfaced the narrative that this stream of potential Chinese migrants is coming in to conduct espionage on military facilities in Guam, despite the fact that immigration authorities in Honolulu which oversee Guam and the Marianas have stated repeatedly there is no reason to believe the espionage allegation, Even though there is no basis for the espionage and no one has been charged, everyone starts looking at each other trying to figure out what is going on and looking at the neighbors wondering why the neighbors are here. Dr. Underwood reiterated that the hype of espionage is bogus. There is no truth in it. They are just economic migrants looking for a job and better opportunities.It is very dispiriting and irresponsible to use a little bit of data to create a false impression. Dr. Underwood is working with a think tank called the Pacific Center for Island Security to do its best to bring full understanding to that situation. Dr. Underwood applauds the recent rally and continuing efforts against Florida's state law known as SB 846 that restricts academic exchange and collaborations, including the hiring of graduate students based on their national origin. Dr. Underwood suggests that this is an opportunity to generate community support and understanding across the country. Everything is a new opportunity.A summary for the monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . Opposition to Citizenship Question in Future Census - Founding Fathers were "Illegals" According to the Brennan Center for Justice on April 11, 2024, leading civil rights organizations and good government groups are pressing the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to oppose the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 7109), a bill proposing to add a citizenship question to the 2030 Census and to exclude non-citizens from the national head count used to apportion the House. In a letter to Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the 74 signatories – which include the Brennan Center for Justice – detailed the serious constitutional and practical problems with the bill.As the letter explains, the proposal to exclude noncitizens from the apportionment count violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires a count of all persons living in the country. As a result, H.R. 7109 effectively proposes to amend the Constitution through legislation, in violation of the amendment process set forth in Article V.The letter goes on to explain that the bill would threaten the success of future censuses by undermining the Census Bureau’s ability to collect accurate population counts, because including a citizenship question on the census would dissuade non-citizens from being counted.Read the Brennan Center statement: https://bit.ly/3VYmmFM Founding Fathers Were "Illegals" According to Yahoo News , Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) schooled Rep. Gary Palmer after the Alabama Republican claimed that the Founding Fathers “never anticipated” having a mass number of people “illegally” come to America.The comments were made during a House Oversight Committee markup session where lawmakers addressed the Equal Representation Act, which — if passed — would require a citizenship question on the 2030 U.S. census and every census 10 years after that.“There was no immigration law when the Constitution was adopted at all. In fact, the only illegals in the country, at least according to the native population, were the people writing the Constitution,” said Raskin, a Constitution attorney.48 of the 56 signers of the Constitution were born in America when it was a British colony. Of the remaining 8, Two were born in England; two in Ireland; two in Scotland; one in Northern Ireland; and one in Wales.Read the Yahoo News report: https://yhoo.it/3Q2iQX1 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/04/17 Racially Profiled for Being A Scientist: A Discussion of the US DOJ's China Initiative2024/04/18 Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice2024/04/19 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2024/04/19 Appeals Court Hearing on Florida SB 2642024/04/19 Community Rally Against Florida's Anti-Chinese Alien Land Law2024/04/30 Understanding Implicit Bias and How to Combat It2024/05/02 AAGEN 2024 Executive Leadership Workshop2024/05/04 Corky Lee's Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details.Visit the 2024 Congressional Calendar by Roll Call : https://bit.ly/4aw4iqU 2. Understanding Implicit Bias and How to Combat It WHAT: Understanding Implicit Bias and How to Combat It WHEN: April 30, 2024, 3:00 - 4:15 pm ET WHERE: Virtual event HOST: American Academy of Arts & Sciences INTRODUCTION: David W. Oxtoby, President, American Academy of Arts & Sciences SPEAKERS: · Frank Dobbin, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences; Chair of the Sociology Department, Harvard University · Jennifer L. Eberhardt, William R. Kimball Professor; Professor of Psychology; Cofounder and Codirector, Stanford SPARQ, Stanford University · Camara Phyllis Jones, Leverhulme Visiting Professor in Global Health and Social Medicine, King’s College London · Goodwin Liu, Associate Justice, California Supreme Court DESCRIPTION: Implicit bias is the residue of stereotyped associations and social patterns that are outside our conscious awareness but reinforce inequality in the world. The implications of implicit bias are present in every field, from law enforcement, to courts, education, medicine, and employment. Scientific inquiry has advanced our understanding of implicit bias in recent decades. It has also illuminated the limitations of certain cognitive measures and commonplace interventions, including some forms of diversity or implicit bias training used by corporations, universities, and other organizations. How can we improve our knowledge base on effective strategies to counteract bias and its negative impacts on our nation? What changes to organizational policies, procedures, and decision-making structures have shown promise? And how can technologies be leveraged? REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4aVrrmi Back View PDF April 15, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #352 Register for 10/16 Webinar; AAJC, APIAVote, and OCA Updates; CALDA New Lawsuit v SB17+ #352 Register for 10/16 Webinar; AAJC, APIAVote, and OCA Updates; CALDA New Lawsuit v SB17+ In This Issue #352 · Register to Attend Inaugural Webinar on October 16, 2025 · Update from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC · Update from APIAVote · Update from OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates · CALDA Appeals and Files New Lawsuit Against Texas Alien Land Law · News and Activities for the Communities Register to Attend Inaugural Webinar on October 16, 2025 Cindy Tsai 蔡欣玲 , Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Committee of 100 (C100), and Rosie Levine 卢晓玫 , Executive Director of the U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET), announced the launch of a joint webinar series, titled " Global Tensions, Local Dimensions - Navigating the U.S.-China Relationship, " at the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 8, 2025.The inaugural webinar will take place on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 8:00 PM ET on Zoom , featuring Ambassadors Julia Chang Bloch 張之香 and Gary Locke 骆家辉 , in conversation with Jessica Chen Weiss 白潔曦, David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS.Register to attend the webinar titled " Bridging Nations: People-to-people Exchange in U.S.-China Relations ," by scanning the QR code above or clicking this link: https://bit.ly/20251016Webinar About the Series and Webinar From the ping-pong diplomacy that preceded formal diplomatic ties in the 1970’s to the robust educational exchanges that flourished in the reform era in the 1990’s, people-to-people connections have provided continuity during periods of political tension in the U.S.-China relationship. Yet in today's environment of strategic competition, people-to-people engagements, such as academic partnerships, student exchanges, business networks, and diaspora community ties, are increasingly restricted in the name of national security. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, whose families and networks often span both countries, increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs.This webinar will focus on the past, present, and future of people-to-people ties between the United States and China, as well as the implications for AAPI communities and U.S. policy. At a time of strained U.S.-China ties, and a concurrent rise in incidents of profiling and violence directed toward the AAPI community in the United States, this discussion will explore how U.S. foreign policy intersects with domestic policy and rights. About the Co-Hosts · C100 is a nonpartisan leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, science, and the arts. Founded in 1990 by I.M. Pei 貝聿銘 and other distinguished leaders, C100 works to advance the full participation of Chinese Americans in U.S. society and to foster constructive dialogue between the United States and Greater China. As Cindy noted, global interactions have direct consequences for AAPI communities at home. · USCET , founded in 1998 by Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch, is a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit dedicated to promoting mutual understanding between the United States and China through education and exchange. USCET strengthens American Studies in China, supports professional development for educators, and creates dialogue among students, scholars, and policymakers. Rosie noted that USCET’s first-ever public statement was issued to express concern over proposed restrictions on international student visas. · APA Justice , advocate of over 10 years for fairness, equity, and justice for Asian Americans and beyond, is also a co-host of this series. Update from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC During the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 8, 2025, Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported on the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, highlighting harmful House language directing the Department of Justice to reinstate the China Initiative. AAJC is responding comprehensively. · Civil Society Letter : An updated letter with more than 80 organizational sign-ons has been sent to Congress. · Bicameral Letter : Representative Judy Chu and Senator Mazie Hirono led a bicameral letter urging opposition to reinstatement, also with the same broad organizational endorsements. In addition, AAJC and coalition partners AASF, Stop AAPI Hate, and CAA are launching a call campaign. Supporters are encouraged to mobilize their bases to phone back and mail all Democratic senators. The goal is to prevent the harmful China Initiative language from appearing in the Senate bill, ensuring it remains only in the House version. Continued calls and emails will be critical throughout this month until the Senate vote. AAJC is closely coordinating with allies on the Hill and provide updates on timing. On September 11, 2025, AsAmNews reported that a proposal to revive the defunct China Initiative—a Trump-era program aimed at curbing Chinese economic espionage but widely criticized for unfairly targeting Chinese scientists—is advancing through Congress. On September 11, the House Appropriations Committee voted 34–28 to include the measure in a larger appropriations bill.Asian American leaders warn reinstating the Initiative would repeat past harms. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) condemned it for fueling racial profiling and dual-loyalty tropes. Civil rights groups point to high-profile failed prosecutions of Chinese scientists such as Gang Chen 陈刚 (MIT), Anming Hu 胡安明 (University of Tennessee), and Franklin Tao 陶丰 (University of Kansas), noting the chilling effect beyond the scientific community. “People don’t know, just by looking at you, whether you’re from China or not,” said Cindy Tsai , general counsel and Executive VP of the Committee of 100. “This really goes back to the safety issue and the sense of belonging for those who have been part of this country.”More than 80 Asian American organizations including APA Justice issued a joint letter opposing the bill. Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, warned it would undermine U.S. competitiveness by driving away scientific talent. Joanna Derman of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) urged the public to educate themselves and press Congress to strip the measure: “We’ve seen how that can result in unfair and harmful discrimination against Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists, researchers, and academics. So by putting [it] in the appropriation bill, pretty much anybody who votes for the appropriation bill can deny that they supported the China Initiative, because it’s part of a larger bill.” Update from APIAVote APIAVote is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civic engagement in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. In today’s hyper-partisan climate, some ask whether a C3 message can still resonate. Bob Sakaniwa , Director of Policy and Advocacy at APIAVote, answered yes during the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 8, 2025. Now more than ever, trusted messengers are essential. Communities look to organizations like APIAVote not to tilt the political scales, but to highlight how policies directly shape AAPI lives. Bob emphasized that while 501(c)(4) activity and more overtly partisan efforts have their place, C3 organizations occupy a unique and vital role. They can elevate the dialogue, build trust across divides, and push conversations toward inclusion and solutions.Reflecting on 2024, the picture for AAPI civic participation was mixed. In 2020, turnout reached historic highs. But in 2024, participation slipped—driven by uncertainty, disillusionment with both parties, and the draining effects of misinformation. Still, there were bright spots: AAPI voters led the nation in new registrations, with more first-time registrants than any other group. With 15 million eligible AAPI voters, there remains enormous untapped potential. And after nearly a year of political upheaval, more people are connecting the dots between policies and daily life—recognizing why civic engagement matters. APIAVote sees opportunities for a rebound this year and an even bigger surge heading into the 2026 midterms.At the same time, threats to voting rights are real and growing. Chief among them is the push—through legislation and executive orders—for documentary proof of citizenship to vote. This bureaucratic barrier amounts to voter suppression, fueled by the false narrative of widespread non-citizen voting. The facts say otherwise. Yet the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would impose such requirements, has already passed the House. Fortunately, the Senate has shown little interest so far.Meanwhile, the Trump administration issued an executive order with the same aim. It is currently tied up in the courts, and APIAVote—along with OCA and represented by AAJC—is a plaintiff challenging it. Another front is the push to roll back birthright citizenship. Both efforts strike at the heart of who belongs in our democracy and carry profound implications for AAPI families.Looking ahead, APIAVote is closely monitoring state-level contests. In New Jersey and Virginia, upcoming races may serve as early indicators of public sentiment toward the administration. And in California, voters will decide this November on a major redistricting proposition, a response to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting carried out under presidential direction. While redistricting is often framed in partisan terms, APIAVote sees it fundamentally as an issue of representation: voters should choose their leaders, not the other way around.Bob closed with a reminder that September 16 is National Voter Registration Day. APIAVote and its partners will be working nationwide to send a clear message: the first step in making your voice heard is registering to vote. With millions of AAPI voices still untapped, this is our moment to ensure our communities are not only present at the polls, but powerful in shaping America’s future. Update from OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates 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. At the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 8, 2025, Thu Nguyen , Executive Director, recapped OCA’s 2025 convention in Seattle, spotlighting the State of the U.S. Constitution plenary, which featured Karen Narasaki (longtime civil rights advocate and former U.S. Commission on Civil Rights commissioner), Karthik Ramakrishnan (academic and founder of AAPI Data), and William Xu , a former OCA intern who later served as a public defender and now works as a judge advocate. Together, they explored impact litigation, public narrative change, and pathways for community involvement. The convention also engaged audiences through workshops like Helen Zia ’s session on AAPI crisis communications, addressing censorship, the politicization of terms such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the challenge of intergenerational dialogue around politically charged language—like “tariffs,” which have real consequences for families and businesses. A screening of John Osaki ’s film Making Waves , on preserving ethnic studies and critical race theory, was another highlight. Thu encouraged chapters to bring the film to local communities. Thu reported that OCA is co-plaintiff in three ongoing lawsuits: one on birthright citizenship, one challenging cuts to the Department of Education, and one with APIAVote on voting rights. All cases are pending before the courts. Thu also described OCA’s Leadership Summit program, historically held in D.C. for select members to receive advocacy and public speaking training and participate in Hill visits. This year, OCA expanded the model into two-day regional leadership summits—open to all ages—combining training with visits to state capitols or local congressional offices. Recent summits were held in Boston and Las Vegas, with upcoming events in Phoenix (November), New York City, and Houston in 2026. OCA covers program costs, while local chapters help with logistics and outreach. Finally, OCA is partnering with National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) members to educate communities on healthcare budget cuts, particularly the impact on Medicare and Medicaid. Many community members are unaware of their coverage links (e.g., CHIP and Medicaid), so OCA is working to clarify these changes and provide next steps for affected families. CALDA Appeals and Files New Lawsuit Against Texas Alien Land Law 1. Wang v. Paxton (4:25-cv-03103) According to a post by the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (华美维权同盟), CALDA led a lawsuit against the Texas government seeking to overturn Texas SB 17, an anti-Chinese land law. A federal judge dismissed the case on procedural grounds in August. The judge held that the two plaintiffs represented by CALDA had resided in Texas for many years and thus could not be considered “domiciled in China.” Since SB 17 does not restrict them, their rights were not harmed, and therefore they lacked standing to sue.CALDA believes the judge’s ruling was wrong. The decision’s interpretation of “domicile” for individuals on non-immigrant visas conflicts with existing law and creates further ambiguity. Because violating SB 17 carries felony consequences, such vagueness may lead to overly strict enforcement, causing broader harm to Chinese communities.Some Texas banks and mortgage companies have already adopted internal policies refusing home loans to any Chinese nationals without green cards—going beyond the law itself. For many Chinese residents, the law’s terms are hard to interpret, and in the current political climate, such gray areas invite abuse, fear, and discrimination. Even those on non-immigrant visas who stay in Texas only temporarily still fall under SB 17 and face housing discrimination.At its core, SB 17 is not about national security but about treating all Chinese people as potential threats. By relying on procedural grounds, the judge avoided the real constitutional question: does SB 17 violate equal protection by stripping a group of the right to buy or rent property based solely on nationality or country of origin? This is the heart of the case and the reason CALDA filed the lawsuit.Following the August ruling, CALDA immediately filed an appeal. Both sides are now submitting briefs, and the appeals court has scheduled a hearing for November 4, with a ruling expected thereafter. 2. Huang v. Paxton (1:25-cv-01509) On September 16, 2025, CALDA filed a second lawsuit in federal court in Austin. This new case includes three plaintiffs: two Chinese citizens holding B1/B2 visas who are only in the U.S. for short-term visits but purchased investment properties in Texas, and one Chinese student who has been in the U.S. for just a year, currently renting in Texas while attending college. Because none of these plaintiffs have long-term continuous U.S. residence, the judge will find it harder to dismiss the case for lack of standing.CALDA will soon request a court hearing to seek a preliminary injunction to block SB 17. CALDA vows not to stop until this discriminatory law is struck down. Against the backdrop of U.S.–China tensions, Chinese Americans face unprecedented uncertainty. Texas SB 17, Florida SB 264, and Ohio HB 1 and SB 88 reflect a nationwide anti-Chinese trend. Meanwhile, the long-dormant “China Initiative” has resurfaced, stirring deep anxiety among Chinese researchers and students.Once discrimination is institutionalized, it tends to spread. These laws are like dominoes: if the first is not stopped, the chain reaction will inevitably expand. Challenging SB 17 is not only about one state law—it represents defending the basic rights of Chinese communities and resisting systemic exclusion in America. For this reason, CALDA views litigation as a crucial tool of advocacy, turning fear about the future into collective action and legal precedent for change.This is a difficult and protracted struggle. We must unite more strength and resources to confront powerful opponents. CALDA calls for continued support to secure a future free from discrimination, where fairness and justice are true guarantees for all Chinese Americans. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/09/18 CAPAC Press Conference2025/09/23 Committee of 100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable?2025/10/03 Covering China—Journalism, Scholarship, and the Global Conversation2025/10/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/10/16 Bridging Nations: The Power of People-to-People Exchange in U.S.-China Relations2025/10/23 C100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative: Asian American Women in the LawVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. May 2025 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Summary of the APA Justice May 2025 meeting is now posted at https://bit.ly/4pxi6ti . We thank the following distinguished speakers for sharing their comments and insights: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) · Gee-Kung Chang 張繼昆 , Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology · Robert Fisher , Partner, Nixon Peabody · William Tong 湯偉麟 , Attorney General, State of Connecticut · Robert L. Santos , Former Director, U.S. Census Bureau; Former President, American Statistical Association · Haifan Lin 林海帆 , President, Federation of Asian Professor Associations (FAPA); Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology, Yale University 3. CAPAC Press Conference WHAT : CAPAC Press Conference on Economic Toll of Trump’s Tariffs on Asian American Communities WHEN : September 18, 2025, 10:30 am ET WHERE : Studio A – HVC117 and live stream: https://www.facebook.com/events/1874102480195831/ HOST : Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) SPEAKERS : · Chair Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06) · Second Vice Chair Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02) · Chair Emerita Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) · Vice Chair Ted Lieu (CA-36) · Rep. Dave Min (CA-47) · Rep. Ed Case (HI-01) DESCRIPTION : On August 29, a federal appeals court ruled that most of Trump’s tariffs are illegal but allowed the tariffs to remain in place while the case moves through the appeals process. The Supreme Court agreed to consider the appeal on an expedited timeline. Meanwhile, tariffs continue to create uncertainty for small businesses and consumers—including for Asian-owned businesses that import agricultural goods, cultural products, and traditional medicines that cannot be produced domestically.Asian American entrepreneurs own 11 percent of small businesses in the U.S. and nearly 20 percent of restaurants. Chinatown businesses in particular have reported lower demand and increased costs for goods, with some hiking prices by an average of 50 percent. According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in August, driving the annual inflation rate to 2.9 percent, the highest since January, in part due to Trump’s tariffs. RSVP : Please RSVP in advance to james.kwon@mail.house.gov 3. ACF: Covering China—Journalism, Scholarship, and the Global Conversation WHAT : Covering China—Journalism, Scholarship, and the Global Conversation WHEN : October 3, 2025, 9:30 am - 12:00 noon ET WHERE : Kenney Link Auditorium, Johns Hopkins SAIS, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20001 HOST : Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) PROGRAM: · 9:30am: Opening Remarks · 9:45am: Session 1—Covering China from Within: Problems and Processes · 11:00am:: Session 2—China, America, and the World: New Frontiers · 12:00pm: Networking Lunch DESCRIPTION : The Johns Hopkins SAIS Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) and the Overseas Press Club of America will jointly host an in-person event examining the state of journalistic and academic coverage of China.The first session will consider the hurdles that journalists and academics face when operating within China at present, and their evolving approaches to reporting and research. A second panel will assess the challenges that global correspondents and researchers face as they cover China's global activities and influence, especially when the issues that intersect China's global role—including artificial intelligence, trade and investment, and new energy—are themselves complex and rapidly evolving.What are the perspectives of top journalists and researchers on the current state of reporting on China? What do we know and not know – and what assumptions and narratives may need revision? What are our collective blind spots? What strategies can help strengthen the quality of research and reporting, and more accurately frame the scope and scale of the China challenge for U.S. audiences? REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/3KtwClu # # # 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 September 18, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #345 8/4 Meeting; Will Kim; Fed Data Integrity/Statistical System at Risk; Ed Dept Funding+ #345 8/4 Meeting; Will Kim; Fed Data Integrity/Statistical System at Risk; Ed Dept Funding+ In This Issue #345 · 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Alert: Korean Scientist with Green Card Detained · Trump Terminated Federal Data Integrity—Not Just the BLS Commissioner · Rob Santos on The Threat to the Federal Statistical System · Education Department Releases Grant Money · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Munira Abdullahi , Member, Ohio House of Representatives · Guangya Liu , Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Min Fan , Executive Director, US Heartland China Association · Youngwoon Han , Network & Organizing Director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) · Daniel Chung , President, Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC) Congressman Al Green regrets that he will be unable to speak at the meeting due to the ongoing redistricting issue in Texas. He has agreed to return to a future meeting.Despite the late notice, Youngwoon Han and Daniel Chung have graciously accepted our invitation to speak. They will provide an update on Tae Heung 'Will' Kim, a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University and Texas resident with a Green Card. For more background on Will Kim’s situation, please refer to the next article below.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 . Alert: Korean Scientist with Green Card Detained According to multiple media reports, Tae Heung "Will" Kim , is a South Korean green card holder. He has lived in the U.S. for 35 years, since age five, when his family emigrated from South Korea. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Texas A&M, where he is researching a vaccine for Lyme disease. Kim was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at San Francisco International Airport after returning from a family wedding in South Korea. Kim’s attorneys told reporters that they had no contact with Kim while he was detained at the airport for a week and had difficulties getting information from authorities, who initially denied Kim’s right to legal counsel. CBP later cited a 2011 marijuana possession charge as the basis for Kim's detention, despite his having completed community service. Kim was reportedly held in poor conditions, exceeding CBP’s 72-hour detention limit, and may have lacked access to his asthma medication. He has since been transferred to an ICE facility in Arizona. On July 29, 2025, the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) launched a “Release Will Now!” campaign to get Kim released. A weeklong Phone calls to Texas legislators had been organized starting July 30. Over 1,000 people have already signed a petition letter to Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz . On July 30, 2025, the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California (KABANC) issued a statement strongly condemning the indefinite immigration detention of Will Kim without access to his attorney. Kim has remained in indefinite immigration detention since July 21. KABANC demands that he be immediately released from ICE and granted access to his attorney. Kim’s immigration lawyer, Karl Krooth , said that “it’s appalling to see a lawful permanent resident suffer detention for a week without access to counsel.” “While detained, CBP kept the lights on 24 hours per day, not allowing Will to see any daylight because the only time he was allowed near a window was at night,” Krooth said in a statement to the Daily Beast . Media Reports · 2025/07/31 Houston Chronicle: Texas A&M researcher in ICE custody following weeklong detention at San Francisco airport · 2025/07/29 Washington Post: Scientist on green card detained for a week without explanation, lawyer says · 2025/07/29 ABC News Korean PhD student detained in California despite green card, lawyer says · 2025/07/29 KBTX Immigration officials detain Texas A&M PhD student after attending brother’s wedding, report says · 2025/07/29 Daily Beast Scientist Trapped at Airport in ‘Inhumane’ Conditions With No Explanation Trump Terminated Federal Data Integrity—Not Just the BLS Commissioner President Donald Trump ’s abrupt firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer has ignited bipartisan outrage and fears over the politicization of federal data. According to multiple media outlets, Trump ousted McEntarfer after the latest jobs report showed hiring had slowed and prior months had been revised downward. He accused her—without evidence—of manipulating the data and emphasized that she was appointed by President Joe Biden . McEntarfer was confirmed in January 2024 by a bipartisan 86–8 Senate vote, including support from Republicans J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio , now serving in Trump's cabinet. She is a widely respected labor economist who previously served in nonpartisan roles at the Census Bureau, Treasury Department, and the White House Council of Economic Advisers.The reaction was swift and damning. Former Trump BLS Commissioner William Beach , now co-chair of the Friends of BLS, defended McEntarfer’s record, stating, “She is a very fine analyst and a good colleague.” In a joint statement, Beach and other leaders from the federal statistics community warned that Trump’s action “undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics” and risks setting the U.S. on a path similar to authoritarian regimes where official data loses public trust. Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis and Thom Tillis condemned the firing as reckless, while Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Bernie Sanders , called it authoritarian. Sanders cautioned that when leaders only accept good news, “it’s hard for us to deal with the problems, because we don’t know what is going on.”Beyond this singular firing, Trump’s broader record has intensified concerns. Federal data systems—long regarded as the global gold standard—are under mounting pressure from budget cuts, survey nonresponse, and politicized interference. The BLS alone has seen an 8% budget cut and up to 40% attrition, leading to the discontinuation of hundreds of critical statistical components. Experts like David Wilcox and Michael Strain warn that even small disruptions, such as mismeasuring inflation, could misallocate billions in Social Security payments. Simultaneously, over 400 changes have been made across federal databases, many erasing references to race, gender identity, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As former U.S. Chief Data Scientist Denice Ross noted, this amounts to a “targeted, surgical removal of datasets.” A Reuters poll found 89 out of 100 top economists are worried about the quality of U.S. economic data, and over 80% say the federal response has been inadequate. Without urgent intervention, the U.S. risks losing its statistical integrity—along with the democratic trust that depends on it.Statement by the Friends of BLS: "The President seeks to blame someone for unwelcome economic news. The Commissioner does not determine what the numbers are but simply reports on what the data show. The process of obtaining the numbers is decentralized by design to avoid opportunities for interference. The BLS uses the same proven, transparent, reliable process to produce estimates every month. Every month, BLS revises the prior two months’ employment estimates to reflect slower-arriving, more-accurate information. "This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers. U.S. official statistics are the gold standard globally. When leaders of other nations have politicized economic data, it has destroyed public trust in all official statistics and in government science."BLS operates as a federal statistical agency and is afforded autonomy to ensure the data it releases are as accurate as possible. To politicize the work of the agency and its workers does a great disservice not only to BLS but to the entire federal statistical system which this country has relied on for almost 150 years. We stand firmly behind the BLS, Commissioner McEntarfer, and the data they work hard to produce. Commissioner McEntarfer is a widely-respected economist who has devoted her career to public service. She has an impeccable record. Over ninety percent of U.S. Senators supported her confirmation."We call on Congress to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer’s removal, to strongly urge the Commissioner’s continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained. The statement from the President undermines these tenets and politicizes data which cannot and should not be used for political points." References and Links 2025/08/02 The Hill: Statisticians blast Trump over BLS firing: ‘Dangerous precedent’ 2025/08/01 Friends of BLS: Statement on Commissioner McEntarfer’s Removal 2025/08/01 COPAFS: Removal of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer 2025/08/01 NBC News: Republican senators raise concerns about Trump's firing of Labor Dept. official 2025/08/01 CNN: Trump fires a senior official over jobs numbers 2025/08/01 Wall Street Journal: Trump Orders Firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Chief 2025/08/01 AP: Who is Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner fired by Trump? 2025/07/28 MarketPlace: Federal data has been disappearing under Trump 2025/07/25 Reuters: US economic data quality a worry, authorities not acting urgently enough, experts say- Reuters poll 2025/07/03 Washington Post: Why some fear government data on the U.S. economy is losing integrity Rob Santos on The Threat to the Federal Statistical System Robert Santos was the 26th Director of the U.S. Census Bureau—the first Latino and first person of color to hold that position. He left the Census Bureau on February 14, 2025, and is still decompressing from what was a very intense experience, especially during the final months of his tenure when he spoke at the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 5, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nJzpcHpg2s (16:27) Director Santos emphasizes the critical role of federal statistical data—particularly from the Census Bureau and other agencies—in supporting justice, equity, and informed policymaking. High-quality, objective data is essential for identifying disparities and ensuring the equitable allocation of resources, from broadband funding to education and infrastructure investments. Current Status However, recent political and administrative developments have significantly undermined this mission. Early in the new administration, an executive order targeting terms related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), forced agencies to quickly remove these terms from documents, databases, and websites—often within 48 hours. This led to widespread shutdowns of public data access. Agencies complied to avoid legal consequences and to protect career staff from being fired.There is also a hiring freeze, leaving hundreds of critical positions vacant—especially among field data collectors. Ongoing staff reductions have included the departure of around 1,000 Census Bureau employees, many of whom were senior experts. Looming budget cuts tied to the FY26 budget and broader plans like Project 2025, which call for a drastic reduction in the federal workforce, further threaten the system.Director Santos warns that these developments compromise the ability of federal statistical agencies to fulfill their missions and stresses the urgent need for Congress and the public to protect the integrity and independence of the federal statistical system. Major Emerging Threats Rollback of Revised Race and Ethnicity Standards: Recent updates allow for more detailed data on Asian and Pacific Islander subgroups. However, there is political resistance—particularly in Congress—questioning the need for such detailed classifications.Return of the Citizenship Question: Adding a citizenship question to the census has been shown to suppress participation among immigrant communities, leading to undercounts and distorted data. Director Santos warns against its possible reintroduction.Making the American Community Survey (ACS) Voluntary: The ACS is a critical data collection tool. Making it voluntary would lower response rates, degrading the quality and reliability of federal data.Additionally, there are concerns that the Department of Justice (DOJ) may interfere with Title 13 protections, which safeguard the confidentiality of census responses. Santos stresses that breaching this confidentiality would be a grave threat—and assures that career staff would resist any such attempt.Overall, Director Santos warns of growing political and administrative pressures that could undermine the federal statistical system’s objectivity, reliability, and public trust. What can we do? Be vocal advocates—Speak out against efforts to dismantle or weaken data collection. We must defend the ability to produce high-quality, objective data.Engage strategically—Try to understand where the current administration is coming from in terms of its goals around government efficiency. Then demonstrate how the current data infrastructure is already efficient—and how it can be improved further. Everyone wants good data. Let’s show how data help the economy, support businesses, and enable all communities to thrive.We don’t need to be enemies. We can build a path forward together.Director Santos compares the current threats to the federal statistical system to a natural disaster—damage is inevitable, but we can work to minimize the impact. Most importantly, we must plan for the future. Once the current administration ends, there must be a united effort—across all communities—to rebuild a fair, inclusive, and effective federal statistical system.2025/04/16 Amstat Videos: Telling Our Stories - Rob Santos - Statistics in Public Service (9:55) Education Department Releases Grant Money Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Associate According to CBS , New York Times , and multiple media reports, the White House is set to release billions in federal funding it had initially withheld from schools. On July 1, Congress approved nearly $7 billion in education funding, but the Trump administration abruptly withheld it a day before the deadline. More than $2 billion of the money was intended for arts and music education in low-income districts, additional support for English language learners, and extra assistance for children of migrant farmworkers. The appropriation also allocated funding to train and recruit teachers, particularly in low-income areas. On June 20 before the deadline, the Trump administration conducted a review of the funds, finding instances of federal money being “grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda.” The funding freeze faced several lawsuits, including two in federal court. On July 18, Congress announced it would release $1.3 billion in frozen federal funding intended for after-school and summer programs across the country, including non-profits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America. The release occurred after a lawsuit from Democratic leaders in 24 states called the action illegal, and days after 10 Republican senators sent a public letter to the administration. On July 25, the Education Department announced it will release $5.5 billion, nearly the full amount of the originally intended $7 billion. The administration will begin allocating the money to states next week. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/07/31-08/10 Asian American International Film Festival2025/08/02-07 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/08/11 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Gary LockeVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. SCMP : 6G Expert Gee-Kung Chang Counts Costs Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications AssociateOn July 29, 2025, The South China Morning Post published a report where Georgia Tech professor Gee-Kung Chang 張繼昆 shared his harrowing experience as a target of the defunct China Initiative. In 2021, federal agents stormed his home and charged him with ten felonies related to misuse of the J-1 visa program. The accusations centered on claims that Chinese scholars he hosted worked for ZTE, but after four years of isolation and legal battles, all charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.Chang reflects on the emotional and financial toll, stating at an APA Justice meeting on May 5, 2025, that “freedom did not bring euphoria.” His case, like others, highlights how changing political winds turned academic collaboration with China into legal jeopardy. Although the China Initiative ended in 2022, efforts in Congress to revive it continue. Chang warns others: “Justice is not guaranteed. It must be fought for.”Read Professor Chang's statement " From Injustice to Integrity: A Journal Through Fire ." # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF August 4, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter