Newsletter - #128 FBI Town Halls; ODNI Report; 6/6 Monthly Meeting; Webinar and Op-Ed; Memorial for Norm #128 FBI Town Halls; ODNI Report; 6/6 Monthly Meeting; Webinar and Op-Ed; Memorial for Norm Back View PDF June 2, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Wuyuan Lu 陆五元 Professor, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Former Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland Table of Contents Overview 2012 Institute of Human Virology Annual Report Links and References Overview According to Science on March 23, 2023, for decades, Chinese-born U.S. faculty members like Wuyuan Lu were celebrated for fostering collaborations with colleagues in China. These partnerships were viewed as enriching the scientific community, and universities proudly cited the benefits of their ties to the rising global power. But in late 2018, the atmosphere shifted dramatically when institutions began receiving emails from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), asking them to investigate whether their faculty had violated NIH policies by allegedly failing to disclose affiliations with Chinese institutions. This marked the beginning of a covert, wide-reaching investigation that would result in 103 scientists—many of them tenured faculty—losing their jobs within four years. [By June 2024, the number has increased to 112.] Dr. Lu, a tenured professor at the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV), was one of those caught in the crosshairs. In December 2018, he received an urgent email from a senior university research administrator, Dennis Paffrath, who cited concerns raised by the NIH about Dr. Lu's alleged failure to disclose outside research support and affiliations with Chinese universities. The NIH letter pointed to Dr. Lu’s connections with Xi’an Jiaotong University and Fudan University, alleging that his NIH-funded research overlapped with work being conducted in China. Confident that this was a misunderstanding, Dr. Lu responded swiftly. He explained that his collaborations in China were purely academic and that NIH funds were never used for work conducted overseas. He highlighted the intellectual contributions of Chinese students to his NIH-funded research at IHV, stating that the university had not only approved these partnerships but had publicly celebrated them. However, Dr. Lu's reassurances were met with silence for 15 months. When NIH finally responded, it demanded more documentation, asking for detailed descriptions of his research and even English and Chinese copies of contracts he had signed with Chinese institutions. Despite his efforts to comply, NIH remained unsatisfied. Lu felt the pressure mounting. Frustrated by the process and what he perceived as an unjustified witch hunt, Dr. Lu reached his breaking point. In August 2020, after years of uncertainty, he resigned from his tenured position at the University of Maryland. He relocated to China, where he now teaches at Fudan’s medical school in Shanghai. Looking back, Dr. Lu describes the NIH as acting like a “bully.” He felt that the investigation was a form of racial profiling, a symptom of the larger campaign to counter Chinese espionage, despite little evidence of wrongdoing. While the university never explicitly blamed him, Dr. Lu saw them as simply the middleman, caught between NIH's demands and their faculty. The once-celebrated scientist now viewed NIH’s actions as part of a larger trend of targeting Chinese-born academics, reflecting a dramatic shift in the U.S. scientific landscape, where collaboration with China had gone from a prized asset to a perceived liability. 2012 Institute of Human Virology Annual Report The 2012 University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology annual report highlighted Dr. Wuyuan Lu’s structural biology research associated with China. According to the report, “Dr. Wuyuan Lu has recently been tapped by Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU)—a prestigious academic institution in China—to help build a center for translational medicine in the ancient city of Xi’an as an extension of his ongoing biomedical research at IHV. The research center is affiliated with the School of Life Sciences and the Frontier Institute of Science and Technology of XJTU, and forms a strategic alliance with the University’s First Affiliated Hospital—the largest hospital in northwest China. The core mission of the center is to support biomedical research aimed at translating basic science discoveries into improved human health in the areas of cancer and infectious disease. “Dr. Lu regularly travels to Xi’an for strategic planning consultation that entails the building of the infrastructure of the center, recruitment of its principal investigators, development of curricula for graduate education, and establishment of a multidisciplinary research program. Discussions are also underway about how to launch a platform in Xi’an to foster close collaborations in basic and clinical research on HIV between the Institute of Human Virology and XJTU. Dr. Lu hopes that his stint in Xi’an will ultimately lead to frequent exchanges of basic scientists, clinicians and graduate students, sponsorship of joint research projects by the U.S. and China, and a greater role for the IHV in leading the global fight against HIV/AIDS. “The major goals of IHV’s research in the Laboratory of Chemical Protein Engineering (Lu laboratory) include deciphering the molecular basis of how proteins function, elucidating the structure and function relationships for and mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides, and developing novel antitumor and antiviral peptides for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. “Structural biology has grown rapidly at IHV, including international expansion of Lu’s program…” Links and References University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Wuyuan Lu 2023/03/23 Science: Pall of Suspicion 2012 University of Maryland: Institute of Human Virology annual report Previous Item Next Item

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 - #383 3/24 Webinar on Mass Surveillance; Timeline Visualization; Sign On; Museum Update; + #383 3/24 Webinar on Mass Surveillance; Timeline Visualization; Sign On; Museum Update; + In This Issue #383 · 03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know · Timeline Visualization of U.S. Mass Surveillance · Action Alert: Sign On to Coalition Letter on FISA Section 702 Reauthorization · Politico : Federal Judges Across the Country Blame ICE and DOJ Leadership · Update from National APA Museum Commission · News and Activities for the Communities 03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know WHAT : Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know WHEN : March 24, 2026, 7:00 pm ET WHERE : Webinar CO - HOSTS: APA Justice, Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, Committee of 100 Moderator : Michael German , Retired Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice Speakers: · Kaohly Her , Mayor, St. Paul, Minnesota · Saira Hussain , Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation · Xiaoxing Xi , Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics, Temple University · John Yang , President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC DESCRIPTION : Masked, heavily armed federal agents are roaming through American neighborhoods aggressively targeting anyone they feel does not belong, often using race and ethnicity as a factor to determine who is selected for arrest, detention, and deportation. News reports indicate that Immigration agents are using advanced technological tools and electronic surveillance authorities to create and exploit vast intelligence databases to further the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy. Adding urgency to these concerns, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — one of the government's most powerful surveillance tools — is set to expire on April 20, 2026, and the outcome of its reauthorization will have profound implications for the civil liberties of all Americans. This lawless approach to immigration enforcement has a direct effect on AAPI communities. US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have long treated Asian Americans unfairly as a suspect community. Our earliest immigration laws, like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, singled them out for disparate treatment based on their race and national origin, and the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, last used to intern Japanese Americans during World War II. The webinar will provide an update of the current situation, and explain how this immigration crackdown is fueled by technological innovations and electronic surveillance powers originally developed to protect Americans from foreign terrorists, now turned inward to target Americans. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3N5BbEy ***** On March 10, 2026, U.S. Representative Grace Meng 孟昭文 , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, led a virtual press conference with the Minnesota State Asian Pacific Caucus and Minnesota-based community organizations to highlight the devastating impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on Asian communities. CAPAC Chair Meng was joined by Minnesota State Representative Ethan Cha , Chair of the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus; Minnesota State Representative Liz Lee , Secretary of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators; Xay Yang , Executive Director of Transforming Generations; Quyen Đình , Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); Chhaya Chhoum , Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN); and ThaoMee Xiong , Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders. Watch a video of the virtual press conference here: https://bit.ly/4lu1VeM Timeline Visualization of U.S. Mass Surveillance As Congress prepares to decide the fate of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its April 20, 2026 expiration, APA Justice has published a comprehensive interactive timeline tracing the history of warrantless surveillance in the United States — and the AAPI community's place within it. We thank Madeleine Gable , Communications Associate, for its development. The timeline, available at https://bit.ly/MassSurveillanceTimeline , tells a sobering story that stretches across more than five decades. The Foundation: From Katz to FISA The modern legal framework for surveillance began with the Supreme Court's landmark 1967 Katz v. United States decision, which redefined what constitutes a "search" under the Fourth Amendment. A decade later, the Watergate scandal — and the revelation that President Richard Nixon had abused intelligence powers for political purposes — led directly to the enactment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978, which was intended to place judicial oversight over national security surveillance for the first time. After 9/11: The Surveillance State Expands The September 11 attacks fundamentally transformed the scope of government surveillance. Months afterward, President George W. Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct warrantless surveillance of international phone calls and emails involving people inside the United States — a dramatic departure from FISA's framework. Congress later codified this expansion through the Protect America Act of 2007 and then the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which established Section 702 as a permanent legal authority. Though nominally targeting non-U.S. persons abroad, Section 702 has become, in practice, a significant source of warrantless access to Americans' communications — a fact dramatically confirmed by Edward Snowden 's disclosures in 2013. In 2024, Congress again re-authorized Section 702, and expanded the government's power to use the data collected through 702 for vetting immigrants and non-US citizens traveling to the US. The AAPI Community in the Crosshairs The timeline makes clear that the AAPI community has never been a bystander in this history — it has been a target. The 1999 case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 , a Los Alamos scientist falsely accused of spying for China, foreshadowed a pattern of racial profiling under national security authorities that would intensify in the years ahead. In 2015, APA Justice was founded specifically in response to a wave of prosecutions of innocent Chinese Americans accused of espionage — cases that were subsequently dismissed without explanation or apology. In 2017, Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 filed a civil rights lawsuit challenging the government's use of FISA and the FBI's targeting of Asian American scientists — a case that sits at the heart of the surveillance reform debate today. That same year, APA Justice launched its FISA Watch website, and a coalition of Asian American organizations urged Congress to reform Section 702 before its expiration. A Pattern of Reauthorization Without Reform Despite persistent advocacy, Congress has repeatedly reauthorized Section 702 without meaningful reform. In April 2024, the House passed a two-year extension while narrowly rejecting — by a 212-212 tie — a warrant requirement that civil liberties advocates consider essential. The resulting Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA) extended Section 702 only until April 20, 2026. FBI Director Kash Patel abruptly shut down the Office of Internal Auditing in May 2025 — a watchdog agency created specifically to oversee Section 702 compliance. The 2026 Reauthorization: A Critical Moment — Now with an AI Dimension With the April 20, 2026 deadline now weeks away, the stakes could not be higher — and a troubling new dimension has emerged. Section 702's reach has expanded well beyond its original purpose, and the same surveillance infrastructure is now being deployed in service of the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda — turning tools built to monitor foreign terrorists inward against American communities. What is new and alarming in this reauthorization cycle is the intersection of Section 702 with artificial intelligence (AI). See below for a coalition letter being organized at this time. Watch the timeline visualization at https://bit.ly/MassSurveillanceTimeline in 2D or 3D. Action Alert: Sign On to Coalition Letter on FISA Section 702 Reauthorization Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Stop AAPI Hate, and the Asian American Scholars Forum are urging community partners and allies to sign on to an important coalition letter calling for meaningful reform of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) as it expires on April 20, 2026. Section 702 was enacted in 2008 to authorize intelligence agencies to collect communications from non-U.S. persons located outside the United States without a warrant. Over the past 15 years, however, it has undergone significant mission creep and has become a substantial source of warrantless access to the communications of American citizens — raising serious concerns about government surveillance overreach. Asian Americans and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities are likely overrepresented in data collected under Section 702, increasing the risk that these communities will be subjected to "backdoor searches" that further infringe on their privacy. This is not an abstract concern — it reflects a persistent legacy of racial profiling and discrimination against these communities in the name of national security, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to the post-9/11 surveillance dragnet. Congress should not reauthorize Section 702 without first requiring the government to obtain a warrant before searching for Americans in Section 702 data, along with other critical reforms. The coalition letter addresses the alarming intersection of Section 702 and artificial intelligence. It responds directly to recent reporting by the New York Times that the Department of Defense is requiring AI companies it contracts with to allow their technology to enable mass domestic surveillance through the use and analysis of commercial bulk data on Americans — including geolocation and web browsing data. The letter urges lawmakers not to reauthorize FISA Section 702 without closing the data broker loophole and enacting other substantive reforms. The FISA 702 reform coalition urge all community organizations and allies to review and sign on to this letter as soon as possible: https://bit.ly/3P3l0rV . The reauthorization of Section 702 without adequate reform would leave AAPI communities — and all Americans — vulnerable to the same unchecked surveillance powers that are already being used to fuel the Trump administration's mass deportation crackdown. The time to act is now. Deadline to sign on to the letter is Close of Business, Friday, March 13, 2026. Please reach out to Joanna YangQing Derman at jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org or Dennis Jing at djing@advancingjustice-aajc.org if you have any questions about the letter to Congress or sign on form. Politico : Federal Judges Across the Country Blame ICE and DOJ Leadership According to Politico on March 10, 2026, a striking pattern has emerged in federal courtrooms across the country: judges who are furious over missed deadlines, defied court orders, and stonewalling in immigration cases are going out of their way to distinguish between the Justice Department's front-line attorneys and the political leadership directing them — and they are placing the blame squarely on the latter. The Trump administration's mass deportation push has triggered a deluge of emergency lawsuits from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, overwhelming court dockets and exposing a chaotic and often lawless enforcement operation. DOJ line attorneys have been thrust into courtrooms without adequate information, sometimes unable to reach their ICE counterparts, and asked to defend detention practices that judges have overwhelmingly ruled illegal. Some have resigned or been fired, further straining already understaffed offices. The frustration on the bench has been pointed and public. U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz , a George W. Bush appointee in Minnesota, wrote in a recent opinion that his colleagues had been "extraordinarily patient with the government attorneys, recognizing that they have been put in an impossible position" — placing blame instead on an administration that sent thousands of ICE agents to Minnesota "without making any provision for handling the hundreds of lawsuits that were sure to follow." In New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz was equally direct after the Justice Department acknowledged dozens of court order violations: "The main problem is on ICE's side of the line. In response to the Court's order as to going-forward compliance measures, nothing came back from ICE. Nothing about how it might improve its internal processes. Or its training. Or its supervision. … No commitment to do anything at all. And no statement of 'regret.'" The pattern is consistent across jurisdictions. In West Virginia, a Clinton appointee praised DOJ line attorneys as "responsive and professional" while noting that "the problem lies in the attorneys' clients, federal government actors, who have offered no evidence that they have seen or even care about the legal rulings of this district." In Pennsylvania, a judge ruling on an unrelated matter similarly took care to exempt front-line DOJ staff from his criticism of administration leadership. For the AAPI community, this matters. The same ICE enforcement machine that is flouting court orders nationwide is the one that has been racially profiling Asian Americans, conducting warrantless surveillance, and threatening to invoke the Alien Enemies Act. The judiciary is pushing back — but as these cases make clear, the courts can only do so much when the administration treats judicial oversight as an obstacle rather than a constraint. Read the Politico report: https://politi.co/4b5dUfb Update from National APA Museum Commission During the March 2 APA Justice monthly meeting, Co-Chair Chiling Tong 董继玲 and Executive Director Krystal Ka'ai gave a joint presentation about the bipartisan, congressionally appointed Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. The commission, created through legislation authored by CAPAC Chairwoman Grace Meng 孟昭文 , is charged with delivering a comprehensive plan of action to the U.S. Congress and the President that will lay the groundwork for Congressional authorization of a national museum dedicated to honoring the achievements, progress, and lasting impact of Asian Pacific Americans. The Commission is currently accepting public comments through June 30, 2026 that can be submitted online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfftgwX_3tTV-RLfvL2pkD8-Msc5n98xoNe5R6EHWclpcXX6w/viewform . Learn more about the Commission and sign up for one of their upcoming listening sessions at https://nationalapamuseum.org/ News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/03/17 Equity Pulse: Is Your Citizenship at Stake? 2026/03/24 Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know 2026/03/25 The Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: New Data on Asian American Experiences 2026/04/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2026/04/08 Perspectives on Careers in Arts and Entertainment 2026/04/14 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Anla ChengVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. AAUC Town Hall: In Challenging Times, Our Voices Matter WHAT : In Challenging Times, Our Voices Matter WHEN : March 19, 2026, 1:00 pm ET WHERE : Online Town Hall HOST: Asian American Unity Coalition DESCRIPTION : Many Asian Americans are feeling the weight of today’s global conflicts, especially with the war in Iran. The news is painful and the uncertainty is real, leaving us searching for clarity and a sense of grounding. At moments like this, it becomes even more important to remember who we are as a community and the role we have played and continue to play in shaping America’s values, resilience, and moral leadership. REGISTRATION: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/pEMGKU_qQMCxjFNlwkatDw#/registration # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF March 12, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #158 Congressional Reception; 01/09 Meeting; Arrowood; Haoyang Yu; Thomas Keon; More News #158 Congressional Reception; 01/09 Meeting; Arrowood; Haoyang Yu; Thomas Keon; More News In This Issue #158 Justice for Sherry Chen 陈霞芬 Congressional Reception 2023/01/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Update on the Arrowood Nomination The Intercept Report on The Case of Haoyang Yu 于浩洋 Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon Asian American and Scientific Community News Justice for Sherry Chen 陈霞芬 Congressional Reception On December 13, 2022, "Justice for Sherry Chen Congressional Reception" was held on Capitol Hill in honor of her historic settlement and in appreciation for the many elected officials, community organizations and leaders, and grass-roots individuals who supported her 10-year fight for justice. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Judy Chu and Whip Ted Lieu led the opening remarks. They also led the first Capitol Hill press conference on Sherry's case going back to May 2015. During the 10-year span, Sherry courageously stood her ground and won three judicial battles - having her unjust criminal case dropped by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2015, winning the appeal to reverse the discriminatory termination of her employment against the Department of Commerce (DOC) in 2018, and settling the lawsuit against DOJ and DOC with a historic amount of over $1.5 million in 2022. In addition to CAPAC, Sherry was helped by the leadership of Maryland State Senator Susan Lee who mobilized the Asian American and scientific communities nationwide in successfully calling for a congressional hearing on racial profiling and the plight of Asian American scientists. Sherry gave a compelling testimony in the 2021 Congressional Roundtable titled “Researching while Chinese American: Ethnic Profiling, Chinese American Scientists and a New American Brain Drain” chaired by Rep. Jamie Raskin of the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and joined by CAPAC. The YouTube video of the Roundtable has received more than 14,000 views. Sherry was also helped by an investigation led by Senator Roger Wicker which revealed abuse and misconduct at multiple levels of the DOC stemming from the rogue Investigations and Threat Management Service, including the profiling of DOC Asian American employees for as many as 15 years. Dozens of participants came from as far as California and across the U.S. to join the event. More descriptions and photos about the reception are being added to the APA Justice webpage on Sherry Chen at: http://bit.ly/APAJ_Sherry_Chen The LinkedIn post of MIT Technology Review report on Sherry Chen and her historic settlement has received over 48,000 views so far: http://bit.ly/3GZCOxQ Watch the Chinese-language report by Voice of America on the 2015 Capitol Hill press conference (美议员怀疑陈霞芬间谍案有族裔因素) here: https://youtu.be/CBsEx-A_yUw (video 2:43) 01/09/2023 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, January 9, 2023. Invited speakers to help us bring in the new year are: Judy Chu, Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American (Invited) Sherry Chen, Hydrologist, U.S. Department of Commerce (Confirmed) Haipei Shue, President, United Chinese Americans (Invited) Vincent Wang, Chair, Ohio Chinese American Association; Co-organizer, APA Justice (Confirmed) Patrick Toomey, Deputy Director, and Ashley Gorski, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU (Invited) John Trasvina, Civil Rights Attorney; Former Principal Legal Advisor, Department of Homeland Security; Former Dean of the University of San Francisco School of Law (Confirmed) John Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei, Vincent Wang, and Jeremy Wu - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . Read past monthly meeting summaries here: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP . Update on the Arrowood Nomination The 117th Congress ended on January 3, 2023, without action by the Senate on the nomination of Mr. Casey Arrowood to become the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.We are grateful to the Senate Judiciary Committee senators and staff who heard concerns from Asian Americans in Tennessee and throughout the nation about Mr. Arrowood's record carrying out the “China Initiative” and unjustly prosecuting University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) Professor Anming Hu 胡安明. Throughout 2022, we expressed our serious concerns to Congress and the White House about Department of Justice attorneys refiling charges that the trial judge concluded "no rational jury" would convict.The Biden Administration has the option to renominate Mr. Arrowood in the 118th Congress, an action the Asian American community will continue to steadfastly oppose.The White House has three additional options instead of renominating Mr. Arrowood for the position of U.S. Attorney: Nominate the current U.S. Attorney Francis (Trey) Hamilton, III for the position Do not nominate anyone for the position and permit Mr. Hamilton to remain in office Restart the entire process and nominate someone other than Mr. Hamilton or Mr. Arrowood The Arrowood nomination was unacceptable and remains unacceptable because of his involvement in the conduct of the investigation of Professor Hu, bringing the faulty charges, and intending to refile the charges that prompted Judge Varlan to issue an acquittal. According to the following chronological records, Mr. Hamilton is the current U.S. Attorney who was appointed by the U.S. District Court of Eastern Tennessee, not the White House. Mr. Hamilton will serve in this capacity until the vacancy is filled by a Presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed nominee. In his role of Acting U.S. Attorney at that time, Mr. Hamilton might have an even larger role than Mr. Arrowood in the decision to approve or direct the prosecutorial actions against Professor Hu. For example, Mr. Hamilton reportedly joined the presentation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to UTK with Mr. Arrowood in September 2019, in which the FBI made false accusations of Professor Hu of being a spy for China and an agent of China's military. 2017/11/21 Mr. James Douglas Overbey sworn in as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee2018/11/01 Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the now-defunct "China Initiative"2020/02/25 Professor Anming Hu indicted with Mr. Casey Arrowood as the lead prosecutor2021/01/20 The Joe Biden administration began2021/02/28 Mr. Overbey resigned2021/03/01 Mr. Trey Hamilton became Acting US Attorney 2021/06/07 Professor Hu became the first academic to go to trial under the "China Initiative"2021/06/16 Mistrial of Professor Hu declared2021/06/17 Reps. Ted Lieu, Mondaire Jones, and Pramila Jayapal requested DOJ/OIG investigation2021/07/30 DOJ announced its intent to retry Professor Hu2021/09/09 Professor Hu acquitted of all charges2021/12/26 Mr. Hamilton appointed US Attorney by the U.S. District Court of Eastern Tennessee2022/02/23 DOJ ended the “China Initiative”2022/08/01 White House nominated Mr. Arrowood to be US Attorney2023/01/03 The Arrowood nomination expired without action by the Senate The Intercept Report on The Case of Haoyang Yu 于浩洋 On December 22, 2022, The Intercept published "CHIPPED AWAY: A Competitor Put the FBI on Haoyang Yu's Trail. The Investigation Didn't Go as Planned." According to the report, Massachusetts engineer Haoyang Yu, who came under investigation after a competitor told the FBI that his semiconductor chip company "smells a bit fishy." A sprawling, four-agency federal investigation ensued. Believing they had a sensitive technology case involving China, where Yu was born, agents mounted a hidden camera outside his home, rifled through his trash, and followed his wife as she brought their kids to and from sports practice. But the investigation didn't go as planned. An attempted sting failed. Nor did the investigation uncover solid evidence of crimes involving China. In June, a jury acquitted Yu of 18 of 19 charges. His lawyers are now asking a federal judge to throw out the last charge, arguing that Yu, a US citizen, was targeted because of his ethnicity at a moment when the Justice Department was charting plans for the fraught "China Initiative."Read more about The Intercept report: https://bit.ly/3vc59dh . Read more about the story of Haoyang Yu: https://bit.ly/APAJ_HaoyangYu Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon According to CNN on December 23, 2022, the Purdue Board of Trustees issued a formal reprimand to Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Chancellor Thomas Keon in response to a racist comment he made during a commencement ceremony on December 10, 2022. The board’s chair, Mike Berghoff, called Keon’s statements “extremely offensive and insensitive.” The decision to reprimand Keon, rather than dismiss him, has spurred criticism from other faculty. In an open letter addressed to the trustees, PNW Faculty Senate Chairman Thomas Roach further called on the university to dismiss the chancellor. “We are not demanding his removal to punish him, we require his removal because he is not qualified to represent us,” wrote Roach. He called Keon’s ongoing role “an insult to the Asian community.” “This decision by the board of trustees is negligent and unacceptable, and your explanation for your inaction insults our intelligence,” he went on. The PNW Faculty Senate cast a vote of no-confidence for the chancellor. Keon received 20 votes of confidence and 135 votes of no-confidence. His “inexcusable behavior caused national and international outrage” and insulted the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, including faculty, staff, and students at Purdue Northwest, the Faculty Senate said in an open letter sent to Keon. On December 16, 2022, the PNW chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) condemned Chancellor Keon's remarks in a press release. According to the statement, Chancellor Keon's response "suggests, at best, a highly troublesome level of ignorance, insensitivity, and lack of judgement on his part. But it is more than any personal racism by one particular university official; it suggests the all-but-complete ignorance of the institutionalized racism faced by Asians and other peoples of color in this country." The statement concludes that " the time has come for Chancellor Keon to resign, or else to be removed by the Purdue University Board of Trustees, so that a leader better attuned to what it takes to engage multiple constituencies with respect–not ridicule–can be found." According to an opinion by Diverse Education , PNW Chancellor Keon's mockery of an "Asian" language is "emblematic of a wider problem in American higher education." Multiple Asian American organizations are outraged and continue to call for Keon's resignation, including the Japanese American Citizens League and an open letter demanding accountability from Purdue University: https://bit.ly/3vtyjVG . Asian American and Scientific Community News and Activities Science Calls for Appointment of NIH Director Now. On December 16, 2022, Science published an editorial titled "Appoint a new NIH director, now." There has been a failure to confirm a new director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since Francis Collins stepped down a year ago. According to the editorial, Lawrence Tabak has been the interim NIH director, but it is time for some new faces after the lengthy Collins administration. Tabak was an NIH deputy director and the deputy ethics counselor under Collins. It’s unclear who or what is holding up the nomination. Is the White House simply incapable of deciding whom to nominate, or more likely, has it been distracted by other matters? Either is possible, but both are indefensible. The editorial concludes that "[t]he Biden campaign leveraged the support of the scientific community to win the presidency. Leaving the most visible science position open for a year is a betrayal of that support. President Biden must personally intervene to correct this now." APA Justice nominated Dr. David D. Ho 何大一 to the White House as a candidate to become the 17th NIH Director in November 2021. Read more about the Science editorial: https://bit.ly/3VgpHMh Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI). On December 1, 2022, SCCEI published a brief on "What Is the Impact of U.S.-China Tensions on U.S. Science?" revealing that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) investigations into hundreds of U.S. scientists in two years (2019-2020) have brought about a 1.9% decline in the publication rate and a 7.1% decline in the citation rate of U.S. scientists with collaborators in China, compared with U.S. scientists who had collaborated with scientists in other countries. The adverse effects of the investigations were observed across many U.S. institutions of higher education, particularly salient for scientists of Asian heritage, fields that receive more funding from the NIH, and fields with a higher concentration of U.S.-China collaborations. In fields more affected by the NIH investigations, the U.S. and China both produced fewer publications during 2019 and 2020 compared to the rest of the world, suggesting that U.S.-China political tensions affect overall scientific progress. Qualitative interviews with 12 scientists suggest that a reluctance to start or continue collaborations with China partners and the resulting loss in research talent and access to labs and equipment may drive longer-term declines in publication quality and quality. The study was based on publication records of 102,000 medical and life scientists in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020. On December 9, 2022, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) hosted a webinar where SCCEI authors presented their methodology and findings of the study. Read more about the SCCEI study at https://stanford.io/3YWoLje . Watch the CSIS video and dsicussions here: https://bit.ly/3hSZdTJ 2,200 Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files Digitized and Now Online . Initially set to ban immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States for ten years, the Chinese Exclusions Act was extended and expanded to all Chinese persons and became permanent law in 1902. It was repealed in 1943. Under the leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congress condemned the discriminatory laws in 2012. According to Federal News Network on December 27, 2022, more than 2,200 Chinese Exclusion Act case files held by the National Archives at Riverside, California, are now available online in the National Archives Catalog, thanks to a collaboration with the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. The project began in 2018. Professors and students from California State University, San Bernardino, and the University of California at Riverside joined the team. National Archives at Riverside staff trained the student interns, who digitized 56,507 documents using donated scanners. These records document the movement of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans in and out of the United States during the exclusion era. Around 10 percent of Riverside’s Chinese Exclusion Act case files have been digitized. 692 citizen archivists have transcribed over 25,000 pages of the records so far. Read more at https://bit.ly/3I2iMn7 Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF January 3, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #124 Bipartisan Innovation Act; Professor Mingqing Xiao; APS Webinar: Supreme Court Ruling #124 Bipartisan Innovation Act; Professor Mingqing Xiao; APS Webinar: Supreme Court Ruling Back View PDF April 12, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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 - #363 Andy Phillips on Dr. Yanping Chen Case; US Science & Data at Crossrords; 10/3 Summary+ #363 Andy Phillips on Dr. Yanping Chen Case; US Science & Data at Crossrords; 10/3 Summary+ In This Issue #363 · Andy Phillips on The Privacy Case of Dr. Yanping Chen · Banning Collaboration, Fueling Brain Drain: U.S. Science at a Crossroads · U.S. Data at Risk · October 2025 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Posted · News and Activities for the Communities Andy Phillips on The Privacy Case of Dr. Yanping Chen During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 3, 2025, Andy Phillips , Managing & Founding Partner, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP, presented an in-depth briefing on Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 ’s Privacy Act case, which he has been litigating for several years. Dr. Chen emigrated to the U.S. from China and has a medical degree as a cardiologist. She worked as a scientist and supervisor for China’s astronaut program. She came to the U.S. to be a visiting scholar at George Washington University in Washington, DC, in the late 80s, became a permanent resident in 1993, and a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001. In the 1990s, she founded the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in Arlington, Virginia, focusing on post-secondary and graduate studies for working adults. A fairly large number of UMT’s students are service members who seek degrees and receive assistance from the Department of Defense (DOD)’s Tuition Assistance Program, which UMT participates in along with many other schools. The program allows UMT to receive subsidized tuition payments for service members from the DOD. Dr. Chen became the subject of a years-long Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) investigation beginning around 2010 concerning statements she made on her immigration forms related to her work for China’s astronaut program. Despite FBI raids on her home and office and interviews with her family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office closed the case in 2016 with no charges filed. A year later, in 2017, Fox News and then reporter Catherine Herridge published a series of television and online reports accusing Dr. Chen of being a Chinese spy and suggesting that UMT was a front for gathering sensitive U.S. military information. These reports contained leaked FBI materials, including Dr. Chen’s immigration forms, family photographs, and references to internal interview memoranda—clear signs of an unauthorized disclosure of Dr. Chen’s private government records. In response, Dr. Chen filed a Privacy Act lawsuit in 2019 against several federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Justice (DOJ), DOD, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing that government officials had unlawfully leaked her protected records to the press. Andy explained that the Privacy Act of 1974 was enacted to safeguard personal information collected by government agencies and to prevent such records from being used for unauthorized purposes. Under the Privacy Act, a plaintiff must prove that a government official intentionally or willfully disclosed private information. However, identifying the individual responsible for the leak proved to be the central challenge in Dr. Chen’s case. After two years of exhaustive discovery—including depositions, document requests, and interrogatories—Dr. Chen’s legal team was unable to pinpoint the leaker within the government. At that stage, Andy and his firm joined the case in 2022 (Dr. Chen was represented by co-counsel WilmerHale who handled initial stages of the case and discovery against the government) to focus on the media law issues, particularly journalist privilege, which they frequently encounter in First Amendment defamation litigation. They issued a subpoena compelling Catherine Herridge to reveal her source for the leaked materials. Herridge, represented by counsel, moved to quash the subpoena, citing a qualified First Amendment privilege that allows reporters to protect the identities of confidential sources. The privilege is “qualified,” not absolute, meaning it can be overcome under certain circumstances—specifically if the requested information is central to the case and the plaintiff has exhausted all other means of obtaining it. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in Dr. Chen’s favor, finding that both conditions were met: the identity of the leaker was essential to proving her Privacy Act claim, and Dr. Chen had already undertaken substantial efforts to discover the information elsewhere. Herridge’s arguments that national security, journalistic freedom, or Dr. Chen’s alleged misconduct should weigh against disclosure were rejected. The court stated firmly that the law must be applied equally and that courts should not make value judgments based on who the plaintiff is or what allegations have been made in the media. When Herridge refused to comply with the court order during her September 2023 deposition, Andy sought a contempt ruling, which the court granted, imposing a fine of $800 per day for noncompliance. The fine was stayed pending appeal as the case moved to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which was argued around November 2024. In September 2025, the D.C. Circuit issued a unanimous 3-0 decision affirming the District Court’s ruling, rejecting Herridge’s call for a broader balancing test and upholding Dr. Chen’s right to pursue her Privacy Act claim. Andy emphasized the broader implications of the case, calling it a vital reaffirmation of the rule of law and government accountability. He explained that the case is not about restricting the press but about ensuring that government officials cannot weaponize confidential information to destroy reputations without consequence. “If this decision had gone the other way,” Andy said, “it would have sent the message that government agents could leak with impunity, as long as they laundered their misconduct through a journalist who would protect them.” He drew parallels between Dr. Chen’s case and the case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和 , where another Chinese American scientist was falsely accused of espionage based on leaked government information and media misrepresentation. Both cases, he noted, reflect how racial bias and national security fears can combine to harm innocent individuals. Andy praised the amicus brief filed in support of Dr. Chen, which traced a long history of anti-Asian discrimination in both media coverage and law enforcement, arguing that accountability and transparency are critical to restoring trust. Concluding his remarks, Andy said the D.C. Circuit’s decision “reaffirmed 50 years of precedent” in the nation’s capital and represents a strong affirmation that every citizen—regardless of ethnicity or background—is entitled to equal protection under the law. He expects Herridge to request en banc (before the full court) review or possibly appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but remains confident that the case has set an enduring precedent for privacy rights and justice in the face of abuse of power. A summary of the November 3 monthly meeting has been posted at https://bit.ly/49dbmuO . We thank these distinguished speakers for sharing their thoughts and updates: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) · Andy Phillips , Managing & Founding Partner, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP · Jane Shim , Director, Stop Asian Hate Project, Asian American Legal and Education Fund · Paula Williams Madison , Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC and 88 Madison Media Works Inc.; Retired Executive, NBCUniversal · Brian Sun , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP; Former Attorney representing Dr. Wen Ho Lee Banning Collaboration, Fueling Brain Drain: U.S. Science at a Crossroads Congress’s proposed SAFE Act would bar federal funding to U.S. researchers who have collaborated with individuals from “hostile” nations such as China—drawing warnings from leading universities and civil rights groups that it would stifle innovation and revive discrimination. At the same time, deep federal research cuts and political pressures are driving a growing “brain gain” for China, as U.S.-trained scientists relocate there amid expanding investment and opportunity. China’s research output rose 17% last year while U.S. output fell 10%, signaling a widening gap. Without renewed openness and funding, experts warn, the U.S. risks losing its global scientific leadership. 1. Science : Congressional Push to Restrict Research Ties According to Science on November 6, 2025, nearly 800 American scientists have signed a letter opposing a proposed research restriction in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) known as the Securing American Funding and Expertise from Adversarial Research Exploitation (SAFE) Act. Led by Stanford Professors Peter Michelson and Steven Kivelson , the letter warns that the measure—which would bar federal funding to U.S. researchers who collaborated within the past five years with individuals “affiliated with a hostile foreign entity” such as China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea—would weaken the very foundation of American innovation. “To maintain U.S. leadership in science and technology, we must preserve the thriving research ecosystem that laid the foundation for American competitiveness.” Major higher education groups, including the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), urged Congress to remove the provision, calling it overly broad and ill-defined. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) added that the SAFE Act “ignores, and in some cases contradicts, what is already in law.”Civil rights and Asian American advocacy organizations warn that the measure could echo the discriminatory effects of the defunct China Initiative, chilling legitimate academic exchange and disproportionately harming scientists of Chinese descent. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 3, Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director of the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), outlined four major concerns raised in AASF’s October 17 letter to the House Armed Services Committee: · Five-Year Lookback – AASF warns this could lead to retroactive punishment for past research activities that were legal or even encouraged, urging fairness and a reasonable transition period for agencies, universities, and individuals. · Co-Authorship Barriers – The provision could effectively bar co-authorship within the timeline provided, restricting international research collaboration and openness, undermining U.S. competitiveness. · Overly Broad Definitions – Vague terms like “affiliation” could include almost any international engagement, making compliance impractical and potentially harmful to innovation and education. Both international students and American-born students benefit from international programs and collaborations. · Disparate Impact on Asian Americans – Broad, ambiguous rules risk biased application and enforcement that could disproportionately harm Asian American scientists, especially those of Chinese descent. 2. WP : China’s “Brain Gain” Accelerates While Washington tightens its guardrails and budget, Beijing is expanding its global reach in science and technology. A Washington Post investigation finds that China is reaping a “brain gain” as hundreds of U.S.-trained researchers—many of them Chinese American—relocate to China or take joint appointments.In the first half of 2025 alone, about 50 tenure-track scholars of Chinese descent left U.S. universities for China, adding to more than 850 departures since 2011. More than 70 percent of these scientists work in STEM fields, particularly engineering and life sciences. Those who have recently moved include a senior biologist from the National Institutes of Health, a Harvard statistician, and a clean-energy expert from the U.S. Department of Energy. Their decisions reflect both “push” and “pull” factors—the deteriorating climate for research in the U.S. and Beijing’s aggressive efforts to attract world-class talent.Trump’s policies have deepened that push. His administration has slashed billions from science budgets, canceled research grants, and imposed visa restrictions that hinder international collaboration. The revived scrutiny of researchers with ties to China—echoing the discredited “China Initiative”—has also made many Chinese American scientists feel unwelcome in the U.S. “We hope Trump is president for life, because it’s the best thing to happen to Chinese science,” one Chinese researcher half-joked to a visiting Harvard immunologist.China, meanwhile, is offering generous incentives. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) is channeling much of its $8 billion annual budget into talent programs, while cities and universities compete to lure foreign scientists with high salaries, lab funding, housing, and child care support. A new “K visa” aims to make it easier for young foreign STEM researchers to work in China. Westlake University and Tsinghua University’s Shenzhen International Graduate School have recruited leading U.S. academics, including Nobel-caliber scholars and rising stars.China’s total R&D spending—$917 billion in 2023—has nearly matched that of the United States, signaling a narrowing gap in global research leadership. As the two superpowers compete for scientific talent, individual researchers increasingly face painful trade-offs between opportunity and freedom. The result, experts warn, is a shifting global scientific order—one where U.S. skepticism toward science, combined with China’s strategic investment, may erode America’s long-held dominance in research and innovation. 3. Nature : U.S. Losing Ground as China’s Lead Expands Rapidly China’s dominance in global research is accelerating sharply, while U.S. scientific leadership is eroding at an alarming pace, according to the Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders report . The data show China expanding its lead in high-quality scientific output: its total research “Share” reached 32,122 in 2024, compared with 22,083 for the United States. That gap, which emerged only in 2023 when China first overtook the U.S., has now quadrupled in just one year. China’s adjusted Share grew 17.4%, while the U.S. fell 10.1%, marking its steepest decline in decades. Losses were sharpest in chemistry (−11.6%) and physical sciences (−10.6%), though the U.S. retains a narrow advantage in health and biological research. Other Western countries, including Canada, France, and the U.K., also saw declines of 9% or more.Experts describe the shift as structural, not cyclical. With a population four times larger than America’s, China now produces nearly twice as many STEM PhD graduates—projected 77,000 in 2025, compared with 40,000 in the U.S.—and employs more researchers than both the U.S. and the European Union combined. Although the report’s data predate Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, analysts warn that his administration’s deep cuts to federal research budgets could further accelerate U.S. decline. “The United States has clearly crossed a threshold into actively abdicating our position as a global leader,” said Joanne Carney of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh added, “If these cuts stand, the U.S. will no longer be in the global race for R&D leadership.” As U.S. collaboration with foreign partners wanes, China is strengthening ties across Asia. South Korea, Singapore, and others have posted double-digit gains, particularly in green technology and advanced materials, signaling a regional surge in scientific capacity. While some private U.S. funders have stepped in, experts warn they cannot offset federal pullbacks. “We are going through a national crisis,” said Caroline Wagner of Ohio State University. “It’s more than a malaise.” She added that research funding cuts, DEI crackdowns, and visa denials for foreign scholars “send a signal to global talent to look for opportunities elsewhere.” U.S. Data at Risk On November 3, 2025, the "Practical Significance" podcast of the American Statistical Association featured Nancy Potok , former chief statistician of the United States and CEO of NAPx Consulting, and Connie Citro , Senior Scholar at the National Academies’ Committee on National Statistics. The discussion focuses on the state of federal statistics, challenges faced by federal statistical agencies, and efforts to modernize the federal statistical system.Both guests expressed concerns about U.S. statistical systems at a crossroads with staff losses, hiring freeze, difficulty recruiting skilled professionals, and declining budgets under the current environment. Nancy Potok highlighted the need for modernization to stay relevant in a rapidly changing data environment, including addressing competition from other data sources and maintaining public trust. Connie Citro emphasized the labor-intensive nature of statistical agencies, the need for modernization, and the challenges of data sharing and blending data sets.Dr. Ji-Hyun Lee , Professor of Biostatistics at University of Florida, serves as 2025 ASA President. The Cato Institute’s October 8, 2025, discussion “ A Conversation with Former BLS Commissioners William Beach and Erica Groshen ” explored the challenges and importance of maintaining trust, accuracy, and modernization within the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).The conversation featured · Erica Groshen . Former Commissioner of Labor Statistics (2013-2017); and Senior Economics Advisor, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University · William Beach . Former Commissioner of Labor Statistics (2019-2023); Executive Director, Fiscal Lab on Capitol Hill; and Senior Fellow in Economics, Economic Policy Innovation Center · Norbert Michel . Vice President and Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute Both former commissioners emphasized that the agency’s credibility hinges on its ability to produce data that is both reliable and timely. As Groshen put it, “They want two things: accurate … and they want it to be timely,” highlighting the constant balance between speed and precision in official labor reporting. Beach and Groshen explained that revisions to monthly job numbers, often criticized by the public, stem largely from the late submission of firm data rather than from methodological flaws. “The first revision of the preliminary number is mostly driven by late-reporting firms,” Beach clarified, underscoring that revisions are a feature of transparency, not evidence of manipulation. They also warned that political interference—even the perception of it—can undermine the BLS’s mission. “Trust is mission-critical for a statistical agency. You might as well not produce statistics if they’re not trusted,” Groshen said.The speakers voiced deep concern about staffing shortages and systemic neglect within the BLS, noting the agency is operating with 20 percent fewer staff and one-third of its top leadership positions vacant. Yet they also saw a potential opening for reform. “This administration is not worried about disruption,” Beach observed, suggesting that current upheavals could create “an opportunity … for really modernizing the statistical system.” The discussion closed on a cautious note: without adequate investment and protection from political pressure, the nation’s core economic data—essential for markets, policy, and public trust—faces growing fragility. October 2025 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Summary for the October 2025 APA Justice monthly meeting has been posted at https://bit.ly/43W4qyC . We thank these distinguished speakers for sharing their insightful remarks and updates: · 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) · Mike German , Retired Fellow, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice · Margaret Lewis , Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law · Pat Eddington , Senior Fellow, Homeland Security and Civil Liberties, Cato Institute The October meeting brought together congressional, advocacy, academic, and policy leaders to discuss ongoing efforts to defend civil rights, research integrity, and democratic governance affecting Asian American and allied communities.Past monthly meeting summaries are posted at: https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/library-newsletters-summaries News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/11/14 Film Screening and Discussion: Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine Chao 2025/12/01 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing - Estate of Jane Wu v Northwestern University2025/12/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/12/08 Conversations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heros: Alice Young Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF November 11, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #1 Reminder Of July 6 Meeting #1 Reminder Of July 6 Meeting Back View PDF July 5, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #385 Rep. Grace Meng Remarks; 3/24 Webinar; DHS Leadership Change; Birthright Citizenship+ #385 Rep. Grace Meng Remarks; 3/24 Webinar; DHS Leadership Change; Birthright Citizenship+ In This Issue #385 · Remarks by CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng · 03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know · Leadership Change at the Department of Homeland Security · 04/01 Supreme Court Hearing on Birthright Citizenship · News and Activities for the Communities Remarks by CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng During the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 2, 2026, Congresswoman Grace Meng 孟昭文 thanked the APA Justice team for convening monthly meetings that allow community leaders to collaborate and support one another. She offered special gratitude to Mayor Kaohly Her , praising her “fearless leadership in the face of adversity and chaos” and noting that while the road ahead will be long, the mayor shared practical ideas that can be advanced both locally and nationally.” Turning to national politics, Rep. Meng criticized the president’s recent State of the Union address, saying it focused more on himself than on helping the American people. She pointed to what she described as broken promises, particularly to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities—such as pledges to lower costs, protect Medicaid, and allow legal immigration. Instead, she said, the administration attempted to eliminate the Minority Business Development Agency (which House Democrats preserved) and is seeking to change Small Business Administration loan rules in ways that would make it harder for community members to access capital. She also condemned intensified immigration enforcement actions that, as described by Mayor Her, have separated families—including those here legally and without criminal records. Rep. Meng said people are being unlawfully arrested, detained, or deported by masked agents, sometimes based on accent or appearance, leaving many afraid to leave home without carrying identification. Rep. Meng stressed that despite efforts to signal that AAPI communities do not belong or to erase their contributions from American history, their role is foundational to the nation. As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, she highlighted historic milestones—from Filipino sailors arriving in Morro Bay in 1587, to Chinese laborers building the transcontinental railroad, to Asian American athletes representing the United States at the recent Winter Olympics. She underscored that “our history is American history” and said both the good and the bad should be told for generations to come. She referenced legislation she authored, signed into law in 2022, establishing a commission to study the creation of the first national museum dedicated to AAPI history in Washington, D.C., noting that the bipartisan commission is traveling the country to advance that vision. Rep. Meng said the goal is not merely survival but ensuring families can thrive, lead, and leave the next generation better off. She highlighted the work of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) in advancing equity, defending rights, and promoting economic opportunity. Marking the nation’s 250th anniversary since the Declaration of Independence, she affirmed that whether families arrived through Ellis Island, worked on Hawaiian plantations, or came as refugees, their stories embody the American dream. At this critical moment, she said, the community “won’t back down” but will continue fighting for an equitable and affordable America where the American dream is within reach for all, closing with Lunar New Year and Ramadan greetings and wishes for safety and health. Watch Rep. Meng’s remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffpdOHXYaKQ (6:45) ***** Rep. Grace Meng recently led a virtual press conference with the Minnesota State Asian Pacific Caucus and Minnesota-based community organizations to highlight the devastating impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on Asian communities. CAPAC Chair Meng was joined by Minnesota State Representative Ethan Cha , Chair of the Minnesota Asian Pacific Caucus; Minnesota State Representative Liz Lee , Secretary of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators; Xay Yang , Executive Director of Transforming Generations; Quyen Ðình , Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC); Chhaya Chhoum , Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN); and ThaoMee Xiong , Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders. Read the post at the Minnesota House of Representatives by Rep. Liz Lee at: https://www.house.mn.gov/members/Profile/News/15576/41342 . 03/24 Webinar: Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know On March 24, 2026, starting at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT, APA Justice, Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, and Committee of 100 will co-host a webinar on “ Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know. ” Moderator: Michael German , Retired Fellow, Liberty and National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice. Speakers: · Kaohly Her , Mayor, St. Paul, Minnesota. · Saira Hussain , Senior Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation. · Xiaoxing Xi , Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics, Temple University. · John Yang , President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3N5BbEy RESOURCES: · APA Justice: Timeline Visualization of U.S. Mass Surveillance · APA Justice: Warrantless Surveillance St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her — St. Paul's first woman and first Asian American mayor — spoke candidly about ICE operations in the Twin Cities at a recent invitation-only APA Justice monthly meeting. Her remarks are now publicly available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k850qWZ6ZWs (11:29) Do not miss the chance to hear more from Mayor Her alongside a distinguished panel of civil rights advocates, legal experts, and community leaders at our upcoming webinar. Founded in 1990, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. Together, these four voices — a mayor, a civil liberties litigator, a wrongfully targeted scientist, and a civil rights leader — will help our community understand what is happening, why it matters, and what we can do about it. Leadership Change at the Department of Homeland Security On March 5, 2026, President Trump fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem following mounting criticism over her leadership, handling of immigration enforcement, and controversies regarding spending and conduct. The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Senator Markwayne Mullin, nominated to replace her, appeared for his confirmation hearing on March 18, 2026. According to AP News , Senator Mullin faced one of the most combative confirmation hearings in recent memory — and the sharpest attacks came not from Democrats, but from the Republican chairing the committee. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has made clear he will vote against Mullin, opened the hearing with a direct challenge rooted in a long and bitter personal feud. Years ago, Mullin had sided with the neighbor who physically attacked Paul while he was doing yardwork, leaving the senator with multiple broken ribs. Mullin had called Paul a "freaking snake" and said he could "understand why your neighbor did what he did." Paul used his chairmanship to demand a public reckoning: "Tell it to the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted. Explain to the American people why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and border patrol agents." Mullin, a former mixed martial arts champion, was unapologetic. "I am not apologizing," he said flatly. "If I have something to say, I'll say it directly to your face." He reiterated his earlier comments about Paul's neighbor and showed no sign of backing down — a combativeness that, paradoxically, may be precisely why Trump has chosen him to lead the agency at the forefront of his mass deportation agenda. Beyond the personal drama, the three-hour hearing exposed significant gaps in Mullin's policy depth. He is not a specialist in immigration enforcement, FEMA, or DHS operations, and his management experience is largely limited to running the family plumbing business before entering politics. What he brings to the job, by his own description, is a personal friendship with the president and a reputation as an affable relationship-builder. Senators on both sides were also left puzzled by Mullin's references to a secret trip he claimed to have made to a foreign country with warzone-like conditions — a trip for which the FBI, which conducts background checks on nominees, had no record. Committee leaders insisted Mullin meet them afterward in a secure facility to explain what they called his "super secret" mission. "I didn't say it was 'super secret,'" Mullin snapped. Despite Paul's opposition, Mullin was expected to narrowly survive a committee vote, with Democratic Senator John Fetterman signaling openness to crossing party lines to support his advancement. For the AAPI community, the hearing is a reminder that the agency responsible for ICE enforcement — and the surveillance and deportation operations that have disproportionately targeted communities of color — is headed toward new leadership whose defining qualities appear to be personal loyalty to the president and a willingness to fight. Read the AP News report: https://bit.ly/3NPPmxL . On March 19, 2026, in an 8-7 vote, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sent Mullin’s nomination forward. 04/01 Supreme Court Hearing on Birthright Citizenship On April 1, 2026, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality of a January 20, 2025, executive order 14160 by President Trump aiming to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented or non-permanent resident parents. You can listen to the live oral argument audio at: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx On March 26, 2026, starting at 3:00 pm ET, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) will host a webinar titled “ SCOTUS Oral Argument Preview: Who is Allowed to be a U.S. Citizen? Defending Birthright Citizenship and the Role of Asian American History .” NAPABA - along with a broad coalition of bar associations throughout the country - participated as amici and objected to the executive order . Now that the matter has reached the Supreme Court, please join NAPABA for a thoughtful discussion on its position defending birthright citizenship both in the lower federal courts and the Supreme Court , the importance of Asian American legal history, and how that history informs the arguments in this case. ACLU will be at the Supreme Court to defend birthright citizenship on April 1. It is calling for supporters to sign a petition at: https://action.aclu.org/petition/birthright-citizenship-scotus-your-voice-matters News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/03/23 America’s China Talent Challenge: Investing in Deeper American Understanding of China 2026/03/24 Mass Surveillance and the ICE Crackdown: What the AAPI Community Needs to Know 2026/03/25 The Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: New Data on Asian American Experiences 2026/03/26 Who is Allowed to be a U.S. Citizen? Defending Birthright Citizenship and the Role of Asian American History 2026/04/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2026/04/08 Perspectives on Careers in Arts and Entertainment 2026/04/14 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Anla ChengVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. USCET: America’s China Talent Challenge WHAT : America’s China Talent Challenge: Investing in Deeper American Understanding of China WHEN : March 23, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 am ET WHERE : Hybrid Report Launch Event · Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street, NW Washington DC · Online on Zoom HOST : U.S.-China Education Trust Moderator : Rosie Levine , USCET Speakers: · Nicholas Burns , Former U.S. Ambassador to China · David Lampton , Johns Hopkins SAIS & Working Group Chair · Madelyn Ross , Senior Advisor & Rapporteur · Mark Lambert , Formerly State Department China House · Neysun Mahboubi , University of Pennsylvania · Jean Oi , Stanford University DESCRIPTION : The United States is losing its bench of China expertise at a moment when it can least afford to. With fewer than 2,000 Americans studying in China today, the talent pipeline feeding our government, universities, and private sector is under serious strain. The US-China Education Trust’s expert working group was constituted in the fall of 2025 in response to these dynamics. Through engagement with over 50 organizations and individuals in China and the United States, the report offers concrete, actionable recommendations for reversing the decline. Join USCET for a hybrid public launch to hear from working group members and explore key findings from the report. The event will also feature virtual opening remarks from former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/47axCUq ***** In a first-person account published by Business Insider , American writer Catherine Work offers a rare comparative perspective on higher education in China and the United States, having studied at universities in both countries — first in Wuhan in 2015 and again in Shijiazhuang in 2025 while completing a graduate degree in global health. The differences in cost, campus culture, and career pathways made her rethink American universities. On the question of affordability, the contrast is stark. Tuition in China is subsidized by the government, especially at public universities, making it relatively affordable compared with many Western countries — and many students she met were not going into debt to study. Campus life also differed in notable ways. Students on the campuses she studied entered by scanning their faces and were tracked by cameras. Politics felt more openly present in academic life — most of the professors and physicians she worked with were active members of the Communist Party and often wore pins on their lapels to signify it. One local friend offered a telling observation: having one state party means policies do not change every four years, which in their view creates a certain stability for universities. Read the Business Insider report: https://www.businessinsider.com/american-studied-china-universities-cheaper-2026-3 # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF March 20, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #145 AAU Meeting; 9/12 Monthly Meeting; NSF Request for Comment; Prof Xi's Appeal; FOIA #145 AAU Meeting; 9/12 Monthly Meeting; NSF Request for Comment; Prof Xi's Appeal; FOIA Back View PDF September 15, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #142 9/12 Meeting; Campaign Closed; Solidarity with Prof. Xi; Jessica Speaks; Rhode Island #142 9/12 Meeting; Campaign Closed; Solidarity with Prof. Xi; Jessica Speaks; Rhode Island Back View PDF September 6, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter