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

Newsletter - #57 Heritage Month Activities; Goverment's Own Bias; Yellow Whistle Campaign Grows #57 Heritage Month Activities; Goverment's Own Bias; Yellow Whistle Campaign Grows Back View PDF April 30, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Alien Land Bills This item is connected to a text field in your content manager. Double click the dataset icon to add your own content. The numbers Calls per hour 111 Feedback submitted 22 Average feedback per call 21 As of May 28, 2023, there are 33 states known to have introduced some form of alien land and property bills in the current or recent legislative session. A few have passed and signed into state law; some have died; others are still pending. State-by-state links to the legislations and a companion map are provided below as community resources. They are collected from multiple sources including research by APA Justice, Advancing Justice | AAJC, Committee of 100, National Agricultural Law Center, Project South, media reports, and crowdsourcing. Due to the dynamic nature of these developments, we plan to update the information periodically. We anticipate the introduction or continuation of alien land and property bills into future state legislative sessions. Title Oct. 4th 2023 Tracking Bills Read More Latest developments

Newsletter - #140 Arrowood Nomination; Help Jamie; Prof. Xi's Appeal; Briefing; Stanford; Asia Society #140 Arrowood Nomination; Help Jamie; Prof. Xi's Appeal; Briefing; Stanford; Asia Society Back View PDF August 30, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #331 5/5 Meeting; Student Visas Reversal; Higher Ed United; Litigations; Heritage Month; + #331 5/5 Meeting; Student Visas Reversal; Higher Ed United; Litigations; Heritage Month; + In This Issue #331 • 2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting • International Student Visa Revocations and New ICE Policy • Higher Education Against Political Interference/Government Overreach • Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions • May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month • News and Activities for the Communities 2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 5, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Judith Teruya, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Joanna YangQing Derman, Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: • 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); Professor, Yale University • Gee-Kung Chang 張繼昆, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; and his attorney Robert Fisher 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. International Student Visa Revocations and New ICE Policy On April 25, 2025, Politico reported that more than 100 lawsuits and dozens of restraining orders from federal judges challenged the Trump administration’s mass termination of student visa records. After 20 days of consistent legal defeats, the administration capitulated and reversed its decision. Notable lawsuits include • Chen v. Noem (3:25-cv-03292), filed April 11 in the Northern District of California by the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (华美维权同盟 CALDA) • Jane Doe 1 v. Bondi (1:25-cv-01998), filed April 11 in the Northern District of Georgia by CAIR-Georgia, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, and American Civil Liberties Union-Georgia. Inside Higher Ed reported that over 280 colleges and universities have identified at least 1,879 international students and recent graduates had their visa revoked and their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)—actions that carry significant immigration and employment consequences. On April 29, Politico reported that the visa revocations were part of the "Student Criminal Alien Initiative," which involved running 1.3 million student names through a federal criminal database run by the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Approximately 6,400 matches were found, many of which were minor infractions or dismissed charges. Despite this, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) used the data to terminate student records in the SEVIS tracking system. In parallel, the State Department revoked visas for roughly 3,000 individuals based on similar data, separate from the SEVIS terminations. Hundreds of the terminations, an ICE official who helped oversee the effort said, came less than 24 hours after an April 1 email exchange between his office and the State Department, with little sign of review of individual cases to ensure the decisions were accurate. The lack of due process became especially clear during an April 29 hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, where ICE officials admitted that hundreds of terminations were made within 24 hours of receiving raw data—with little or no individual case review. “When the courts say due process is important, we’re not unhinged, we’re not radicals,” Judge Reyes said during an hourlong hearing. “I’m not on a lark questioning why students who have been here legally, who paid to be in this country by paying their universities … they’re cut off with less than 24 hours of consideration and no notice whatsoever." Akshar Patel brought the suit that led to the April 29 hearing. He is an international student from India who pursued undergraduate studies in computer science at the University of Texas at Arlington. He graduated prior to 2025 and has since been working in the computer science field in North Texas. His legal status in the U.S. was abruptly terminated after his name appeared in the ICE sweep of the NCIC database. He had faced a reckless driving charge in 2018 but it was ultimately dismissed. When colleges discovered the students no longer had legal status, it prompted chaos and confusion. In the past, legal statuses typically were updated after colleges told the government the students were no longer studying at the school. In some cases this spring, colleges told students to stop working or taking classes immediately and warned them they could be deported after the ICE sweep. According to AP News, NBC News, and multiple media reports on April 29, an internal memo to all Student and Exchange Visitor Program personnel, which falls under ICE, shows an expanded list of criteria for ICE to terminate foreign-born students’ legal status in the U.S., including a “U.S. Department of State Visa Revocation (Effective Immediately).” It was filed in court by the Justice Department on April 28 and dated April 26. This new ICE policy could foreshadow another new round of deportation efforts. Brad Banias, an immigration attorney who represents Patel, said the new guidelines vastly expand ICE’s authority beyond previous policy, which did not count visa revocation as grounds for losing legal status. In the past, if a student had their visa revoked, they could stay in the U.S. to finish their studies — they simply would not be able to reenter if they left the country. “This just gave them carte blanche to have the State Department revoke a visa and then deport those students even if they’ve done nothing wrong,” Banias said. Follow the continuing development at https://bit.ly/3Yd6gIH. Higher Education Against Political Interference/Government Overreach On April 22, 2025, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) published a statement denouncing the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” with higher education. According to the Guardian, the joint condemnation followed a convening of more than 100 university leaders called by the AACU and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to “come together to speak out at this moment of enormity”, said Lynn Pasquerella, the president of the AACU. Pasquerella said that there was “widespread agreement” across a variety of academic institutions about the need to take a collective stand. In the powerful unified statement, leaders of America’s colleges, universities, and scholarly societies voiced strong opposition to “unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.” While affirming their openness to “constructive reform” and “legitimate government oversight,” the signatories declared: “We must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.” The statement emphasized the unique role of higher education in sustaining democracy and fostering innovation, asserting that “American institutions of higher learning have in common the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom.” It warned that undermining these freedoms would come at a steep cost: “The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society.” The signatories from large state schools, small liberal arts colleges and Ivy League institutions declared: “We must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses” and concluded with a call for “constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic.” The number of signatories rose from about 180 on the day the statement was issued to over 594 as of 6:00 pm ET on May 1, 2025. AACU continues to accept signatures from current leaders of colleges, universities, and scholarly societies. Separately on April 22, 2025, a group of at least 122 retired university and college presidents and chancellors issued a powerful "Pledge to Our Democracy" warning that the United States is facing an unprecedented constitutional and political crisis. They condemn the current administration for ignoring court rulings, attacking the press, punishing free speech, and undermining independent institutions like universities and research centers—hallmarks of democratic societies. Drawing parallels to autocratic regimes in Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, the signatories argue that America’s democratic institutions are being dismantled in favor of authoritarian control. They call for a broad, nonpartisan coalition—including educators, students, unions, and community leaders—to resist this slide into autocracy and defend constitutional values, urging Americans to stand up before democracy is lost. Read the Pledge to Our Democracy: https://bit.ly/437C0BI Latest on Litigations Against Trump's Executive Actions As of May 1, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 222 (7 closed cases). 1. Mass Termination of F-1 Foreign Student Visa Records One of the most significant waves of legal action involves the mass termination of F-1 foreign student visa records. The Tracker consolidates as one case Jane Doe 1 v. Bondi (1:25-cv-01998) all the lawsuits involving the removal of F-1 foreign student visa registration, representing over 100 lawsuits filed (and 50 restraining orders) against the administration’s actions. They include Liu v. Noem (1:25-cv-00133), Deore v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2:25-cv-11038), and Chen v. Noem (3:25-cv-03292) although each case may vary in facts and legal arguments. According to a policy brief by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and as reported by AsAmNews on April 22, Indian and Chinese nationals account for the majority of revoked student visas -- 50% and 14% respectively -- followed by South Korea, Nepal and Bangladesh. Amy Grenier, AILA’s Associate Director of Government Relations, advises students to document any notices received from the government or their universities. Tejas Shah, president of the South Asian Bar Association’s charitable arm, expressed concern over the lack of clarity and due process: “Students have not been given an opportunity to properly challenge the grounds for the revocations,” he said. While some students have opted to self-deport, Shah urges caution and emphasizes the importance of legal counsel and consular support before making such decisions. 2. District Court Rules Invocation Of Alien Enemies Act Was Unlawful According to AP News, Wall Street Journal, and multiple media reports, on May 1, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. of the Southern Disatrict of Texas ruled in the case of J.A.V. v. Trump (1:25-cv-00072) that the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) cannot be used against people who, the Trump administration claims, are gang members invading the United States. He is the first judge to bar the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans from South Texas under the 18th-century wartime law. “The Court concludes that the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and, as a result, is unlawful,” wrote Judge Rodriguez, who was nominated by Trump in 2018. His ruling is significant because it is the first formal permanent injunction against the Trump administration using the AEA and contends the president is misusing the law. “Congress never meant for this law to be used in this manner,” said Lee Gelernt, the ACLU lawyer who argued the case, in response to the ruling. The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, most recently during World War II, when it was cited to intern Japanese Americans. 3. 220+ Lawsuits for First 100 Days in Office According to ABC News, in the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has faced an unprecedented wave of legal challenges—more than 220 lawsuits—averaging over two per day. Approximately 60 of those cases have focused on the president's immigration policy, These lawsuits target executive orders, sweeping immigration changes, mass firings, and attacks on higher education and civil liberties. Judges across the country have blocked key parts of his agenda, including attempts to end birthright citizenship, punish sanctuary cities, and eliminate diversity initiatives. While the administration has won some temporary reprieves, courts have harshly criticized its disregard for due process and constitutional norms. In the first hundred days since Trump took office, lawyers challenging his actions in court alleged that his administration violated court orders at least six times. The administration has rebutted orders to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States despite the Supreme Court ordering them to facilitate his release. Federal judges have accused the Trump administration of acting in "bad faith," willfully ignoring court orders, and launching what one judge called a “shock-and-awe” campaign against legal guardrails. High-profile rulings have exposed how ICE used the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals without proper review and how student visas were revoked based on speech or minor offenses. Four law firms have sued the Trump administration after they were targeted for their past work, with each firm arguing the Trump administration unlawfully retaliated against them and violated their First Amendment rights. Judges have temporarily blocked the Trump administration from targeting Susman Godfrey LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, and Perkins Coie LLP. "The framers of our Constitution would see this as a shocking abuse of power," U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan said regarding the order targeting Susman Godfrey LLP. According to the New York Times Tracker, as of May 1, at least 132 of the court rulings have at least temporarily paused some of the Trump administration’s initiatives. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated in June 1977 when Representatives Frank Horton (New York) and Norman Y. Mineta (California) called for the establishment of Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. Hawaii senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both bills passed, and in 1978 President Jimmy Carter signed the resolution. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush expanded the celebration from a week to a month. The monthlong celebration honors the contributions and history of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities in the United States. The activities have grown beyond cultural festivities to include serious themes addressing community grief and social justice, especially in response to recent anti-Asian hate incidents. Events are now held in various public spaces across the U.S., highlighting the diversity within AANHPI communities. Despite recent federal rollbacks on diversity initiatives, public interest and participation in AANHPI Heritage Month continue to expand, reflecting broader engagement in civic life and a reclaiming of space for underrepresented voices. Over 30 members of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) members & House Democratic leaders celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month with this statement: https://bit.ly/3GwLRbL. The website asianpacificheritage.gov is the official U.S. government portal for AANHPI Heritage Month. It is a collaborative project curated by various federal cultural institutions including the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The website covers: • History of AANHPI Heritage Month: Its origins, significance, and how it came to be recognized in May. • Feature Exhibits and Collections: Digital exhibits, archival materials, and special collections that highlight AANHPI contributions to American history and culture. • Events and Programs: A calendar of public lectures, virtual tours, and educational programs hosted by federal agencies and museums. • Resources for Educators: Lesson plans, teaching materials, and historical documents that support classroom learning. • Spotlights on Notable Figures: Biographies and achievements of prominent AANHPI individuals across diverse fields such as arts, science, politics, and activism. Some of the state and local activities for the Heritage Month: • Asia Society: https://bit.ly/3EyjdGB • Asia Society Texas: https://bit.ly/3YXa40S • Cincinnati, Ohio: https://bit.ly/3S4kiJn • Fairfax County, Virginia: https://bit.ly/42SYLIn • Houston: https://bit.ly/4lUVQYn • Kansas City: https://bit.ly/44dxgM1 • Lincoln, Nebraska: https://bit.ly/4iFQpd6 • Los Angeles: https://bit.ly/3EH5gpN • Middle Tennessee: https://bit.ly/4jB5oq5 • Montgomery County, Maryland: https://bit.ly/4jQWkNs • New York: https://bit.ly/3YVuLKI • Orlando, Florida: https://bit.ly/42PWZry • San Francisco: https://bit.ly/42CO5ib • Seattle: https://bit.ly/3GuFTrB • Unexpected: https://bit.ly/42RaEhV News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/05/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2025/05/05 Silk Road Connection: Oklahoma and Gansu Celebrate 40 Years of Friendship through Culture, Music, and Education 2025/05/06 Asian American Careers - How to Build Your Personal Network, including Through Strategic Allies 2025/05/12-14 APAICS Annual Summit and Gala 2025/05/18 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/06/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. The Silk Road Connection On May 5, 2025, the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) will host a "Silk Road Connection" performance to celebrate 40 years of sister-state friendship between Oklahoma and the Gansu province of China. The in-person event is free and open to the public. It will be held at Constitution Hall in the George Nigh Center, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, Oklahoma. Reception starts at 6 pm. Performance starts at 7 pm. The event will feature traditional Chinese music and dance, hors d'oeuvres, photo opportunities with Chinese performers in traditional costumes and a performance from Oklahoma’s own Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road. A delegation from Gansu will bring both government officials and a large group of professional dancers and musicians. Former UCO President and Oklahoma Governor George Nigh will also be in attendance. For more information and tickets to to event, visit: https://bit.ly/44Q5S6Z # # # 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 May 2, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #143 Special Edition: Letters Opposing the Casey Arrowood Nomination Sent #143 Special Edition: Letters Opposing the Casey Arrowood Nomination Sent Back View PDF September 8, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Community Networking This is a paragraph. Click to edit and add your own text. Add any information you want to share. You can use this space to tell users a story about the company or describe a special service it offers. Change the font, size or scale to get the look you want. Explore

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 - #32 12/02 Webinar; Franklin Tao; 12/07 Meeting; 2020 Census #32 12/02 Webinar; Franklin Tao; 12/07 Meeting; 2020 Census Back View PDF December 1, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #292 Statement; 11/18 Meeting; Alien Land Bills - CACA, Activism, What Counts? Civil Rights #292 Statement; 11/18 Meeting; Alien Land Bills - CACA, Activism, What Counts? Civil Rights In This Issue #292 · APA Justice Statement on Election Outcome · 2024/11/18 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · CACA Calls for Equal Land Ownership · Texas' Threat Prompts Surge of Chinese American Activism · What Counts as "Chinese-Owned" Farmland? · Chinese American Scientists Call for Fight Against Racial Discrimination · News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Statement on Election Outcome As a nation built by immigrants, the United States has thrived for 250 years due to the contributions of new arrivals and their descendants. However, this year’s presidential election revealed a stark contrast in how we perceive that legacy of immigration.With Donald Trump ’s election as president, America will face new challenges. In the coming years, APA Justice is resolutely committed to continue addressing issues impacting Asian Pacific American communities. Through coalition-building, education, and civic engagement, we will continue to advocate against the profiling of scientists and any group based on race, ethnicity, or national origin. We will continue to oppose discriminatory alien land laws and legislation that violate constitutional rights, combat harmful stereotypes that question our loyalty, and engage in dialogues that promote fair and accountable government policies and practices.The fight for a more equitable, inclusive future does not end with a single election. Let this moment serve as a powerful call to action. Every individual, regardless of their origin, has the potential to contribute to the future of our nation. Together, we can reaffirm our commitment to diversity and ensure that the promise of America is fulfilled for all. 2024/11/18 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, November 18, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. The meeting was moved to avoid conflicts with Election Day. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Dr. Kai Li , Vice President, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch , Founder and Executive Chair, US-China Education Trust · Michael Wong , Board Member and Former National Vice President, Veterans for Peace · Peter Michelson , Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities & Sciences and Professor of Physics, Stanford University; Steven Kivelson , Prabhu Goel Family Professor and Professor of Physics Senator-Elect Andy Kim is invited to give remarks.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 APAJustice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . CACA Calls for Equal Land Ownership The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) is one of the oldest Asian American civil rights organizations. It was established in 1895 to advocate for the civil rights of Chinese Americans and to promote citizenship, education, and community engagement. On November 1, 2024, CACA issued a public statement with a position paper, advocating for fair land ownership laws with national security safeguards. "The right to own land is a core American value tied to the pursuit of happiness. The Constitution protects this right through due process and equal protection, covering both U.S. citizens and legal residents," the statement said. "Historically, Chinese Americans faced severe discrimination in land ownership — laws like the 1913 California Alien Land Law barred Asian immigrants from owning land, and these restrictions created lasting economic impacts."According to the position paper, in today’s divisive political environment, systemic discrimination is gaining popularity, particularly in real estate markets. Discriminatory alien land laws, stipulating race or ethnicity, are being revisited in over twenty states, and Chinese Americans often face bias from real estate sellers and government officials. A significant consequence of this discrimination is the inability or unwillingness to differentiate between Chinese Americans and nationals from the People’s Republic of China, fueling xenophobia and unfair treatment of our citizens and residents under misguided security concerns.Read the CACA statement: https://bit.ly/3UA9RyC . Read the position paper : https://bit.ly/3Yx8nGA Texas' Threat Prompts Surge of Chinese American Activism According to the South China Morning Post on October 18, 2024, in response to Texas Senate Bill 147, which sought to restrict property purchases by citizens of “adversarial” nations like China, Chinese Americans in Texas have become increasingly politically active. The bill, though ultimately amended and then dropped, would have affected residents like Lan Wang , who has since joined others in protesting similar proposals. Advocacy groups report unprecedented involvement, with community members rallying, fundraising, and learning the legislative process. SB 147 was later watered down and ultimately died, However, Texas state lawmakers are threatening to bring a version of it back, in addition to other legislation that targets Chinese influence. In July, Republican State Senator Lois Kolkhorst vowed to introduce an anti-foreign land ownership bill in the next legislative session, which begins in January 2025.“The anti-alien land law issue in Texas has ignited a lot of debate and led to a lot of Asian Americans participating in politics and in government in a way that I’ve certainly never seen before,” said Lily Trieu , executive director of Asian Texans for Justice, a non-profit group based in Austin. Trieu, whose organization provides advocacy training, described seeing “unprecedented” numbers of Chinese Americans not only displaying political awareness, but also donating money, hosting rallies and actively participating in the legislative process.In July, the Committee of 100, a non-partisan Chinese American civic group, reported that 151 bills restricting property ownership by foreign entities have been considered in 2024 at the state and national levels, with 71 specifically targeting Chinese citizens. For Gene Wu , a Democratic representative in the Texas House, the battle extends far beyond state politics. Citing proposed land bans and visa restrictions for Chinese nationals in Project 2025, a blueprint by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank for a second Donald Trump administration, Wu called the fight “existential” for Chinese Americans. “It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter that you’re a citizen … everybody is a spy, and that’s what we’re fighting against,” he said.Over the past few months, Wu has travelled across the country sharing lessons from Texas’ recent experience with other states.In Florida, legislation against property ownership by Chinese citizens has also ignited unprecedented mobilization among local Chinese Americans. The Orlando-based Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA), for instance, was formed in the wake of SB 264, a Republican-sponsored bill targeting citizens of China and six other countries that became state law in May 2023. FAAJA is one of several groups supporting a suit against the law in court.Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4ehE4d1 What Counts as "Chinese-Owned" Farmland? According to the Wall Street Journal on October 31, 2024, Walton Global, a major landholding company identified by the USDA as having Chinese investments, successfully petitioned to reclassify much of its U.S. farmland as non-Chinese-owned, arguing USDA data misattributed Chinese ownership. While the company has some Chinese investors, Walton's CEO Bill Doherty emphasized that his family owns the company, not Chinese entities.“We do business in China. We’re proud to do business in China,” Doherty said in an interview. But he said, “The company is owned by me and my family. And I’m most definitely not Chinese.”Opposition to Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland in the name of economic and national security is a popular message by U.S. politicians from both parties. Some of the largest companies caught up in this criticism are now pushing back. Few agree on what even counts as owned by China or which aspect of that ownership is bad for the U.S., even when that land is close to military installations.Walton, which buys and resells land to developers, owns 14 sites that have some Chinese investment within 15 miles of military bases. Two Walton sites near military bases with more than 90% Chinese ownership are not included in the USDA database because the underlying land is not designated as agricultural. Walton promoted its project in Colorado Springs by noting how the city is home to sports facilities—and local military installations—because they are a source of employment. Walton said it has investors from around the world who can take brief tours of their land holdings, but do not otherwise have access to the land, which the company then aims to sell to developers.“Labeling all Chinese companies, Chinese investors, and Chinese Americans—and now also all of the American companies who do business with them—as threats to our country without any actual evidence, isn’t just detrimental to our national security, but also defies all of the lessons learned from our history,” Texas state Rep. Gene Wu said. Smithfield Foods, acquired by a Chinese firm in 2013, has also faced national security concerns. Its chief executive has disputed concerns that the company’s Chinese ownership threatens the U.S. food supply chain, saying its new ownership has instead helped fuel Smithfield’s growth. Read the Wall Street Journal report: https://on.wsj.com/3YvZ3Tv Chinese American Scientists Call for Fight Against Racial Discrimination A report by BBC on October 29, 2024, highlights the struggles of Chinese American scientists facing discrimination and national security scrutiny. Physicist Xiaoxing Xi , arrested in 2015 on now-dismissed espionage charges, compares his experience to persecution during China’s Cultural Revolution, leading him to avoid professional ties with China. U.S.-China tensions under recent administrations have intensified, with legislative efforts to revive the “China Initiative,” which previously targeted Chinese American academics for alleged economic espionage.Asian American Scholar Forum's Gisela Perez Kusakawa and MIT’s Yasheng Huang underscore concerns over such legislative moves, which would formally reinstate the initiative. Scientists interviewed agree on national security’s importance but argue they have been unfairly scapegoated. Xi, alongside academics like Anming Hu and Franklin Tao , has turned to advocacy, with Hu recently addressing Congressional representatives against the initiative's revival, warning it scapegoats scholars and threatens U.S. technological leadership.Families have borne immense financial burdens, with Tao’s wife, Hong Peng , working extra shifts to cover legal costs that now exceed $2.3 million. Xi, still pursuing legal action against the FBI for his case, aims to uncover potential abuses and ensure transparency. Read the BBC reports: · 2024/10/29 BBC (English): Chinese American Scientists Call for Fight Against Racial Discrimination · 2024/11/01 BBC (Korean): 미-중 경쟁 속 살얼음판을 걷는 중국계 미국인 과학자들 · 2024/11/02 BBC (simplified Chinese): 美国大选：中美关系恶化下华裔科学家如履薄冰“不要再与中国有任何瓜葛” · 2024/11/02 BBC (Vietnamese): Những nhà khoa học Mỹ gốc Hoa đối mặt với rủi ro trong cuộc đối đầu Mỹ-Trung · 2024/11/02 BBC (Thai): เปิดชีวิตบนเส้นด้ายของนักวิทยาศาสตร์อเมริกันเชื้อสายจีน ท่ามกลางการแข่งขันระหว่าง 2 มหาอำนาจ News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events:2024/11/10 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/12 Threats to International Engagement and Academic Freedom2024/11/13 China's Economic Transformation: Policy, Challenges, & Domestic Impact2024/11/14 The U.S. Elections: What Happened? What's Next?2024/11/14 America's Trust in Science: What's Changed, What's Next?2024/11/14 From Tokyo Rose to The China Initiative2024/11/15 An Advice and Networking Event (Financial Services, Investing and Consulting)2024/11/15 Yangtze-Mississippi Regional Dialogue2024/11/15-17 AAASE Inaugural Summit2024/11/17 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/18 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/11/24 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Threats to Academic Freedom and International Engagement: China and Beyond WHAT : Threats to International Engagement and Academic Freedom: China and Beyond WHEN: November 12, 2024, 4:00 pm ET WHERE: Hybrid in-person and Online event HOST: Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) at University of Massachusetts, Amherst Speaker : Dr. Yangyang Cheng , Particle Physicist and Research Scholar at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center DESCRIPTION: Across the country, faculty and students are facing impediments to international engagement, and sometimes at significant personal risk, arising from increasingly strict federal regulations. International faculty and students are especially vulnerable, as are Chinese Americans and others with ties to countries experiencing strained US relations. At UMass Amherst, there are strong unions with the power to enforce robust contracts. The MSP event and the conversations it generates will help mobilize the UMass community to win and sustain the strongest possible protections for research and professional lives. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3O77Shv FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://bit.ly/3Yn2lcH 3. China's Economic Transformation: Policy, Challenges, & Domestic Impact WHAT : China's Economic Transformation: Policy, Challenges, & Domestic Impact WHEN: November 13, 2024, 7:00 pm ET WHERE: Online workshop HOST: 1990 Institute DESCRIPTION: This workshop is the first of a two-part series on China’s economy. This first session will explore the complexities of China's economic evolution over the past 40 years, highlighting the government's role in shaping the country's economic trajectory and addressing key internal challenges such as unemployment, rising national debt, and the evolution of economic policies. Our expert speakers will also examine the effects of COVID-19 on China’s economy and society. This workshop is open to all secondary school educators and everyone who is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of China’s economic past, present, and future. Participating educators will leave better equipped to help students engage with these complex topics in a relatable way. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3AwiweM 4. America's Trust in Science: What's Changed, What's Next? WHAT : America's Trust in Science: What's Changed, What's Next? WHEN: November 14, 2024, 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm ET WHERE : Online Webinar HOST: American Association for the Advancement of Science DESCRIPTION: The event will feature a breakdown of Pew’s 2024 trust in science survey results, which will be released that morning. Pew will then moderate a AAAS panel to discuss what the results mean for the application and conduct of science, and what the U.S. scientific community should do about it. The event will close with an audience Q&A. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3YEl8PF 5. From Tokyo Rose To the China Initiative: Espionage and AAPIs WHAT : From Tokyo Rose To the China Initiative WHEN: November 14, 2024, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET WHERE : In Person and Online; Costantino Room, Fordham Law School HOST: Center on Asian Americans and the Law, Fordham Law School DESCRIPTION: Asian Americans have long been accused of spying for foreign countries and engaging in acts of treason. In 1949, Iva Toguri D’Aquino was tried for treason in San Francisco—as the infamous “Tokyo Rose.” Years later, she was pardoned. In 1999, Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was arrested and accused of being a spy who had given U.S. nuclear secrets to China. Although he eventually pleaded guilty to one count of mishandling national defense information (after spending 278 days in confinement under harsh conditions), the sentencing judge apologized to him on behalf of the United States.More recently, during the China Initiative, the government arrested individuals of Asian descent with great fanfare, only to eventually drop or drastically reduce the charges in many of the cases. When the end of the “China Initiative” was announced in 2022, there was some skepticism that it was truly over, skepticism that was shown to be justified earlier this year as some members of Congress sought to revive it. Will the China Initiative now be revived? The Center on Asian Americans and the Law at Fordham Law School will explore the issues presented by the government's prosecution over the years of Asian Americans for espionage and treason at its Third Annual Fall Symposium. We will first examine several historic cases and follow with a panel discussion on the government's more recent actions. FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://bit.ly/4fnbZSL 6. APA Justice Newsletter Web Page Moved to New Website As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters . Content of the existing website will remain, but it will no longer be updated. We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF November 9, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

The House of Representatives has passed H.Res. 908, a resolution condemning all forms of anti-Asian bigotry as related to COVID-19. September 17, 2020 On September 17, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.Res. 908, a resolution condemning all forms of anti-Asian bigotry as related to COVID-19. The resolution, introduced by CAPAC First Vice Chair Rep. Grace Meng, is a response to the over 2,600 reported anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents in recent months which have been driven by misperceptions about the coronavirus and how it spreads. The resolution reads as follows: (1) calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce any and all anti-Asian sentiment in any form; (2) recognizes that the health and safety of all Americans, no matter their background, must be of utmost priority; (3) condemns all manifestations of expressions of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance; (4) calls on Federal law enforcement officials, working with State and local officials-- (A) to expeditiously investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes and incidents and threats against the Asian-American community in the United States; (B) to collect data to document the rise of incidences of hate crimes due to COVID–19; and (C) to hold the perpetrators of those crimes, incidents, or threats accountable and bring such perpetrators to justice; and (5) recommits United States leadership in building more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant societies-- (A) to prioritize language access and inclusivity in communication practices; and (B) to combat misinformation and discrimination that put Asian Americans at risk. The House of Representatives has passed H.Res. 908, a resolution condemning all forms of anti-Asian bigotry as related to COVID-19. Previous Next House Resolution Condemns All Forms of Anti-Asian Sentiment Related to COVID-19

Newsletter - #272 National APA Museum; Red-Baiting; Capstone Workshop Videos; State of Science; More #272 National APA Museum; Red-Baiting; Capstone Workshop Videos; State of Science; More In This Issue #272 · Anne S. Chao: From Missing in History to a National APA Museum on the Mall · AALDEF: The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and Dangerous Targeting on All Asian Americans · National Academies Roundtable Capstone Workshop Videos Posted · Marcia McNutt: The First State of Science Address · News and Activities for the Communities Anne S. Chao: From Missing in History to a National APA Museum on the Mall Anne S. Chao is a modern Chinese historian, and currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the Humanities at Rice University, and co-founder and manager of the Houston Asian American Archive at Rice. She is a co-founder of the FRIENDS of the National Asian Pacific American Museum, whose goal is to establish a national AAPI museum on the nation's Mall. Anne serves on the boards of the Houston Ballet, Wellesley Colleges, the National Archives Foundation, the Dunhuang Foundation among others. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on August 5, 2024, Anne gave her report on her activities with a 12-slide presentation: https://bit.ly/3WxVzPg . At Rice University, Anne established the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) 15 years ago, recognizing that Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., and it yet lacked records of Asian American lives. Distribution of the Asian American population in the Greater Houston area is visualized by a heat map. The county in the Southwest quadrant of this map is Fort Bend County. It has almost a parity of 25% Anglo, 25% African American, 25% Asian American, and 25% Hispanic. No other county in the country has the same parity. Rice University students began interviewing people, collecting memorabilia, conducting podcasts, making video clips, and exploring different aspects of Asian American lives. HAAA now has about 500 interviews along with various awards, performances, and exhibits.Among those interviewed as part of a multicultural and multifaceted Asian Houston were · Theresa and Peter Chang . Theresa Chang is a judge and at one time the highest placed Asian American woman in the Republican Party. · Dr. Vipul Mankad as part of a huge collection of South Asian interviews. · Donna Cole ’s father was in the 442nd regiment in World War II. She and her friends created the Go for Broke Foundation that led to Congress awarding the Gold Medal of Honor posthumously to these veterans of Japanese ancestry. · Harry Gee Jr . is a prominent immigration lawyer. The Gee family has made huge contributions to Houston and beyond. · Leroy Chiao is a Chinese American astronaut. · Lakshmy Parameswaran founded Daya, Inc., which serves South Asian victims of family violence. · World-renowned Professor of Physics Paul Chu , and · Many others of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, and other ethnicities. Anne told the story of the Gee family network in Houston. The Gee name may also be spelled as Zhu, Jee, and Chu. Many of them originate from Taishan and Kaiping counties in Guangdong Province in Southern China. One of Anne’s students created a Gee family network chart, from which a curriculum was developed for the Asia Society. A Voice of America reporter just interviewed the Gee family members about the curriculum. A book is in the works.Harry Gee’s father came to Houston as a restaurant owner. Harry Gee’s cousin, Albert Gee , was also a charismatic restaurateur who parlayed his business success into social and political success by contributing to Richard Nixon and John Connelly campaigns respectively and also entertained celebrities such as Bob Hope . Switching to the national scene, Anne pointed out that the African American Museum is already part of the Smithsonian collection on the national mall. The Latino American Museum and the Women’s Museum are in the pipeline. We are missing the Asian Pacific American Museum. Congresswoman Grace Meng introduced H.R. 3525 in 2021 to establish a commission to study the feasibility of creating an Asian Pacific American Museum. It became public law in June 2022. There are eight commissioner positions. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders and the House Majority and Minority Leaders each appoint two commissioners. There are two vacancies at this time, but the commission cannot start work until all eight are present. They have 18 months to produce a report to Congress on the feasibility of an Asian Pacific American Museum. The commissioners are volunteers. They do not have actual funding. Only one of the current commissioners, Dr. Jay Xu , who is the Director of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, has actual museum knowledge and experience. Handel Lee , Debbie Shawn , and Anne co-founded a non-profit organization called the Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum to fast track the effort. All three have served on the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Advisory Board. Their goal is to champion the cause, as well as to mobilize, support, fundraise, supply a blueprint, and coordinate the efforts. It has engaged many museum experts and museum fundraisers.They are in the process of creating a group of academics as well as organizations around the country to talk about what to put in the museum. AALDEF: The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and the Dangerous Target It Puts on All Asian Americans On August 7, 2024, the Asian American Legal and Defense Fund (AALDEF) posted a blog titled "The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and the Dangerous Target It Puts on All Asian Americans" in response to a CNN report on Jake Tapper's The Lead program on July 31, 2024.According to the blog, Catherine Herridge , a former Fox News journalist, is appealing a court ruling that holds her in contempt for refusing to reveal her source in a series of reports about Dr. Yanping Chen , a Chinese American who was investigated by the FBI for six years but was not charged for any crime. Herridge falsely accused Dr. Chen of being a spy for China, using misleading evidence and perpetuating racist stereotypes. Dr. Chen sued over the leak of her personal information and subpoenaed Herridge to reveal how she had come to possess confidential materials from the FBI. Herridge has twice refused and has been held in contempt. She maintains the dangerous falsehood against Dr. Chen, and Senator Ted Cruz filed a brief in support of Herridge that leans even more strongly into the anti-Chinese red-baiting prominent in Herridge’s reporting.As unethical and misrepresentative as her reporting was, Herridge still has First Amendment protections. There is a long history of the government invoking “national security” to compel reporters to reveal sources. And there is a danger to destabilizing the protections of the press, which is often our most powerful advocate holding the government accountable. But CNN ’s report made little mention of Dr. Chen and the role Herridge played in spreading dangerous falsehoods about her. Herridge was presented as a good reporter fighting the good fight, not just for herself, but to ward off “the end of investigative journalism.” Dr. Chen has been victimized twice: first by the government and then by the media. And by not properly reporting this story and giving an unfair platform to the person who used her privilege as a journalist to shamelessly vilify Dr. Chen and, in court, continued to vilify and dangerously misrepresent her as a Chinese spy, CNN further contributes to the harm Dr. Chen still faces. Rather than propping up Herridge like some sort of martyr, CNN should ask itself if it would have run the three stories Herridge wrote about Dr. Chen. Would Herridge’s characterization of Dr. Chen heavily reliant on racist tropes against Chinese people meet the ethical and reporting standards of CNN ? CNN has held neither the government nor the reporter, Catherine Herridge, accountable here.Herridge was so sure a Chinese American scientist was a spy, because that idea fit the entrenched narrative of what a spy looks like. And for the viewers who consumed her three fallacious stories, Herridge entrenched those dangerous ideas even deeper, setting a target, not only on Dr. Chen, but on all people who look like her.Good reporting should count for something. Herridge’s reporting was not good. Worse still, it caused real harm to someone still recovering from the harm the government had already inflicted on her.The blog argues that investigative journalism should challenge harmful narratives, not perpetuate them, as CNN 's coverage of Herridge did. Read the AALDEF blog: https://bit.ly/4dhasMZ Roundtable Capstone Workshop Meeting Materials and Videos Posted On July 16-17, 2024, the National Academies hosted The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Roundtable Capstone Workshop to present information the Roundtable has gathered since its inception in 2020 through 14 gatherings in Washington, DC and across the U.S.A series of three videos has now been posted at https://bit.ly/3z0PnY7 , along with meeting materials. A report is being prepared at this time. Contact Zariya Butler at (202)-334-2937 and zbutler@nas.edu if you have questions or comments. Marcia McNutt: The First State of Science Address On June 26, 2024, Marcia McNutt , President of National Academy of Sciences, delivered the first State of the Science address to explore how U.S. science and innovation are positioned to respond to rising global competition and shifting priorities for the nation’s economy, security, public health, and well-being. Her analysis was based mostly on data available up to 2021 in the midst of the "China Initiative." A video of her talk and a panel discussion including Dr. Grace Wang , President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has now been posted (1:47:59), as well as the meeting materials, at https://bit.ly/4checg9 .Dr . McNutt started by observing that Germany was the world leader in science prior to World War II. In addition to the U.S. bringing in German scientists, she credited Vannevar Bush , who headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II, for transforming the U.S. into a world leader in science and technology by having government invest in basic science, creating the National Science Foundation, promoting science education and scholarships, and recommending partnerships between government, industry, and universities. His book titled "Endless Frontier" outlining this blueprint was published in 1950. Dr. McNutt shared the following data on the rapid rise of China in science and technology in her address: · China is on track to exceed the U.S. in Research and Development expenditures. · The U.S. is dropping in research output as measured by articles published while China is experiencing triple-digit percentage increase. · In terms of research quality measured by percent of articles in the top 1%, the U.S. is losing ground while China has moved ahead of the European Union. · In terms of products, China was at about 3% as recently as 2013 in percentage of drugs in Phase I-III trials. It has risen to 28% in 2021 while the US is in decline. · China's number of patents per year passed the U.S. around 2015 and is leading the U.S. by a ratio of 2 to 1 in 2021. · China was a non-player in 2000 in the list of Global Fortune 500 companies. It leads the list with 142 out of 500 in 2023. What has changed from Vannevar Bush's blueprint since 1950? Dr. McNutt opined that · The U.S. has become exceptionally dependent on international students. · The U.S. could not meet its STEM workforce requirements if it were not for the international students. · Other nations are raising their standard of living by investing in science, education, pro-industry policies, and strategic planning. · Advancing the frontiers of basic research now requires international partnerships to benefit all researchers. · Industry took the lead around 1981 and now dominates U.S. research investment with a 75% share, compared to the federal government's 20%. · Since 1953, philanthropy at universities and nonprofit research institutes has grown to be a major support for basic research. How can we use the new realities to improve our current model? Dr. McNutt offered the following opportunities for the future as Endless Frontier 2.0: · Build the domestic scientific workforce of the future. · Attract the best and brightest by reducing red tape for international students and regulatory burden on faculty. · Create a national strategy to coordinate resources for greater impact. · Modernize and strengthen university-industry partnership. · Provide access to major science facilities. · Cultivate public trust in science. Watch the video and read the meeting materials: https://bit.ly/4checg9 . 2024/08/07 Scientific American : American Science Slips into Dangerous Decline, Experts Warn, while Chinese Research Surges . The U.S. sorely needs a coordinated national research strategy, says Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/08/19 DNC Convention, AAPI Briefing & Reception, Chicago, IL2024/09/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity Summit2024/10/06 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly MeetingThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Congresswoman Judy Chu & Senator Chris Coons Reintroduce NO BAN Act On August 7, 2024, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Sen. Chris Coons (DE) led a bicameral partnership of their Democratic colleagues to introduce H.R. 9244 , the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act—legislation that will prevent future Muslim bans. The NO BAN Act will strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restore checks and balances by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. The bill would: · Provide that the Immigration and Nationality Act nondiscrimination provisions apply to religion, as well as to the issuance of non-immigrant visas and benefits; · Require that any travel restriction imposed under Immigration and Nationality Act be based on specific and credible facts, and in a way narrowly tailored to address a compelling government interest; and · Establish procedural requirements including notice to Congress within 48 hours and periodic reporting. Back View PDF August 12, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter