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Xiaofeng Wang 王晓峰 Currently Associate Vice President (Cybersecurity) President's Chair Professor Professor, College of Computing & Data Science Head, Division of Computing, College of Computing & Data Science (CCDS) Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Previously Associate Dean for Research James H. Rudy Professor of Computer Science, Engineering and Informatics Director of Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering Director of Secure Computing Indiana University Table of Contents Overview Continuing Developments Overview Xiaofeng Wang, a prominent cybersecurity professor at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB), was terminated on March 28, 2025—the same day FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents conducted searches at his homes in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana. The university has not publicly disclosed the reasons for his dismissal. Professor Wang's wife, Nianli Ma—a library systems analyst at the university—was also terminated on March 24, 2025. The American Association of University Professors' Bloomington chapter has criticized the university's handling of Wang's termination, asserting that it violated due process and university policies. The specific reasons behind the federal investigation remain undisclosed, and the search warrants have been sealed. Efforts have been made to unseal these documents to gain clarity on the situation. Professor Wang is reportedly represented by Attorneys Jason Covert and Jackie Bennett Jr. of Taft Law . He is currently President's Chair Professor, Associate Vice President for Cybersecurity, and Head of the Computing Divisionat Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. References and Links 2025/04/15 South China Morning Post: ‘It hurts deeply’: Nianli Ma, wife of cyber expert Xiaofeng Wang, speaks up over FBI raids 2025/04/10 Indiana Daily Student: Nianli Ma terminated 4 days before FBI searched her and Xiaofeng Wang’s homes 2025/04/03 The Herald-Times: IU professor Xiaofeng Wang investigated for academic misconduct before FBI search 2025/04/02 Indiana Public Media: Lawyers: Fired cybersecurity expert and wife safe and not charged with a crime 2025/04/02 Indiana Daily Student: IU computer science faculty condemn Xiaofeng Wang’s termination in letter 2025/04/02 WIRED: Cybersecurity Professor Faced China-Funding Inquiry Before Disappearing, Sources Say 2025/04/02 South China Morning Post: Exclusive | US cyber expert Wang Xiaofeng ‘is safe’ after FBI raids, source says 2025/04/02 Indiana Daily Student: IU professor and library analyst face no pending criminal charges, lawyers say 2025/04/02 Reuters: Cybersecurity professor targeted by FBI has not been detained, lawyer says 2025/04/01 South China Morning Post: US cyber expert Wang Xiaofeng took Singapore job before FBI raids: university letter 2025/04/01 Indiana Public Media: Fired prof accused of research misconduct, FBI involvement unclear 2025/03/31 CNBC: Indiana U. fired cybersecurity professor XiaoFeng Wang on day FBI searched his homes: Union 2025/03/31 South China Morning Post: China Initiative 2.0? Raids on scientist Wang Xiaofeng revive spectre from first Trump era 2025/03/31 Indiana Daily Student: Faculty organization alleges IU violated policy in terminating Xiaofeng Wang 2025/03/31 Fox-59: IU faculty protests firing of professor in FBI probe 2025/03/31 WTHR: I U professor allegedly fired after FBI raids on homes in Carmel and Bloomington 2025/03/31 WIRED: Cybersecurity Professor Mysteriously Disappears as FBI Raids His Homes 2025/03/30 ARS Technica: FBI raids home of prominent computer scientist who has gone incommunicado 2025/03/30 Indiana Public Media: FBI won’t say why agents searched homes of IU cybersecurity expert 2025/03/29 MSN: Professor Abruptly Fired Amid FBI Raid 2025/03/28 WTHR: FBI seizes boxes of evidence after searching Carmel, Bloomington homes Return to Table of Contents Continuing Developments On April 12, 2025, the Federation of Asian Professor Associations (FAPA) issued a public statement regarding the case of Professor Wang, condemning his termination by IU and raising serious concerns about the erosion of due process, threats to academic freedom, and the ongoing pattern of racial profiling targeting Chinese American scientists. FAPA also sent an open letter to IU President Pamela Whitten. On April 1, 2025, Stanford University cybersecurity scholar Riana Pfefferkorn filed a motion Tuesday to unseal the warrants used to execute searches of IU professor Xiaofeng Wang and Nianli Ma’s homes last week. She filed the motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. On April 17, 2025, John E. Childress, the acting U.S. attorney of the Southern District of Indiana argued the search warrants used in the FBI searches of Xiaofeng Wang and Nianli Ma’s homes March 28 should remain sealed in response to the motion to release the warrants. On April 14, 2024, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) hosted a State of Play Town Hall, in which Nianli Ma, wife of Professor Xiaoxeng Wang spoke about her family situation. AASF and a coalition of organizations and individuals wrote a letter to Rahul Shrivastav, Provost of Indiana University (IU) and requested reinstament of Professor Wang. On April 14, 2025, a GoFundMe campaign for Professor Wang was started by his son, Luke Wang, at https://bit.ly/3E70Vfm . Nianli Ma Professor Wang termination reportedly involved an undisclosed research grant from China in 2017-2018. On April 17, 2025, Day of Action for Higher Ed, IU computer science chair Yuzhen Ye said Professor Wang was not even aware of the grant when university officials asked him about it. “So apparently a researcher in China applied for this grant without his knowledge," she said "So (Wang) explained and also he provided a supporting documentation to IU. I truly believe this really could have unfolded in a very different way if IU administration had chosen to trust its own faculty or give them a fair chance to respond,” Professor Ye said. Professor Wang joined Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore in mid-2025, serving as President's Chair Professor, Associate Vice President for Cybersecurity, and Head of the Computing Division. References and Links Southern District of Indiana: In Re: Motion to Uunseal Search Warrants (1:25-mc-00022) 2026/04/08 IDS News: The FBI searched her homes a year ago. She still lives in 'uncertainty' 2025/10/06 IDS News: Unsealed court documents reveal 42 items seized in FBI search of former IU professor’s home 2025/04/18 Herald-Times: Wife, son of cybersecurity professor Xiaofeng Wang make first comments since FBI raid 2025/04/17 Indiana Daily Student: U.S. attorney argues to keep search warrants for Xiaofeng Wang’s home searches sealed 2025/04/17 Indiana Public Media: IU department chair says Wang didn't know about undisclosed Chinese research grant 2025/04/17 Indian Public Media: Protest groups at IU unite for National Day of Action on higher education 2025/04/16 Guardian: The mysterious firing of a Chinese professor has Asian students on edge: ‘Brings chills to our spines’ 2025/04/15 South China Morning Post: ‘It hurts deeply’: Nianli Ma, wife of cyber expert Xiaofeng Wang, speaks up over FBI raids 2025/04/14 WIRED: A Cybersecurity Professor Disappeared Amid an FBI Search. His Family Is ‘Determined to Fight’ 2025/04/12 FAPA: Open Letter to Pamela Whitten, President, Indiana University 2025/04/12 FAPA: Public Statement on the Case of Dr. Xiaofeng Wang 2025/04/02 Indiana Daily Student: Stanford scholar files motion to unseal warrants used to search homes of Xiaofeng Wang 2025/03/31 AAUP IU Bloomington Chapter: Open Letter to Rahul Shrivastav, Provost, Indiana University Return to Table of Contents Previous Item Next Item

Newsletter - #11 Amicus Brief Filed; "Red Scare" Series Wins Award; Briefing For Senator Warner #11 Amicus Brief Filed; "Red Scare" Series Wins Award; Briefing For Senator Warner Back View PDF August 21, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

The abrupt dismissal of visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate “China Initiative” cases and the FBI reports from the discovery process exposed the weaknesses of the prosecutions, dissension in the FBI’s own ranks, and exaggerated claims of national security risks by the government. July 22, 2021 Table of Contents Overview Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers What the Juan Tang Case Revealed What the Lei Guan Case Revealed Links and References Overview In court filings on July 22 and 23, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) abruptly moved to drop visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate "China Initiative" cases, including four biomedical and cancer researchers in California and a doctoral candidate studying artificial intelligence in Indiana. U.S. District judges have granted dismissal in three of the five cases. The five Chinese nationals are: Lei Guan (关磊), Visiting researcher (mathematics), University of California at Los Angeles Dr. Chen Song (宋琛), Visiting researcher (neurology), Stanford University Dr. Juan Tang (唐娟), Visiting researcher (cancer), University of California at Davis Xin Wang (王欣), Visiting researcher (neurology), University of California at San Francisco Kaikai Zhao (赵凯凯), Doctoral candidate (machine learning and artificial intelligence), Indiana University Prosecutors did not provide explanations in their motions to dismiss. According to multiple media reports, Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesman issued a statement that said "[r]ecent developments in a handful of cases involving defendants with alleged, undisclosed ties to the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China have prompted the department to re-evaluate these prosecutions... We have determined that it is now in the interest of justice to dismiss them.” DOJ announced the visa fraud charges against four of the five scientists exactly a year ago on July 23, 2020. Just a day earlier, the U.S. ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, accusing it of being a "spy center" to conduct spying activities with local medical centers or universities. The fifth scientist, Lei Guan, was first charged in August 2020 for Destruction and Alteration of Records in a Federal Investigation with visa fraud charges added in September 2020. Although the DOJ did not provide an explanation for the dismissals, Reuters reported that there was "recently disclosed evidence of a report by FBI analysts that questioned if the visa application question on 'military service' was clear enough for Chinese medical scientists at military universities and hospitals." In another report by the Washington Post , an unnamed official was quoted to say that "the punishment for visa fraud typically does not exceed a year. That fact, combined with the prospect of prolonged litigation in several instances, led officials to assess that the interests of justice were best served by dropping the cases." Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US Some of these five prosecutions were based on photos of the individuals in uniform. However, wearing a uniform does not always imply military service. Out of the eight branches of uniformed services of the United States, two are non-armed: The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is the uniformed personnel system of the United States Public Health Service, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps is a uniformed branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is under the Department of Commerce. “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers On December 2, 2020, The Washington Post reported that John Demers, Assistant Attorney General John Demers claimed that more than 1,000 researchers who had hidden their affiliation with the Chinese military fled the United States. The exodus came in the wake of the arrests of six Chinese researchers accused of lying on their visa applications about their ties to the People’s Liberation Army. The arrests, coupled with the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, which U.S. officials said served as a command-and-control node to direct spying operations, were intended to send a signal to Beijing. The figure was described as “startling” and has not been supported by any factual evidence. What the Juan Tong Case Revealed On July 19, 2021, defense attorneys for Dr. Juan Tang filed a Defendant's Trial Brief and Memorandum Supporting Dismissal at Trial . It included a section on "The FBI’s Deliberate Failure to Disclose Critical Exculpatory Evidence to the Court and to the Defense Warrants a Dismissal of this Ill-Conceived Indictment." "There is dissension in the FBI’s own ranks," the trial brief started. It cited that the government intentionally did not comply with the discovery order for the trial and highlighted that "... just days ago, a heavily redacted report dated for release four months ago, on April 1, 2021, which the government did not disclose to this Court when it ruled on Dr. Tang’s Motion to Dismiss." Exhibit A shows a FBI Background Note dated April 1, which includes a statement that investigations and expert interviews "suggest that the visa application form (DS-160) potentially lacks clarity when it comes to declaring one's military service or affiliation." Specifically, the highlighted response to the question “Is this obfuscation indicative of nefarious intent?” says: Investigations associated with these individuals as well as PLA experts interviewed in the cases cited above suggest that the visa application form (DS-160) potentially lacks clarity when it comes to declaring one’s military service or affiliation. China’s PLA is not a direct analog to how the US military services are set up, especially regarding the PLA’s Civilian Cadre. CTTAU assesses that while some intentional obfuscation is almost certainly being used by the PLA to gain entry into the US, there are grey areas where it is difficult for the FBI and DOS to determine whether obfuscation is intentional or for nefarious tech transfer purposes. Among the Civilian Cadre are a significant number of doctors and nurses and other professionals that at times are required to wear a military type uniform, but who would not necessarily consider themselves soldiers despite being considered as active duty. There are also contract civilians who work for the PLA, but are not considered active duty military. Within investigations it may also appear as if students and scholars from particular MCF-designated and PLA-affiliated universities and institutions are obfuscating their respective affiliations by not declaring military service despite having academic advisors who are PLA officers, but the FBI has an incomplete understanding of the full nature of this student/scholar to academic advisor relationship. What the Lei Guan Case Revealed A partially redacted draft FBI report appeared as part of an exhibit in a non-motion response filed in the case of Lei Guan on July 12, 2021. It is titled Fourth Military Medical University Interviews and Arrests Likely Had Minimal Impact in Mitigating Technology Transfer Threats from PRC Students dated March 19, 2021. The 28-page exhibit includes a draft white paper that provides assessments on seven cases under the "China Initiative," including the five that were dismissed. The draft paper states that targeting of the researcher and students "likely had minimal, short-term positive impact on the technology transfer threat from PRC students, scholars, and researchers." In addition, "[o]nly two of the arrests had a nexus to technology transfer violations, ... and none included charges related to other counterintelligence concerns." The operation "likely contributed to the deterioration of the FBI's delicate yet valuable relationship with some US universities by not exercising more caution before approaching PRC students." Although there was strong advice against investigating and arresting students and researchers with the operation, "several FBI field offices proceeded with visa fraud charges for individuals who met the criteria but did not meet the threshold for a high-priority technology transfer threat." "It is in the best national security interest of the FBI to strategically identify, target, and mitigate PRC technology transfer threats while also preserving educational opportunities in the United States for PRC students who do not pose a threat," said an unredacted portion of the FBI report. A footnote also stated that "the FBI does not consider clinical medicine an area of concern for PRC technology transfer." According to the exhibit, a FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst drafted the report as a response to a February 2021 award nomination. She was originally included as part of the award nomination but disagreed about the "high impact" the award's nomination claimed to have made. She did not think the arrest of the PLA students met the threshold for high impact at that time, as she assessed at an early stage the impact was minimal. The draft was a way for her to dispute the information contained in the awards packet. She removed herself from the award nomination. Jump to: Overview Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers What the Juan Tang Case Revealed What the Lei Guan Case Revealed The abrupt dismissal of visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate “China Initiative” cases and the FBI reports from the discovery process exposed the weaknesses of the prosecutions, dissension in the FBI’s own ranks, and exaggerated claims of national security risks by the government. Previous Next 8. Five Visa Fraud Cases Dismissed

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Newsletter - #297 12/11 Webinar - Ted Lieu; Gene Wu; Andy Kim; New CAPAC Leadership; AAJC #297 12/11 Webinar - Ted Lieu; Gene Wu; Andy Kim; New CAPAC Leadership; AAJC In This Issue #297 · Ted Lieu to Deliver Remarks at Tomorrow's Land Ownership Webinar · Gene Wu Elected Chair of Texas Democratic Caucus · Andy Kim Sworn in as U.S. Senator for New Jersey · CAPAC Elected New Leadership · AAJC Calls for Sign-on to Open Letter on Select Committee on CCP · News and Activities for the Communities Ted Lieu to Deliver Remarks at Tomorrow's Land Ownership Webinar U.S. Representative Ted W. Lieu 刘云平 will deliver the opening remarks at the webinar co-hosted by the Committee of 100 and APA Justice titled " The Impact of Land Ownership Exclusion Laws on Diverse Communities " on December 11, 2024. On November 19, 2024, Rep. Lieu was reelected as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the fourth-highest position in House Democratic leadership. Lieu is a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired from the Reserve with the rank of Colonel. As a legislator, Lieu has established himself as a leader on artificial intelligence; the environment; cybersecurity; civil liberties; foreign affairs and veterans. As the highest-ranking Asian American in Congress, Lieu continues to champion policies promoting equity, justice, and inclusion.Register to attend the webinar today: https://bit.ly/3CEWK9p WHAT : From Past Prejudice to Present Policy: The Impact of Land Ownership Exclusion Laws on Diverse Communities WHEN: December 11, 2024, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET WHERE: Webinar WHAT: Historically discriminatory policies are reemerging in state legislatures across the U.S. Originally designed to prevent non-citizens, particularly those from AAPI communities, from owning property, these laws are now being reframed as safeguards to national security. This webinar will discuss whether these laws properly address national security concerns or whether they are merely a pretext that infringes upon civil rights and liberties under the guise of protection. A panel of legal experts and advocates will delve into the history of alien land laws, examine their renewed impact on vulnerable communities and discuss key cases, including a bill recently introduced in Florida. This event is essential for anyone committed to upholding justice and equity in America. To learn more about current land ownership exclusion legislations, visit Committee of 100’s interactive map , which details specific bills, status, and text. Also, visit APA Justice Alien Land Bills webpage for the latest developments on current lawsuits challenging these laws and more. HOSTS: Committee of 100, APA Justice Moderator: Cindy Tsai , Interim President, Committee of 100 Opening Remarks: Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative (CA-36), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Speakers: · Edgar Chen , Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) · Ashley Gorski , Senior Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) · Gene Wu , Chair of Texas House Democratic Caucus Closing Remarks: Jeremy Wu , Founder and Co-Organizer, APA Justice; Member, Committee of 100 REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3CEWK9p Gene Wu Elected Chair of Texas Democratic Caucus On December 4, 2024, the Texas House Democratic Caucus (HDC) elected Rep. Gene Wu (吴元之) as their new chair. Gene Wu has been representing District 137 in the Texas House of Representatives since 2013. He is known for his support of immigration, family and minority groups including Asians and Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics. Rep. Gene Wu was the first legislator who brought the alien land laws to the attention of the public nationwide. He will speak at the webinar on " The impact of Land Ownership Exclusion Laws on Diverse Communities " on December 11, 2024. A dedicated advocate for the Asian Pacific American community in Texas and across the nation, Gene Wu regularly holds town hall meetings and travels nationwide, urging the community to confront the rising threat of anti-Asian legislation at both the state and federal levels. His 26-slide presentation offers a concise overview of the historical anti-Asian issue in the U.S., tracing its roots from the founding of the United States to the "China Week" in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2024. He also presented this issue during his town hall meeting on September 29, 2024: https://bit.ly/3XN7Ujm (49:37). · Texas Tribune: Houston Rep. Gene Wu to lead Texas House Democrats through GOP-dominated legislative session · Houston Chronicle: Houston Rep. Gene Wu chosen as next Democratic leader in Texas House · Houston Public Media: Houston Rep. Gene Wu elected Chair of Texas House Democratic Caucus · Chron: Houston’s Gene Wu elected Texas House Democratic leader in surprise move Andy Kim Sworn in as U.S. Senator for New Jersey On December 8, 2024, Senator-elect Andy Kim was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Phil Murphy , allowing him to assume office ahead of his elected term beginning on January 3, 2025. The appointment followed Kim’s certification by the Board of State Canvassers as the winner of the Senate race to succeed Bob Menendez . Kim was sworn in on Monday, December 9, 2024, becoming New Jersey’s newest senator.In a brief speech on the Senate floor, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) welcomed Kim, who he called “one of the most respected and admired members of the House Democratic caucus, where his talent was only matched by his decency.” “Today, I am appointing Senator-elect Andy Kim to the United States Senate so he can begin his term in office before the new year begins,” Murphy said in an official statement. “Taking this step will allow Senator Kim to embark on the smoothest possible transition into his new role so he can hit the ground running serving the people of New Jersey,” Murphy said. Senator Kim expressed gratitude for the opportunity: “It’s an honor to get to represent the state that gave my family a chance at the American Dream in the U.S. Senate. It’s a dream that remains out of reach for too many of our neighbors, and one that I’m ready on day one to fight for. I want to thank Governor Murphy and Senator [George] Helmy for ensuring that New Jersey was well represented during this transition, and look forward to getting to work for the people.” On November 18, 2024, Senator-elect Kim addressed the APA Justice monthly meeting. He expressed gratitude to APA Justice for its efforts in addressing anti-Asian hate and discrimination and highlighted the challenges of creating a secure and inclusive environment for all, referencing his personal concerns for his children and elderly parents. Kim emphasized the importance of building coalitions to combat hate and discrimination in all forms, including policies like the China Initiative, which he described as fear-mongering. He pledged to continue fighting these issues in his role as a U.S. Senator and called on others to join him in these efforts. A summary of the November 18 APA Justice monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. Read the New Jersey Monitor report : https://bit.ly/3ZJDxfD and Governor Murphy's statement: https://bit.ly/4g6niz0 . CAPAC Elected New Leadership On December 4, 2024, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) announced its leadership for the 119th Congress. Rep. Judy Chu ( 赵美心 , CA-28) transitions to Chair Emeritus. The newly elected leadership includes · Rep. Grace Meng ( 孟昭文 , NY-06), Chair · Rep. Mark Takano ( 高野马克 , CA-39), First Vice-Chair · Rep. Jill Tokuda ( 德田吉尔 , HI-02), Second Vice-Chair · Rep. Ami Bera , M.D. (CA-06), Whip · Rep.-elect Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Freshman Representative APA Justice and other organizations issued statements reacting positively about the new leadership. · CAPAC Announces Newly Elected Leadership for the 119th Congress · APA Justice Applauds New CAPAC Leadership · APAICS Applauds Congresswoman Grace Meng’s Election as CAPAC Chair · NBC News: Rep. Grace Meng to lead congressional Asian caucus, replacing longtime chair Judy Chu · AsAm News: Grace Meng will lead congressional Asian caucus AAJC Calls for Sign-on to Open Letter on Select Committee on CCP Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is preparing to send an open letter to House leadership, opposing the reauthorization of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (Select Committee). This letter is born out of concern that the harmful and targeted policies supported by the Select Committee—including the revival of the DOJ’s China Initiative as well as various iterations of land laws— will only continue to ratchet up anti-Asian sentiment in the 119th Congress.To read the open letter and sign on, interested organizations are asked to complete this form: https://bit.ly/4950dKv News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/12/10 National Immigration Inclusion Conference 2024/12/11 Webinar on Alien Land Laws2024/12/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/01/19 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit 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 APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters . We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF December 10, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #306 Protect Birthright Citizenship; Year of The Snake; CSIS Study; UMichigan Ends Program+ #306 Protect Birthright Citizenship; Year of The Snake; CSIS Study; UMichigan Ends Program+ In This Issue #306 · Protect Birthright Citizenship · Happy New Year of The Snake! · CSIS: Advancing U.S.-China Coordination amid Strategic Competition · University of Michigan Ends Joint Program with Chinese University · News and Activities for the Communities Protect Birthright Citizenship On January 20, 2025, The Trump Administration issued an executive order seeking to strip certain babies born in the United States of their U.S. citizenship. During his first administration in October 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intention to issue such an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents, but legal experts and lawmakers, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan , contended that such a change would require a constitutional amendment.Immigrants’ rights advocates promptly filed a lawsuit on the same day the executive order was released. The case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Maine, ACLU of Massachusetts, Asian Law Caucus, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Legal Defense Fund on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order, including New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Make the Road New York. The lawsuit charges the Trump administration with flouting the Constitution’s dictates, congressional intent, and long standing Supreme Court precedent. Read the press release by ACLU and the Legal Defense Fund .On January 21, 2025, media outlets including AP News , Bloomberg , the Guardian , and New York Times reported that attorneys general from 22 states filed lawsuits against the executive order. Two separate cases aim to block the directive. One, led by 18 state attorneys general and joined by San Francisco and Washington, D.C., was filed in Federal District Court in Massachusetts The second was filed in Seattle federal court by Washington State Attorney General Nicholas Brown and three other states.New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said that presidents might have broad authority but they are not kings. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong , a U.S. citizen by birthright and the nation’s first Chinese American elected attorney general, said the lawsuit was personal for him. The 18 states involved in the Massachusetts case include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Birthright citizenship, rooted in the 14th Amendment, guarantees U.S. citizenship to nearly all children born on U.S. soil, with the narrow exception of children of foreign diplomats. Ratified in 1868, the amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision, which had denied Black Americans the rights of citizenship. In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld this principle in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, affirming that children born to immigrant parents in the U.S. are entitled to citizenship—a precedent that has stood for over a century. Norman Wong , 74, the great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark , denounced the executive order in an interview with NBC News , calling it “troubling” and divisive. “He’s feeding off the American mindset, and it’s not a healthy one,” Wong said. “We can’t build the country together and be against everybody. … If we have good thoughts and work from that, we’ll get a better world. But it’s not going to be easy in this country.” Watch the NBC News report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMpC2amB_L8 (2:30) Why the United States Has Birthright Citizenship The complaint filed in Massachusetts argues that "birthright citizenship embodies America’s most fundamental promise: that all children born on our soil begin life as full and equal members of our national community, regardless of their parents’ origins, status, or circumstances. This principle has enabled generations of children to pursue their dreams and build a stronger America."According to History.com , birthright citizenship was initially limited to free white people. In 1790, the nation's first naturalization law stated that “free white persons” could gain citizenship if they had lived in the U.S. for two years and had a good character. The new citizens’ children under the age of 21 were given citizenship. But the new naturalization law ignored massive swaths of American society, including enslaved people and Native Americans, neither of whom were considered citizens.In 1857, as arguments about slavery roiled, the U.S. Supreme Court further entrenched racial exclusion with its ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford . T he court declared that Scott, an enslaved man seeking his freedom, was not a citizen because of his African descent. It also concluded that no person of African descent, even if born in the U.S., could be considered a citizen.After the Civil War, the abolition of slavery spurred a redefinition of citizenship. The 14th Amendment , ratified in 1868, proclaimed that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” are citizens. This sweeping declaration fundamentally reshaped the concept of birthright citizenship.Still, the rights of children born to immigrant parents remained uncertain until Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese American, challenged the system —and won. Born in 1873 in the U.S. to Chinese immigrants, Wong’s claim to citizenship was complicated by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 , which barred Chinese nationals from becoming naturalized citizens. In 1898, Wong faced his defining legal battle after being denied reentry into the U.S. following a trip to China. Stranded on a ship in San Francisco harbor, Wong’s case became a test for the Department of Justice, which sought to prove that individuals of Chinese descent were not entitled to citizenship. The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where Wong won. Associate Justice Horace Gray , writing for the majority, affirmed that the 14th Amendment “includes the children born, within the territory of the United States, of all other persons, of whatever race or color, domiciled within the United States.” Gray warned that denying citizenship to Wong would set a precedent that could strip citizenship from thousands of individuals of European descent, including those of English, Irish, German, and other ancestries, who had long been recognized as citizens. Gray’s reasoning underscored the broader implications of Wong’s victory: allowing a Chinese American to claim birthright citizenship did not endanger the rights of white Americans but rather safeguarded the foundational principles of equality and citizenship for all. APA Justice will monitor and track the development of New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support v. Trump (1:25-cv-00038) , Doe v. Trump (1:25-cv-10136) , and State of Washington et al v. Trump et al (2:25-cv-00127). Happy New Year of The Snake! January 29, 2025, marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac. The Year of the Snake occurs every 12 years, and individuals born in the following years are considered to have Snake as their zodiac sign: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025. Since the Chinese New Year typically falls in late January or early February, those born early in the year should check the specific start and end dates for the Year of the Snake.Also known as Lunar New Year, the festival is celebrated across Asia with diverse and vibrant traditions rooted in themes of family reunions, renewal, and good fortune. In China, it is known as Spring Festival and features family gatherings, red envelopes, and lion dances. South Korea's Seollal includes ancestral rituals, folk games, and rice cake soup symbolizing longevity. In Vietnam, Tết celebrations center around ancestor worship, house cleaning, and the exchange of red envelopes. Mongolians observe Tsagaan Sar with milk-based dishes, meat dumplings, and visits to elders, emphasizing renewal and purification. Ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, also celebrate with their unique cultural traditions.This year invites us to sharpen our focus and pursue shared goals with precision and intuition, much like the snake navigating its path. May we embrace challenges with courage, transforming uncertainties into opportunities for growth.Let the Year of the Snake inspire us to strengthen our bonds, celebrate our diversity, and uphold the values of fairness and inclusion. Together, we can make this year a time of renewal, progress, and shared prosperity. Wishing you a year filled with wisdom, health, and success. Happy Year of the Snake! CSIS: Advancing U.S.-China Coordination amid Strategic Competition In November 2022, the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies and the Brookings John L. Thornton China Center initiated a project to identify safe and effective methods for collaboration among nonstate actors on critical challenges facing the United States and China. On January 15, 2025, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a three-part report, Advancing U.S.-China Coordination amid Strategic Competition: An Emerging Playbook, exploring opportunities for collaboration on transnational issues despite the ongoing rivalry between the two nations. Part I: Scoping the Challenge The U.S.-China relationship, dating back to 1844, has alternated between cooperation and conflict, with the current era defined by intense strategic competition across military, economic, technological, and diplomatic domains. This rivalry is exacerbated by a weakening post–World War II international order, rising nationalism, and mutual distrust. Both nations struggle to coordinate efforts on global issues like climate change, food security, and public health. The U.S. increasingly aligns with democratic allies like the G7, while China emphasizes its role within BRICS+ and the Global South. Without collaboration, growing competition threatens the international order and increases the risk of global conflict. Part II: Insights from Case Studies and Track 2 Dialogue Joint research by CSIS and Brookings, including a 2024 track 2 dialogue on climate-smart agriculture, highlights three key lessons for collaboration: 1. Geopolitical context shapes collaborative opportunities, often guided by national interests. 2. Nonstate actors should align initiatives with the national priorities of both countries. 3. New approaches to track 2 dialogues, such as longer, informal meetings in neutral venues, foster more effective cooperation. These insights underscore the importance of working on shared challenges like food security and sustainable agriculture. Part III: Recommendations for Advancing Collaboration The report calls for proactive U.S.-China collaboration on shared global challenges, arguing that waiting for reduced competition is not a viable strategy. Key recommendations include: · Normalizing coordination amid competition. · Securing high-level commitment from both governments. · Prioritizing specific, manageable issues. · Identifying neutral venues for cooperation. · Leveraging track 2 dialogues to explore innovative solutions. While mutual mistrust persists, the report emphasizes the urgent need for collaboration on critical issues like pandemics, food insecurity, and environmental degradation to safeguard global security and prosperity. Read the CSIS report: https://bit.ly/40IllUc University of Michigan Ends Joint Program with Chinese University On January 10, 2025, the University of Michigan (UM) announced the termination of its longstanding partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), marking the end of a two-decade academic collaboration.The decision, confirmed by UM President Santa J. Ono , follows concerns raised by the U.S. House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China, chaired by U.S. Representative John Moolenaar . The UM-SJTU partnership, which included the UM-SJTU Joint Institute and facilitated dual-degree programs and international exchanges, will allow current students to complete their degrees without disruption. UM emphasized its commitment to international education, balancing national security concerns with fostering global academic partnerships.“International experiences are vital for our students in this interconnected world,” Ono said. “We remain committed to supporting UM’s international students and will continue to foster international partnerships that advance knowledge and cross-cultural understanding and ensure our campus remains a vibrant community where scholars from around the world can thrive.”According to Science on January 13, 2025, the termination of the UM-SJTU partnership reflects broader tensions between U.S. and Chinese academic collaborations. The joint institute, which engaged in biomedical and energy research, faced scrutiny for potential links to China’s defense advancements. This move follows similar actions by other U.S. institutions, such as Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley. Tony Chan , a mathematician at UCLA and former president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, described the trend as indicative of the “deep and steep downturn” in U.S.-China scientific relations. “The message is very clear to universities: Don’t have anything to do with China,” said Chan, who also led the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology from 2018 to 2024. He warned that the academic "decoupling" between the two nations will harm both countries. “It’s not good for science,” Chan added. “And it doesn’t look like things are going to get better anytime soon.”Read the UM announcement: https://bit.ly/4g6Xv95 . Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/4jrh6DR News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/01/23 Community Reactions to the Trump Administration's "Day One" Priorities2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/02/03 Getting China Right: Launch of ACF Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Get Help Today on LA Fires Californians can go to CA.gov/LAfires – a hub for information and resources from state, local and federal government. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from wildfires in Los Angeles County can apply for disaster assistance: · Online at DisasterAssistance.gov · Calling 800-621-3362 · By using the FEMA smart phone application · Assistance is available in over 40 languages · If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, give FEMA the number for that service. Please share with your families, friends, and colleagues in the Los Angeles area. 3. Vincent Chin Institute: First Executive Director Job Announcement The Vincent Chin Institute (VCI) is seeking its inaugural Executive Director to lead efforts in combating hate through organizing, education, and narrative change. This full-time, remote position offers a salary range of $125,000 to $150,000, depending on experience, and includes comprehensive benefits. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) experiences, a proven track record in organizational leadership, fundraising, and program development, and the ability to build cross-sector partnerships. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, with early submissions encouraged by January 24, 2025. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/4jmFFSi 4. OPM Revises Executive Core Qualifications On January 17, 2025, Government Executive reported that " Senior Executive Standards Get first Update in More Than 15 Years ."The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created under President Jimmy Carter as part of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The SES was designed to establish a cadre of high-level federal managers who would provide leadership across agencies and ensure the continuity of expertise in the federal government. Its creation aimed to increase the flexibility and accountability of senior federal executives while fostering efficiency and effectiveness in public administration.The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)'s updates to the SES executive core qualifications will take effect on July 1, 2025. As part of the updates, OPM added data literacy and systems thinking as new sub-competencies and modified the name of the technology management sub-competency to leveraging technology. The agency also included interpersonal skills, building workplace culture and strategic communication as new sub-competencies. # # # 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 January 22, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #335 Today’s Monthly Meeting; Ohio Alien Land Bills; Chinese Student Visas; Fulbright Finalists Disqualified #335 Today’s Monthly Meeting; Ohio Alien Land Bills; Chinese Student Visas; Fulbright Finalists Disqualified In This Issue #335 · Today’s APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Ohio Lawmakers and Community Members Speak Out Against Alien Land Bills Introduced · Organizations Outraged by Trump Administration Move to Revoke Chinese Student Visas · Trump Administration Disqualified Finalists in Fulbright Selection Process for Being Related to DEI and Climate Change · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, June 2, 2025 , starting at 1:55 pm ET . In addition to updates by Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Jiny Kim , Vice President of Policy and Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited speakers are: · Judy Chu , Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Chair Emeritus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Ya Liu , Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Juanita Brent , Member, Ohio House of Representatives · Edgar Chen , Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) · Aki Maehara , Professor, Historian, East Los Angeles College · Christina Ku and Gerald Ohn, Co-Founders, Asian American Civil Rights League · Brian Sun , Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright · David Inoue , Executive Director; Larry Oda , Chair Emeritus; Gary Nakamura, Vice President, Japanese American Citizens League · Manjusha Kulkarni , Co-Founder, Stop AAPI Hate 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 . Ohio Lawmakers and Community Members Speak Out Against Alien Land Bills Introduced Earlier this year, the Ohio General Assembly introduced bills to restrict foreign property ownership. The House Bill ( HB1 ) was introduced on January 23, and the Senate Bill ( SB88 ) was introduced on February 10, and both were referred to the respective committees within a few days. The house bill number (1) seems to signify its importance, and the senate bill number (88) was said to be a snub at the number eight, which many in Asian countries deem as a fortunate number. The two bills have a similar text for the most part, which is to ban individuals, businesses, and governments of "a foreign adversary" from owning agricultural land from buying property within a 25-mile radius of military bases, airports, and "critical infrastructure", in the name of protecting national security. The Senate bill has additional restrictions that include forcing a current owner to sell their property at its original price. The Asian community raised alarm in May over the proposed bills and quickly mobilized members to participate in committee hearings and voice their concerns. Lawmakers in the Ohio General Assembly also expressed unease, introducing amendments aimed at narrowing the scope of the bills and reducing potential harm. Primary concerns include racial profiling and the targeting of Asian Americans, particularly those of Chinese descent, as well as the disturbing echoes of some of the darkest chapters in American history, such as California's 1913 Alien Land Law , the Chinese Exclusion Act , and the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. As of May 27, the Ohio HB1 received testimonies from 11 Proponents, 68 Opponents, and three (3) Interested Parties, and the Ohio SB88 received testimonies from four (4) Proponents, 231 Opponents, and eight (8) Interested Parties. · Columbus Dispatch : Opponents call Ohio property sales ban 'racist,' 'discriminatory' · Ohio Capital Journal : Hundreds push back against bill prohibiting foreign nationals from buying property in Ohio · WBNS/10TV (CBS affiliate): Asian American community voices concerns over Ohio bills targeting foreign nationals · State House News Bureau (NPR affiliate): A bill would bar Ohio land buys by businesses and immigrants from some countries · WKYC-TV Cleveland (NBC affiliate): Asian American community voices concerns over Ohio bills targeting foreign nationals · Toledo Blade : Ohioans of Asian descent fight ban on property sales to ‘foreign adversaries’ Organizations Outraged by Trump Administration Move to Revoke Chinese Student Visas The Trump Administration is "aggressively revoking" Visas for Chinese students According to the Associated Press , New York Times , and others, the Trump administration announced this week that it would begin "aggressively revoking" visas for Chinese students, including those allegedly linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or those studying in unspecified "critical fields." Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Wednesday evening, adding that the State Department was revising visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of future applications from China, including those from Hong Kong. The move has sent shockwaves across U.S. universities, which collectively host over 275,000 students from China, making them the second-largest group of international students after India. Administrators, professors, and students expressed concerns that the lack of clarity about the policy’s scope, especially how “ties to the CCP” and “critical fields" are defined, will generate confusion and anxiety on campuses. Critics argue the visa crackdown could damage America’s scientific and technological competitiveness. “Shutting the door on Chinese students doesn’t just betray our values — it weakens our leadership in science, technology, and innovation,” said former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke. Universities have long relied on international students for both talent and tuition revenue. “I think it is terribly misguided, counterproductive, and another way in which we are shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University. Reactions from Organizations to the Announcement about Revoking Chinese Student Visas On May 28, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement expressing concerns, “The wholesale revocation of student visas based on national origin — and without an investigation — is xenophobic and wrong,” and “turning these students away —many of whom simply wish to learn in a free and democratic society — is not just shortsighted but a betrayal of our values.” On May 29, Advancing Justice I AAJC called Rubio’s announcement “another blow to international students and academia.” The organization condemned the policy as rooted in “fearmongering, racial profiling, and xenophobia,” and said, “exclusionary and discriminatory policies based on stereotypes rarely address actual national security concerns,” “fuel prejudice and unfair targeting of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans” and “have destroyed lives and careers and negatively impacted our country’s competitiveness in global innovation.” In the Asian American Scholar Forum ’s statement, Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa said, “This policy threatens to dismantle the international talent pipeline that has long fueled American innovation and excellence…Treating them with blanket suspicion not only violates principles of fairness, due process, and our democratic values—it sends a chilling message to the world that America no longer welcomes global talent.” The Committee of 100 denounced the visa policy announcement. “This new visa policy will adversely and profoundly affect our colleges and universities, research institutions, scientific discovery, and startups in ways we have yet to fully comprehend,” said Gary Locke, Chair of the Committee of 100 and former U.S. Ambassador to China. U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) criticized the policy as overly broad, discriminatory, and harmful to American soft power. It warned that the new visa policy “fails to distinguish between individuals who pose genuine risks and those simply seeking educational opportunities,” and “beyond undermining core American values of fairness and openness, these measures pose significant risks to U.S. economic competitiveness, soft power, and long-term diplomatic stability.” USCET said education remains the United States’ single largest service export to China, with spending by Chinese students reaching $14.4 billion USD in 2023 and creating 143,000 US jobs. Trump Administration Disqualified Finalists in Fulbright Selection Process for Being Related to DEI and Climate Change On May 29, Inside Higher Ed reported that the Trump administration staged an unprecedented intervention in this year’s Fulbright selection process, rejecting finalists whose research deals with race, gender, or climate change. The Fulbright Commission of Norway selected 17 finalists for this year’s US Fulbright Program , a prestigious academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. State Department and received approval from the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) in January, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent an internal department cable requesting an additional step for the scholarship’s review process, which historically has entailed an initial project review by the Institute of International Education, a secondary review by a panel in the host country and final approval from the FFSB. The State Department ultimately nixed seven of the 17 finalists Norway selected — about 40 percent of their expected Fulbright cohort. The grounds for their rejections were “clearly political,” said Curt Rice , director of the Fulbright Commission of Norway; he said the finalists whose acceptances were overruled all had proposals that dealt with either diversity or climate change. “There is almost no precedent for them to change a list of finalists sent by a host country,” Rice concluded. News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/05/29 U.S. v. Wen Ho Lee - 25 Years Later2025/06/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/06/03 The Second Annual State of the Science Address2025/06/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium2025/06/16-24 Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area2025/06/29-30 2025 ICSA China ConferenceVisit 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 June 2, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #308 2/3 Monthly Meeting; Lunar New Year; Funding Freeze Chaos; KU Faculty Supports Tao + #308 2/3 Monthly Meeting; Lunar New Year; Funding Freeze Chaos; KU Faculty Supports Tao + In This Issue #308 · 2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · CAPAC Chair Meng Introduces Legislation to Commemorate Lunar New Year · Trump Administration Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze Memo After Chaos · KU Faculty Letters of Support for Franklin Tao's Reinstatement · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 3, 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 Kai Li 李凯 , Vice President, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Gary Locke 骆家辉 , Chair, Committee of 100; former U.S. Ambassador to China; former U/S. Secretary of Commerce; former Governor of the State of Washington · Julia Chang Bloch 張之香 , Founder and Executive Chair, US-China Education Trust; former U.S. Ambassador · Bethany Li , Executive Director, Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund (AALDEF) · Scott Chang , Senior Counsel, National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) 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 . CAPAC Chair Meng Introduces Legislation to Commemorate Lunar New Year According to a press release by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), U.S. Representative Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of CAPAC, reintroduced a legislative package to commemorate Lunar New Year.Congresswoman Meng's legislative package includes the Lunar New Year Day Act which would establish Lunar New Year as the 12th federal holiday recognized across the United States. It also includes a resolution that recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Lunar New Year. On January 29, 2025 - New Year Day of the Year of Snake - CAPAC posted a video on X in which 16 CAPAC members from Hawaii to New York, led by Congresswoman Meng, talked about their favorite Lunar New Year traditions and celebrations. Watch the video: https://bit.ly/40CJbzt (3:03).***** WHAT : DC Chinese Lunar New Year Parade WHEN: February 2, 2025, 2:00 pm ET WHERE: Chinatown, Washington DC HOST: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, DC in partnership with the DC Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs DESCRIPTION: In the lunar calendar, it will be the year 4723! The streets of DC’s Chinatown will be filled with revelers and spectators as we celebrate the Year of the Snake. In Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent. People born as Snakes are mysterious, smart, wise, charming, good at talking, determined, and caring. They value knowledge, work hard to achieve goals, and form deep bonds in relationships. FOR MORE INFORATION: www.dcparade.com Trump Administration Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze Memo After Chaos Multiple media reports on January 29, 2025, confirmed that President Donald Trump rescinded a memo from acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Matthew Vaeth freezing spending on federal loans and grants, less than two days after it led to chaos and widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country. Issued on January 27, the memo alarmed states, schools, and organizations dependent on federal funds. The vague directive left nonprofits, small businesses, universities, and other entities scrambling to assess its impact, while congressional offices were inundated with concerns from constituents fearing financial losses. In addition to creating confusion, the memo sparked numerous lawsuits , including from a coalition of nonprofits and Democratic state attorneys general. By January 28, Medicaid, education, and housing funds had been affected. That evening, a federal district judge temporarily blocked the order, adding to the turmoil in Washington and beyond.On January 29, Rep. Grace Meng , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), condemned the freeze as appalling and unlawful. She warned it would harm all Americans, including AANHPI communities, by undermining critical programs such as nutrition aid, small business support, clean water initiatives, education, and public safety. Meng stressed that federal aid is a necessity and urged Trump to restore the funds immediately, emphasizing that millions of Americans rely on them.According to Inside Higher Ed , although the Trump administration walked back its plan to freeze trillions in federal grants and loans, a review of thousands of federal programs continues, along with a pause on grant reviews at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The White House is still moving forward with plans to stop funding programs that are at odds with the president’s executive orders. As part of the review, agencies will have to answer a series of questions for each program, including whether the programs fund DEI, support “illegal aliens” or promote “gender ideology.” The disruption to federal research funding has set university researchers and scientists on edge, and the grant reviews are still on hold. Given the stakes, this issue is far from settled. The rescission is far from ending the chaos.2025/01/29 CAPAC: Statement from CAPAC Chair Meng on the Trump Administration’s Decision to Freeze Federal Financial Assistance 2025/01/29 The Hill : White House budget office rescinds federal funding freeze memo 2025/01/29 CBS News : Trump administration rescinds federal funding freeze memo after chaos 2025/01/29 Newsweek : Trump Administration Freeze on Federal Grants Ended, Questions Remain 2025/01/29 BBC News : White House rescinds memo on freezing federal grants and loans 2025/01/29 AP News : Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusion 2025/01/29 CNBC : White House says Trump funding freeze remains in effect despite rescinding OMB memo 2025/01/29 Inside Higher Ed : NSF and NIH Grant Reviews Still On Hold After White House Rescinds Memo 2025/01/28 Washington Post : Federal judge blocks Trump federal spending freeze after a day of chaos KU Faculty Letters of Support for Franklin Tao's Reinstatement According to the University Daily Kansan on January 27, 2025, faculty members at the University of Kansas (KU) have been actively advocating for the reinstatement of Dr. Feng "Franklin" Tao , a tenured professor who was dismissed following federal charges in 2019. Despite the eventual overturning of all of his charges, KU has not reinstated Dr. Tao, prompting faculty to write letters of support emphasizing his contributions to the university and the importance of upholding academic freedom and justice. The KU Asian and Asian American faculty staff council sent a letter in August to Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer urging for the reinstatement of Tao.KU’s Faculty Senate sent its own letter to the Provost in December after learning of the Asian and Asian-American Faculty Staff Council’s letter.According to Huazhen Fang , Executive Leadership Team Member of the Asian and Asian American Faculty Staff Council, the Council has received no response from university administration. Faculty Senate President Sam Brody said the Faculty Senate did not receive a response to its letter, either.The KU Asian and Asian American Faculty Staff Council argue in its letter that “it would set a dangerous and unjust precedent for a tenured professor, like Dr. Tao, to be removed from his position as a result of failed prosecution.” It questions whether he received due process from the University before being fired. The Council asserts that Tao was targeted as part of a larger campaign against Asians and Asian Americans, comparing Trump’s China Initiative, which was meant to target Chinese espionage, to McCarthyism. The letter states that Asian American academics, students and staff will continue to live in fear of being targeted because of stigma and discrimination unless something changes.The Faculty Senate’s letter echoes the claims of the Asian and Asian-American Faculty Staff Council, stating that KU should “provide a welcoming and safe environment for faculty and staff of all backgrounds.” It also asserts the importance of academic freedom and safety from “frivolous or politically-motivated prosecutions.”Read the University Daily Kansan report: https://bit.ly/4jzy2It National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Capstone On January 28, 2025, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released the proceedings of the Capstone Workshop of the National Academies’ National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable (NSTSR). NSTSR was established by the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to address critical issues surrounding U.S. national and economic security while promoting the open exchange of ideas and international talent.According to the NASEM report, U.S. values such as openness and scientific rigor were highlighted as key strengths in research. While international collaboration is essential for advancing research, participants stressed the importance of being mindful of differing values regarding transparency, reciprocity, and accountability when working with other nations. Even trusted allies may have different security and openness policies, prompting some to challenge the assumption of mutual trust in scientific collaborations. Caution was advised in engaging with international partners where these values are not shared.Participants advocated for an "all-of-system" approach to strengthen U.S. national security and science leadership, calling for harmonized research security policies across federal agencies and clearer guidelines for international collaborations. They emphasized the importance of fostering relationships between the research community, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies to enable informed, case-by-case security decisions, with experts supporting these efforts.A flexible, risk-based strategy was recommended to balance openness in research with protecting sensitive work. This approach would evaluate risks and benefits based on the personnel and research topics involved, with institutions tailoring their risk management strategies. Federal agencies were urged to identify and categorize sensitive information carefully to ensure appropriate handling.Many participants stressed that maintaining U.S. national security requires not just protective measures but also significant investment in open, fundamental scientific research. They argued that the U.S. can stay competitive in the global Science and Technology (S&T) race by increasing investments, particularly in talent development and building a workforce capable of supporting the nation's scientific and technological needs. Participants proposed next steps for research security, including developing a comprehensive S&T strategy, boosting STEM education, and improving talent recruitment. They stressed educating the public on the importance of S&T to national security and cautioned against focusing solely on threats from China, noting challenges from other countries. Collaboration with international allies and careful vetting were also emphasized.There was a call to avoid inconsistent application of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) restrictions and to better understand foreign interference in research. Ongoing dialogue among academia, government, and industry was seen as crucial for addressing research security risks.Read Proceedings of the Capstone Workshop and National Science, Technology, and Security website . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/01/31 2025 Asian American Stories Video Contest: My Gift to America2025/02/02 DC Chinese Lunar New Year Parade2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2023/02/03 Getting China Right: Launch of ACF Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/02/23 World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" with Xiaoxing Xi2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" "Quixotic Professor Qiu," a thought-provoking satirical play, will debut on January 31, 2025, at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Written by Damon Chua and directed by Chongren Fan , the production will run through February 23, 2025.Inspired by real-life incidents involving Chinese American scientists accused of economic espionage, the play tells the story of a fictional math professor entangled in a web of suspicion from the FBI and his university colleagues. At the same time, he struggles to maintain a fragile relationship with a childhood friend in China. As tensions rise, Professor Qiu is forced to choose between his birth country and adopted land, between loyalty and self-preservation.Following the 2 pm matinee on Sunday, February 23, 2025, Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin will host a moderated conversation with Professor Xiaoxing Xi , diving into the play’s themes. Please note that speaker hosts and guests are subject to change. Contact the Box Office at 215-568-8079 ahead for updates.For more information, visit https://bit.ly/4h7OBtp # # # 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 January 31, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #226 11/6 Meeting Summary; Request for GAO Review; 12/16 Protest in Miami; From Congress; + #226 11/6 Meeting Summary; Request for GAO Review; 12/16 Protest in Miami; From Congress; + In This Issue #226 · 2023/11/06 Monthly Meeting Summary · Congressional Request for GAO to Review Federal Investigations into Foreign Influence of Research · 2023/12/16 Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida · Latest Activities and Developments from U.S. Congress · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/11/06 Monthly Meeting Summary The November 6, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary is now available at https://bit.ly/41n2TiL . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: · Gene Wu 吳元之, Member, Texas State House of Representatives, described the third special and perhaps more special sessions that the Texas governor has called after the close of the 2023 legislative session. Gene cautioned us not only the possible reintroduction of SB 147 and related alien land bills, but also the passage of dangerous and unconstitutional anti-immigration bills that will create the state's own code-based immigration laws. Gene will continue to conduct his town hall meetings to stay vigilant and informed. It is an effective model for communities across the country to organize and deal with the alien land bills and related issues that are appearing at the state and federal levels. The town hall meetings are organized with Professor Steven Pei and others on Sundays at 8:00 pm CT. All are welcome to join with the Zoom registration link at https://bit.ly/40U6aFS . Andy Kim , Member, U.S. House of Representatives; Executive Board Members, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Congressman Kim serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the CCP. These roles give him important insights into some of the dynamics that are both dangerous and concerning about the trajectory and how it intersects with the AAPI community and our nation. Congressman Kim is worried from his close look that the Select Committee is setting the stage for a new era of xenophobia and poorly planned policies that could lead our country and the AAPI community to be less safe. He described the systematic pattern where the decisions are being made about US foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific and parts of Asia that are different from Europe and other parts of the world. Congressman Kim feels very strongly about the need for the AAPI community to get further engaged in a broad array of issues. Congressman Kim is running for the New Jersey Senate seat in 2024. If you wish to support and stay engaged with Congressman Kim, please contact Jack Our at Jack@andykim.com . Dr. Sergio Lira, Co-Vice President, Texas Multicultural Advocacy Alliance (TMAC); President, Greater Houston, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Formed in 1929, LULAC is the largest and oldest Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. It has over 135,000 members today. Dr. Lira witnessed a long history of anti-immigrant treatment faced by the Asian American and Hispanic American communities, such as anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID pandemic; alien land bills in Texas, Florida, and other states across the nation; and the case of New York Police Department Officer Anwang 昂旺. We need to work together to ensure that we fight and advocate together. Working in silos is not going to give us the strength to have real impact on legislation. Dr. Lira is excited to join TMAC and lend his expertise and experience to fight these issues. Together we can make positive change. Cindy Tsai 蔡欣玲 , Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100 (C100). C100 is about 35 years old. From its very first day, it has had a dual mission. One is to ensure full inclusivity of Chinese Americans in America. The second is to be a force to encourage constructive relationships between the people in the U.S. and Greater China. In today’s geopolitical world, Cindy said C100 cannot serve one of the missions without thinking about the other. Cindy shared two works in progress during the meeting. One is an interactive map to track state alien land bills with options to filter individual bills by categories and contacts at the state legislature level. The other is a playbook for those who are relatively new in political engagement and advocacy about basic rules and tools that should be understood before we get involved. It is like Political Engagement Advocacy 101 and will lessen some of the obstacles that we face. Cindy invited community members to contact her at ctsai@committee100.org if they wish to participate and contribute to these two resources. Andrew Chongseh Kim , Senior Foreign Attorney (Texas, Illinois), Bae, Kim & Lee LLC in South Korea. Andy Kim, aka amicably as "the other Andy Kim," joined the call from Seoul. Andy is also General Counsel, Korean American for Political Action, and author of a landmark white paper on the Economic Espionage Act. He sent greetings to all the leaders at the monthly meeting, especially to Congressman Andy Kim about the pride, excitement, and warm wishes of the Korean American community about his run for the Senate. Dr. Albert Wang , Chair, API Coalition. Dr. Wang reported on the formation of API Coalition to help unite and connect API elected officials and community leaders. API Coalition would hold a national summit after the end of the APEC meetings, which Congresswoman Judy Chu would also attend and speak. Dr. Albert Wang can be contacted at aybwang@comcast.net . Andy Li , President of API Coalition, can be contacted at andy.j.li@gmail.com . Casey Lee , Policy Advisor, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). Casey substituted for Nisha Ramachandran , CAPAC Executive Director, and reported that CAPAC was monitoring two appropriation bills in the House that were scheduled for a vote. The first was on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The second was the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. CAPAC is reviewing any potentially harmful anti-Asian amendments for both that may impact our communities including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Section 702 reforms. Joanna Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC. Joanna reported on the imminent introduction of a bipartisan FISA 702 reform bill in Congress, a Tri-Caucus briefing on FISA section 702 reform for the first week of December, and continuing efforts to oppose the Rounds amendment in the NDAA. Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org . Gisela reported that AASF would have a convening to focus on AI for science and medicine the following Sunday. AASF leadership would also convene. The top priority for AASF is to prevent what AASF sees as multiple attempts to increase disclosure requirements. With legislation, AASF is also concerned with congressional attempts towards reinstating the Department of Justice’s China Initiative, including the use of appropriation bills. Read the 2023/11/06 monthly meeting summary: https://bit.ly/41n2TiL . Read past monthly meeting summaries: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP Congressional Request for GAO to Review Federal Investigations into Foreign Influence of Research On December 11, 2023, leading Members of Congress requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct a formal review of ongoing federal efforts to investigate allegations of foreign influence in federally funded research. The Members seek to ensure that researchers are not facing discriminatory treatment while federal agencies implement policies to protect U.S. research security. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) joined Ranking Members Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to author the letter to Gene Dodaro , Comptroller General of the United States. “As a global leader in scientific research, the United States has long fostered and benefited from a culture of openness and international collaboration,” the Members wrote. “Contributions from U.S. scientists of diverse backgrounds and foreign researchers have made the United States a science and technology powerhouse. In recent years, however, concerns arose about foreign entities, especially from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), attempting to influence U.S.-based researchers whose scientific work is funded by federal agencies.”As a result of these concerns, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began investigating 246 scientists in 2018, 81 percent of whom identified as Asian. 103 of those scientists eventually lost their jobs. A November 2022 GAO report noted that U.S. university representatives and stakeholder groups have voiced concerns about racial bias in these investigations as well as harm to careers and reputations. “Federal agencies are in the process of implementing new research security policies at the direction of Congress and the White House,” the Members continued. “It is imperative that in developing and carrying out these policies, agencies reject racial biases that have historically plagued attempts to crack down on academic espionage.” To that end, the Chair and Ranking Members request GAO conduct a review and offer recommendations related to due process, agency data, and whether agencies’ present policies, procedures, and training ensure investigations are free from bias and do not result in discriminatory treatment. CONTACTS: Graeme Crews , (202) 597-2923 (CAPAC) Cassie Anderson , (202) 308-1766 (Science) Nelly Decker , (202) 226-5181 (Oversight) Read the Congressional letter: https://bit.ly/3t9rdrR . 2023/12/16 Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida On December 16, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET, a protest will be held in Miami, Florida. It is an event for community members to gather in solidarity to oppose unconstitutional legislation and unfair property registration requirements targeting specific members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. SB 264, a legislation imposing a restrictive property purchase ban for certain community members, has raised significant concerns. Violations of this ban could result in severe civil and criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to 5 years. Moreover, SB 264 mandates property registration, threatening law-abiding, taxpaying AAPI community members with an unprecedented and unreasonable penalty of $1,000 per day if their properties remain unregistered by December 31st, 2023. The rally will witness the presence of notable Asian American political leaders including Congresswoman Judy Chu , Texas State Representative Gene Wu , and 2020 Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang . WHAT: In-Person Protest - Justice4AllWHEN: December 16, 2023, 2-4 pm ET/11-12 noon PTWHERE: Torch of Friendship, 301 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132HOSTS: Florida Asian American Justice Alliance, United Chinese Americans, and othersDESCRIPTION: The rally is an urgent call for unity and justice, aiming to bring together individuals of all backgrounds in opposition to discrimination and unfair treatment. It stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment to justice, diversity, and equality that Miami holds dear. For further information, please visit www.FAAJA.org and www.ucausa.org CONTACTS: info@faaja.org or info@ucausa.org . New Florida law blocks Chinese students from academic labs According to Science on December 12, 2023, a new state law is thwarting faculty at Florida’s public universities who want to hire Chinese graduate students and postdocs to work in their labs. In effect since July, the law ( Senate Bill 846 ) prohibits institutions from taking money from or partnering with entities in China and six other “countries of concern.” The list of banned interactions includes offering anyone living in one of those countries a contract to do research. Students could be hired only if they are granted a waiver from the state’s top higher education body. But how that process would work is not clear, and the 12 public colleges and universities covered by the law are still writing rules to implement the statute. More than 280 faculty members at the University of Florida (UF), which has the state’s largest research portfolio, have signed a petition urging UF to clear up the confusion and to voice support for an open-door policy on hiring. The state law applies to all academic interactions with China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. UF now employs about 350 graduate assistants and 200 postdocs from the seven countries of concern. But UF faculty see a much bigger ripple effect from the new law. “A substantial number of skilled applications for our graduate programs originate from these countries of concern,” the petition notes, singling out China and Iran. “Restrictions on recruiting could significantly reduce our applicant pool … and lead to a significant erosion of UF’s standing within those international communities.” Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/46Ygcr5 Latest Activities and Developments from U.S. Congress 1. Short-Term Renewal of Section 702 of FISA to April 19, 2024 Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which will sunset at the end of the year without congressional action, would stay in place until April 19, 2024, after the Senate voted 87-13 to approve an $886 billion defense authorization bill with a short-term renewal attached. The House passed the measure by a vote of 310-118 on December 14, 2023. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) voted in opposition of the final version of the NDAA and issued a statement that said in part, "Further, this year’s bill includes a supposedly short-term extension of FISA section 702, which permits warrantless surveillance of Americans, through April 2024. But by failing to include language to prevent FISA Courts from recertifying this surveillance for another year, the bill effectively means a 16-month extension without necessary reforms ... Because the final NDAA fails to reduce wasteful spending and retains troubling policies related to key civil liberties, I voted in opposition.” Read Rep. Chu's statement: https://bit.ly/3TpeZFW . 2. Rep. Chu and Senator Hirono Introduce Resolution to Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act On December 14, CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and CAPAC Executive Member Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI) introduced resolutions in both chambers of Congress commemorating the 80th anniversary of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Magnuson Act, which passed on December 17, 1943, repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In June 2012, Rep. Chu introduced H.Res. 683, a resolution formally apologizing for the Chinese exclusion laws. The resolution passed the House of Representative unanimously on June 18, 2012. The Senate version of the resolution, S.Res. 201, passed the Senate unanimously on October 7, 2011.Read the Resolution: https://bit.ly/48hrIif . Read the CAPAC press release: https://bit.ly/41kW1T5 . 3. Florida Senator Says Garlic from China is a National Security Risk According to BBC on December 8, 2023, Republican Senator Rick Scott has written to the commerce secretary, calling for a government investigation into the impact on national security of garlic imports from China. In his letter, Senator Scott highlighted "a severe public health concern over the quality and safety of garlic grown in foreign countries - most notably, garlic grown in Communist China" and called for the Department of Commerce to take action, under a law which allows investigations into the impact of specific imports on the security of the US. The Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Quebec, which attempts to popularize and explain scientific issues, says there is "no evidence" that sewage is used as a fertilizer for growing garlic in China. "In any case, there is no problem with this," an article published by the university in 2017 says. "Human waste is as effective a fertilizer as is animal waste. Spreading human sewage on fields that grow crops doesn't sound appealing, but it is safer than you might think." Read the BBC report: https://bbc.in/3RpjjSX 4. Opposition to The DETERRENT Act On December 4, 2023, the American Council on Education (ACE) and a group of higher education associations wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in strong opposition to the "Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Education (DETERRENT)" Act. Read the ACE letter: https://bit.ly/41plhHH . On December 6, 2023, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) took to the House Floor to urge her colleagues to vote in opposition to H.R. 5933, the DETERRENT Act. Just Strategy has created an open petition to strongly oppose the DETERRENT Act for concerned individuals to sign on here: https://bit.ly/47Zu1a0 . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/12/15 Webinar on Voices of AAPI Communities2023/12/16 In-Person Justice4All Protest in Miami, Florida2024/01/07 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/01/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/01/09 The Jimmy Carter Forum on US-China Relations in Honor of 45th Anniversary of Normalization2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. APAICS: AA & NH/PI Candidate Pipeline According to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), a record 215 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) candidates ran for state and federal office, including in U.S. territories, in the 2023 election cycle. AA & NH/PI candidates running for office increased over 40% this election cycle compared to 2021. With 123 projected winners, there are at least 659 AA & NH/PI elected officials nationwide.Every year, APAICS builds a comprehensive database of candidates through its AA & NH/PI Candidate Pipeline , which monitors general election results for state and federal elections nationwide. The Pipeline also includes information about AA & NH/PI candidates who ran at the state level. 3. Data Analytics, Data Science Degrees See Large Increases in 2022 According to AMSTATNews on December 1, 2023, this fall’s release of the 2022 degree completion data from the National Center for Education Statistics is marked by the large increases in the undergraduate and master’s degrees awarded in the recently introduced categories for data analytics and data science. The number of bachelor’s degrees in data science, for example, jumped to 897 in 2022, from 165 in 2021 and 84 in 2020. For bachelor’s degrees in data analytics, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 numbers are 325, 455, and 767, respectively.The number of bachelor’s degrees in statistics also grew, albeit more modestly than in prior years: 5,408 in 2022, a 2 percent increase over 2021. A 15 percent drop in the number of master’s degrees in statistics to 3,570 in 2022 stood out in the most recent release.Read the AMSTATNews report: https://bit.ly/46VXNep Back View PDF December 15, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #202 Sign-on Letter to President Biden; Alien Land Laws; Florida Appeal/Motion; 8/26 March #202 Sign-on Letter to President Biden; Alien Land Laws; Florida Appeal/Motion; 8/26 March In This Issue #202 Invitation to Sign Letter to President Biden Urging Renewal of US-China Protocol on Scientific and Technological Cooperation Appeal and Motion Filed in Florida Lawsuit Against Discriminatory Alien Land Law Washington Post Reports on Alien Land Bills See You at "The March on Washington" on August 26, 2023 Invitation to Sign Letter to President Biden Urging Renewal of US-China Protocol on Scientific and Technological Cooperation Stanford University Professors Steven Kivelson and Peter F. Michelson issued the following letter calling for faculty members and scholars at U.S. institutions of higher learning to co-sign a letter to President Joe Biden to renew the US-China Protocol on Scientific and Technological Cooperation. Read the letter: https://bit.ly/3KP6wXG Sign on to the letter: https://bit.ly/3qGWC3r WHEN: Before Noon PDT on Thursday, August 24 Please forward to other members of the university community! Dear Colleagues, The US-China Protocol on Scientific and Technological Cooperation is due for renewal by August 27; in less than 6 days. The decision on whether the U.S. will pursue renewal of the Protocol will be made by the White House, mostly likely with discussion led by the National Security Council of the United States. This agreement has been the basis of scientific engagement between the US and China since it was first signed in 1979 and renewed approximately every five years thereafter. For an informative overview of the Protocol and a discussion of the case for renewing it have a look at a recent essay by Deborah Seligsohn, Senior Associate (non-resident) of CSIS. See also recent coverage in the WSJ and in Reuters . If the Protocol is not renewed by the United States - which seems plausible at present moment - it is likely to have significant negative impact on ongoing and future scientific exchanges between the US and China. We believe that the multiple benefits of robust scientific exchange vastly outweigh any security issues that accompany such openness. Furthermore, the Protocol does not commit the US to any specific activities but provides a framework for discussion and developing specific agreements. The US should not slam the door. If you agree with us, please consider signing an open letter to the President of the United States and the members of the National Security Council expressing support for renewing this agreement. This can be done by clicking on this link and following the instructions. You can also read the letter there. Please also consider forwarding this email to other members of the university community who you think might likewise be willing to sign. If you plan to sign, please do so before Noon PDT on Thursday, August 24. Sincerely, Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson Appeal and Motion Filed in Florida Lawsuit Against Discriminatory Alien Land Law On August 21, 2023, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the Florida lawsuit against Senate Bill (SB) 264 filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the Order, entered on August 17, 2023, ECF No. 69, denying Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion for a Preliminary Injunction. Read the appeal: https://bit.ly/44eexMI Also on August 21, 2023, attorneys for the plaintiffs in the Florida lawsuit moved for the Florida District Court to issue an injunction pending appeal in this matter. Plaintiffs request a decision by Thursday, August 24, 2023. Read the motion: https://bit.ly/3KPkR6h Washington Post Reports on Alien Land Bills On August 21, 2023, the Washington Post published two articles on alien land bills: 2023/08/21 Washington Post : State lawmakers move to ban Chinese land ownership . https://wapo.st/45DMG9S 2023/08/21 Washington Post : Laws banning Chinese from buying property dredge up old history. https://wapo.st/45BdyHA According to these comprehensive reports, in Washington, the White House and federal lawmakers are pursuing ways to constrain Chinese-owned businesses like TikTok amid a bipartisan push to limit China’s reach.Now state legislators have embraced a novel, locally focused tactic aimed at China’s domestic investments: restrictions on Chinese land ownership.Lawmakers in 33 states have introduced 81 bills this year that would prohibit the Chinese government, some China-based businesses and many Chinese citizens from buying agricultural land or property near military bases, according to a Washington Post analysis of data compiled by Asian Pacific American (APA) Justice, an advocacy group. A dozen of the bills are now law in states such as Alabama, Idaho and Virginia.Asian American advocacy groups and legislators have raised alarm that the new bills go beyond national security concerns and could encourage discrimination against Chinese Americans at a time of rising hate crimes — harking back to a time when they were openly barred from owning property.“There is ignorance out there that causes people to think that because you are Chinese you are part of the Chinese government,” said former Texas state representative Martha Wong , a Republican.While most bills also ban land ownership tied to other “foreign adversaries,” including Russia, Iran and North Korea, lawmakers’ rhetoric has focused almost exclusively on China — and some states have gone even further than targeting government entities. A Florida law also restricts land purchases by Chinese citizens with non-tourist visas.Critics say the movement is also being fueled by growing anti-Asian sentiment in the United States, evidenced by a rise in hate crimes that became particularly acute during the coronavirus pandemic.“President Trump calling covid-19 the China virus and kung flu laid the groundwork for people to blame China for their own misfortunes,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who is Chinese American and has introduced a bill to combat the landownership restrictions. “Now we see this anti-China fever taking a different route, with politicians trying to gain political points by being more anti-China than the next person.” Wong, 84, testified against several Texas bills by describing how she lived for years as a child in her family’s grocery storage room because no one would rent or sell a home to her Chinese American father. “We do not want backward movement to the type of discrimination my father faced,” she said.The push in states to limit Chinese ownership has extended to Congress, where at least 11 bills aiming to restrict land buys by Chinese businesses and citizens have been introduced over the past three years. None has passed, but several are still pending, and the language from one bill was recently inserted into the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate last month.Some experts say national security concerns are inflated because China and Chinese investors own a fraction of U.S. agricultural lands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report shows Chinese investors own about 1 percent of American agricultural land, and only about 0.03 percent of that is farmland. The rest are agriculturally zoned properties that include rural roads, homesteads and non-farm-related buildings.“For purposes of food security, blocking Chinese or other foreign investors, that argument doesn’t hold a lot of water,” said Joe Glauber , USDA’s chief economist from 2008 to 2014 and now a senior researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute. “We are already exporting a large portion of what we produce, so it is not a question of needing to keep this stuff at home. As far as farmland is concerned, what China owns is literally a drop in the bucket.”The bills face an uncertain legal future. The American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the constitutionality of the Florida law, making some of the same arguments that caused several state supreme courts to strike down broad bans on land ownership by foreign citizens of Asian countries decades ago, including a pivotal California Supreme Court decision in 1952.“Banning people from buying a house based on where they are from is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Ashley Gorski , a lead attorney in the ACLU case against the state of Florida. “Everyone in the United States is entitled to equal protection under the constitution, including citizens of other countries.”“We expect the political rhetoric on this to escalate and also expect more legislation to be introduced and passed,” said John C. Yang , president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which has been fighting the bills. “Even state legislators want to appear to be tough on China right now, and they are grasping for things that they can control in their own state legislatures to show that they are being tough.” For weeks this summer, South Florida real estate agent Josie Wang says she’s rushed to close property deals for many of her clients. The sales anxiety wasn’t sparked by the usual forces — high interest rates and low inventory.Instead, she was worried that her Chinese clients would soon face new hurdles to buying property in the United States. If the deals weren’t closed quickly, she warned them, they may need to consult an attorney before moving forward.Over the last few months, Montana, Virginia, and North Dakota have all passed legislation restricting the ability of Chinese nationals to buy property. Georgia, Iowa and Kansas, among others, are considering similar legislation.In Florida, which has passed one of the strictest versions of the law, Chinese nationals can’t buy property within 10 miles of any military bases — the state has 21 of them — or critical infrastructure such as airports. Under the law, which is being challenged in court, those who sell property to Chinese immigrants could face stiff penalties, including a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison.Asked about the concerns among some people in the Asian community, Jeremy Redfern , Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ’s spokesman, didn’t directly respond, writing in an email, “There is no reasonable way of responding to unnamed ‘Asian Americans in Florida.’”For some Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans the new laws have been a hurtful reminder of anti-Asian laws that banned them from immigrating to the United States or buying agriculture property in the country for decades.“This is not right, we live in the 21st Century,” said Winnie Tang , who moved to the United States from China 45 years ago and lives in Miami. The laws, she says, remind her of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 — a 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. “We are being singled out to be discriminated against by other people.”“My face is Chinese,” Tang said. “So that means in the future, if I want to buy any property they could use this law to force me to show ID to prove I’m a citizen and not related to the Chinese government … This law gives people the right to discriminate against me openly.”Critics have called such laws discriminatory and the Department of Justice has said about the Florida version of the law: “These unlawful provisions will cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the State’s purported goal of increasing public safety.” Legislation in Texas, which aimed to ban all property ownership by Chinese citizens, died in the House of Representatives after massive protest from the Asian American community. “I don’t think the Republicans fully appreciated was how unbelievably angry the Asian community was,” Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu , who represents a heavily Chinese district in Houston, said.Some Asian Americans say they have experienced more hate crimes since the pandemic began.“This has always been the singular, major discrimination against all Asian Americans,” Wu said. “That Asian Americans are never truly American enough, that Asian Americans are always just a hair’s breadth away from betraying the country and doing whatever their home country tells them to.”The United States has taken drastic measures against Asian Americans before, said Mae Ngai , a professor of Asian American Studies at Columbia University, noting that during World War II, more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent were forced into camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.“This is where it leads. It leads to putting so-called enemy aliens in concentration camps. I don’t think it’s a ridiculous proposition,” Ngai said. “We should be very, very concerned.”APA Justice tracks the alien land bills at https://www.apajustice.org/alien-land-bills.html , including a map and a list of state bills at https://bit.ly/43oJ0YI See You at "The March on Washington" on August 26, 2023 On August 26, 2023, a 2023 March on Washington will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders in 1963, to continue the fight for democracy, social justice and civil rights. Join the King family at the Lincoln Memorial to honor the past, acknowledge the present and march toward a future of progress and equality.Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities will join the March to continue the landmark moment in the struggle against racial profiling and hate. Help to distribute the Yellow Whistles to amplify our voice. Please wear yellow to symbolize our struggle for justice and hope. Show our support of peoples of color and conscience. UCA: 纪念“我有一个梦想”演讲60周年 . UCA诚挚邀请您参加8月26日在林肯纪念堂举办的一场特殊活动，以纪念并见证美国历史的重要时刻。 这是一个值得我们每个人珍视的机会，让我们一同回顾并向前看，思考过去的成就、面对现在的挑战、展望未来的希望。林肯纪念堂作为美国历史的见证者，见证了种族平等、人权尊重和社会进步的重要进程。60年前，马丁·路德·金（Martin Luther King Jr.）在这里发表了那篇永载史册的“我有一个梦想”演讲，为美国的平等与正义倡导奠定了基石，成为了社会变革的象征。 在这个特殊的日子里，我们将一同回望过去，追忆那些勇敢的先驱者们为种族平等而奋斗的历程，从60年前的种种挑战到今天我们所面临的机遇与挑战。我们希望通过这次活动，传承那份坚韧和勇气，汲取历史的智慧，为我们未来的努力指明方向。 2023/08/21 Dragon Eagle TV: 8月26日让我们相聚林肯纪念堂穿越60年见证美国历史 (video 0:39) Back View PDF August 22, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #406 Franklin Tao, Jane Wu Lawsuits; Trump on Birthright Citizenship Again; Census Rules; + #406 Franklin Tao, Jane Wu Lawsuits; Trump on Birthright Citizenship Again; Census Rules; + In This Issue #406 · Professor Franklin Tao Files Lawsuit Against University of Kansas · Estate of Dr. Jane Wu’s Lawsuit Against Northwestern University Moving Forward · Trump Tries Again to Limit Birthright Citizenship · Controversial Rule Changes at Census Bureau · News and Activities for the Communities Professor Franklin Tao Files Lawsuit Against University of Kansas According to Kansas Reflector on August 10, 2026, Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰 , a Chinese American chemist and former tenured chemical engineering professor at the University of Kansas (KU), filed a new federal lawsuit on July 21, 2026, alleging KU's handling of his case caused lasting harm to his career and reputation — the latest chapter in a saga that began when he became one of the first professors arrested under the first Trump administration's "China Initiative" in 2019. Background : An anonymous tip accusing Professor Tao of espionage prompted KU to notify the Department of Justice (DOJ) and build a case against him. He was federally indicted and criminally convicted of making a false statement — a conviction later overturned on appeal. The lawsuits : This is Professor Tao's second suit against KU. He first sued in 2025 seeking reinstatement and alleging discrimination. This newest suit alleges KU retaliated against him because of that 2025 discrimination complaint, and claims the university violated state and federal workplace discrimination protections. Central dispute — the faculty review board: Professor Tao's lawsuit centers on KU's decision to convene a temporary faculty review board composed of non-tenured faculty to evaluate the charges against him. Professor Tao argues this composition created an inherent conflict of interest, since non-tenured faculty members' careers remain subject to KU's discretion — undermining the independence the review process was supposed to guarantee. He raised objections to the board's makeup, but the board dismissed his concerns in March 2026, leaving him — per the lawsuit — "unable to contest the charges against him, unable to secure reinstatement, and indefinitely denied the fair process to which he is entitled." Where things stand : KU had not responded to the lawsuit as of the article's publication (August 10, 2026). Professor Tao accepted a non-tenured position in Arizona in April 2026. He is seeking compensation for lost wages, plus unspecified damages for reputational injury, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. Read APA Justice Impacted Person Profile on Professor Tao: https://bit.ly/4i0WZLw Estate of Dr. Jane Wu’s Lawsuit Against Northwestern University Moving Forward According to Evanston RoundTable on July 16, 2026, a Cook County Circuit Court judge largely rejected Northwestern University's (NU) motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the estate of Jane Wu, a former Feinberg School of Medicine professor who died by suicide in July 2024 after the university shut down her research lab. The ruling : At a hearing on July 16, Judge Jonathan Clark Green denied Northwestern's motion to dismiss on eight of the nine counts in the suit — including false imprisonment, medical malpractice, and discrimination based on national origin. He asked Dr. Wu's estate's attorney, Thomas Geoghegan , to file an amended complaint by July 30 addressing only the ninth count, related to breach of contract over NU's denial of tenure. NU must file its amended response by August 20, with a status hearing set for August 27 to begin discussing discovery — meaning the case is likely headed into that phase. Background : Dr. Wu, a China-born naturalized U.S. citizen, became the subject of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) administrative investigation in 2019 into her ties to China, conducted as part of the Trump administration's "China Initiative." No charges were ever filed, and the NIH closed its investigation in 2023 — but according to the lawsuit, Feinberg leadership simultaneously cut her salary, citing lack of funding during the investigation period, and imposed new requirements for her to apply for future grants. In February 2024, NU closed part of her lab and reassigned her research team. The suit alleges the university "misleadingly" told her in May 2024 she could still apply for NIH funding, only to announce the closure of her remaining lab days later. Her background : Dr. Wu held a medical degree from Shanghai Medical University and a PhD in cancer biology from Stanford, joined NU's faculty in 2005 after two years at Vanderbilt, and published 176 peer-reviewed articles and three books over her career. Community response : More than 1,000 academics — from 44 states and over 300 institutions — signed a letter in February, sponsored by the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) and the Federation of Asian Professor Associations, calling on NU to apologize for its treatment of Dr. Wu. AASF Executive Director Gisela Perez Kusakawa called the ruling significant for "ensuring that universities respond appropriately to allegations and protect their faculty from discrimination." Dr. Wu's daughter, Elizabeth Rao — executor of her mother's estate — said in a statement that her "grief and anguish" over the university's treatment of her mother continues, and that the family is proceeding with the case. AsAmNews Report : In the AsAmNews report on July 16, two key legal details were added to the RoundTable report: NU's failed jurisdictional argument that no claim existed to transfer after Dr. Wu's death, and its failed argument that a psychiatric-unit transport "supported by reasonable grounds" could not support a false imprisonment claim — both rejected by Judge Green. It also includes a fuller AASF statement praising the ruling as a step toward "accountability and civil rights protections in American higher education." The Daily Northwestern Report : According to Daily Northwestern on July 31, 2026, NU’s legal assertion in Dr. Wu’s case that tenure rights were not breached has alarmed faculty leaders, leading to demands for a reaffirmation of tenure standards. In a May 18 brief supporting dismissal of the case, NU's lawyers argued that the Faculty Handbook's endorsement of American Association of University Professors' (AAUP’s) "1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure" does not create "individually enforceable contractual rights" — characterizing the handbook's language as "an endorsement of an educational philosophy, not a contractual incorporation." This directly contradicts how many faculty view the handbook, which NU-AAUP President Jorge Coronado described as effectively "a contract with the University." Coronado said faculty were "completely aghast" by the university's position, calling tenure "the foundation for academic freedom." NU-AAUP officers sent a letter on July 9 to University President Mung Chiang and Provost Erik Luijten asking them to affirm NU's commitment to tenure under AAUP standards and the Faculty Handbook. Faculty Senate leadership sent a similar letter. After the court largely denied NU's motion to dismiss on July 17, Luijten responded on July 21 by affirming "commitment to academic freedom" and citing Faculty Handbook definitions — but NU-AAUP Treasurer Michael Peshkin said officers felt this stopped short of directly affirming the institution of tenure itself. Incoming Faculty Senate President Rebecca Zorach said she hopes the legal position is not an accurate reflection of NU's actual stance, warning "there will certainly be a fight ahead" if it is. She and Peshkin both warned the implications extend well beyond Dr. Wu's case: if courts were to accept NU's interpretation that the handbook does not create enforceable rights, it could undermine tenure protections for all faculty and potentially allow arbitrary dismissals. Coronado echoed this, saying the same arguments used against Dr. Wu "could apply to any faculty member." Peshkin called the university's timing especially reckless given heightened scrutiny of higher education under the Trump administration, while Zorach noted tenure-track positions are already shrinking nationally, representing a broader "erosion of tenure" this case risks accelerating. Read APA Justice Impacted Person Profile on Dr. Wu: https://bit.ly/JaneYingWu Trump Tries Again to Limit Birthright Citizenship According to multiple media reports, President Donald Trump signed two new executive orders on August 6, 2026, once again seeking to narrow birthright citizenship — just five weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Trump v. Barbara that his original 2025 attempt was unconstitutional. Background Trump's first-day-in-office 2025 order sought to deny citizenship to children born to undocumented or temporarily-present parents. It was blocked almost immediately and never took effect. On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court struck it down, reaffirming that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. What the New Orders Do The first order carves out specific categories the administration argues fall outside constitutional protection — children of foreign government employees, of designated foreign terrorist group members, and of parents "engaged in fraudulent activity to obtain citizenship." The second targets "birth tourism," directing the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security to crack down on foreign nationals who travel to the U.S. specifically to give birth. Legal Groups Move to Clarify the Barbara Ruling Still Applies On August 11, the same coalition that won Trump v. Barbara — the ACLU, ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Maine, ACLU of Massachusetts, Legal Defense Fund, Asian Law Caucus, and Democracy Defenders Fund — filed a motion in the New Hampshire federal court where the case originated, rather than pursuing an entirely new lawsuit. The motion asks the court to make "unquestionably clear" that the citizenship of babies covered by the existing class-action ruling remains protected despite Trump's new order, arguing: "The Supreme Court confirmed that there are no additional exceptions beyond those recognized in United States v. Wong Kim Ark , 169 U.S. 649 (1898), and the Fourteenth Amendment is not subject to executive (or legislative) revision. President Trump's continued resistance to that principle calls for this Court's renewed intervention." “President Trump may not like the fact that birthright citizenship is a constitutional right, and he may not like that he lost in the Supreme Court, but that is really beside the point,” said Cody Wofsy , deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and lead counsel. “It’s well past time for these illegal and cruel attacks on children’s citizenship to end.” Asian Law Caucus Executive Director Aarti Kohli called the new order "a desperate and brazen attempt to bypass the Supreme Court's decision," adding: "As the court has already affirmed, it's the Constitution, not the president, who determines who is American... Immigrant communities know that our rights are on the line, especially when the government uses us as scapegoats. The Trump administration already lost once and it will lose again." Legal Defense Fund Deputy Director of Litigation Amia Trigg said the groups "will not stand idly by as the executive branch blatantly ignores the court's authority in its crusade against American children," while Democracy Defenders Fund's Norm Eisen called the new attempt "as constitutionally futile as it is cruel." Why This Matters for AANHPI Community Asian American legal organizations have been central to this fight from the start — Asian Law Caucus and Advancing Justice–AAJC were both named plaintiffs' counsel in the original case. The constitutional principle at stake traces directly to United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), in which the Supreme Court affirmed a Chinese American man's citizenship by birth despite his parents' Chinese nationality — decided during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Advocates have repeatedly cited that case as a reminder of what's historically at stake when birthright citizenship is narrowed. Rep. Grace Meng , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said in a statement, “President Trump still believes he can decide who gets to be an American, even after the Supreme Court rejected his unlawful attempt to end birthright citizenship just weeks ago. The Constitution does not bend to the whims of any president, and Trump will soon learn that his latest executive orders will suffer the same defeat as his last.” Controversial Rule Changes at Census Bureau Several developments have kept the Census Bureau in the news recently, with the most immediate controversy centering on the noise-infusion ban we covered in APA Justice Newsletter Issue #405 — plus two other significant, related fights over Census methodology. Talking Points Memo ( TPM ) reported August 7 that Census Bureau officials, speaking publicly at a major statistical conference, conceded that the June 4 rule banning "noise infusion" privacy techniques will make it impossible for the agency to publish certain data it has historically released — a development TPM notes "could especially harm minority groups." Bureau representatives denied the policy change had political objectives, though TPM reports that experts and advocacy groups believe otherwise. Salil Vadhan , a computer scientist who advised the Bureau on its use of differential privacy and attended the conference, said: "I saw the order as taking us back several decades in the tool kit for disclosure avoidance and privacy protection." Experts have also criticized the process itself, telling TPM the Commerce Department failed to seek expert input as is customary for this kind of policy shift — "making it an administration political process instead of a public process with expertise in oversight." Georgetown's Center for Children and Families separately reported that the underlying order — Commerce Department Administrative Order (DAO) 216-26 — was made effective immediately, with no opportunity for the standard public comment or expert review process, warning it threatens both health policy research and broader federal data systems. Separately, in March 2026, more than 60 members of Congress — led in part by CAPAC Chair Grace Meng and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat — sent a bicameral letter to the Commerce Department opposing proposed changes to the Census Bureau's 2026 Operational Test, a key preparation exercise ahead of the 2030 count. The letter warned that the proposed changes — cutting test sites from six to two, reducing the respondent pool by 75%, replacing the standard census form with the longer American Community Survey, and adding a citizenship question — would make an accurate count "impossible" and undermine a decade's worth of federal funding and representation. NPR reported in February that the citizenship-question proposal arrived amid a broader Republican redistricting push, with some GOP lawmakers separately pursuing efforts to exclude non-citizens entirely from the population counts used to allocate congressional seats — despite the 14th Amendment's requirement that apportionment be based on the "whole number of persons in each state." Multiple GOP-led states have also filed lawsuits seeking to force the Bureau to subtract undocumented residents and certain visa holders from those counts. Why This Matters for AANHPI Community Taken together, these developments — the noise-infusion ban, the citizenship question, and reduced test-site sampling — compound concerns we raised about the accuracy and reliability of Census data affecting Asian Pacific American communities specifically. Reduced granularity and smaller sample sizes tend to disproportionately affect smaller or geographically dispersed populations, a category that includes many AANHPI subpopulations that already face undercounting and disaggregation challenges. What's Next None of these rule changes appear to have been reversed in response to expert or congressional pushback so far. With the 2026 Operational Test serving as a dress rehearsal for the 2030 census, how these disputes are resolved in the coming months will likely shape both the accuracy and privacy protections of the next full decennial count. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/08/26 C100: An Advice and Networking Event (Technology) 2026/09/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2026/09/03 C100: Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Hao Jiang TianVisit 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 APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF August 13, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter