Warrantless Surveillance The domestic surveillance over American citizens for whom there is no evidence or proof that they are involved in any illegal activity. THE NUMBERS Pending cases 5 Failure-to-disclose cases 91% Days of the China Initiative 1210 Recent developments 54 scientists lose their jobs from NIH probe into foreign ties This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Professor Xiaoxing Xi Receives Andrei Sakharov Prize This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Top Scientific Organizations Call for Fairer Treatment of Foreign-born Scientists This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. Activists Including APA Justice Resist New "Red Scare" This is your News article. It’s a great place to highlight press coverage, newsworthy stories, industry updates or useful resources for visitors. More News The U.S. Constitution protects its people against unreasonable searches and seizures. Under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the U.S. government engages in mass, warrantless surveillance of Americans’ and foreigners’ phone calls, text messages, emails, and other electronic communications. Information collected under the law without a warrant can be used to prosecute and imprison people, even for crimes that have nothing to do with national security. Given our nation’s history of abusing its surveillance authorities and the secrecy surrounding the program, we should be concerned that Section 702 is and will be used to disproportionately target disfavored groups - whether minority communities, political activists, or even journalists. Learn more about FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Growing out of the Watergate scandal when federal resources were used to spy on domestic political and activist groups, The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. As its title suggests, the law was created to “provide judicial and congressional oversight of the government’s covert surveillance activities of foreign entities and individuals in the U.S., while maintaining the secrecy needed to protect national security.” Soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the George W. Bush Administration began a series of questionable secret surveillance practices, including warrantless domestic wiretapping. Major amendments to FISA were subsequently made to legitimize and empower some of these secret operations. FISA was transformed into massive warrantless surveillance programs shrouded in secrecy, and Chinese Americans are disproportionately impacted. FISA Amendments Act of 2008 The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was enacted in 2008. It added a new Title VII to FISA, authorizing targeting of non-U.S. persons outside the U.S.. Section 702 spells out additional limitations to such surveillance. It was specifically stated that the surveillance must be conducted in a manner consistent with the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution . Reauthorization of FISA Amendments Act in 2012 and 2017 President Barack Obama reauthorized the FISA Amendments Act in 2012 for five years before Edward Snowden made astonishing disclosures in 2013 about how the government manipulates its power to conduct secret, warrantless mass surveillance programs on U.S. persons in violation of their constitutional rights. Some of the subsequently known problems such as “about communications,” “backdoor searches,” “parallel construction” and “reverse target” are described in the blog titled “One Asian American’s Perspective on the FISA Amendments Act and Section 702. ” President Trump signed the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 into law. The current authorization will expire on December 31, 2023. Asian Americans Disproportionately Impacted No person of Chinese origin was known to be part of the 9/11 or other terrorist attacks. Section 702 has always been claimed to be a vital tool to combat terrorism since 2008. However, soon after Section 702 became law, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) declared that economic espionage is a major security threat to the U.S. and started publicity campaigns with China as the major culprit. In May 2017, the Committee of 100 presented a white paper, “Prosecuting ‘Chinese Spies’: An Empirical Analysis of the Economic Espionage Act ” by legal scholar Andrew Kim of South Texas College of Law. Among other disturbing findings, the study showed an immediate spike in prosecutions against Asian Americans in 2008. A series of innocent naturalized Chinese Americans in private industry, federal government, and academia were accused of spying for China, but all of them were subsequently dismissed without an explanation, much less an apology, from the government. Despite the heroic efforts of individuals to defend themselves against all odds, they and their families have already suffered devastating damages in legal expense, emotional trauma, and overall reputation. During the last reauthorization cycle in 2017, APA Justice set up a website APA FISA Watch to track the actions undertaken by the APA Justice Task Force and concerned organizations. Serious Constitutional Issues When the FISA Amendments Act was last due for reauthorization in 2012, little was known about the warrantless, mass surveillance programs because they were shrouded in secrecy. Today, we know that even the FISA court had sharply criticized in its written opinion (declassified in April 2017) that the government reporting efforts were lacking in “institutional candor” and represent “a very serious Fourth Amendment issue.” This same FISA court has approved more than 99.5% of the government’s requests since the enactment of FISA in 1978. FISA and its amendments are not the only laws subject to misuse and abuse by the authorities in the name of national security. The magnitude of their adverse implication and impact has been difficult to assess due to the inherent secrecy and complexity. With what little that has been made public, we know that protection for privacy and civil liberty has been grossly inadequate under FISA and its amendments. The government must not continue to use innocent, law-abiding Asian Americans as “collateral damage ,” convenient scapegoats, or targets of racial profiling without accountability. “Traditional” FISA, which requires lengthy applications to the secret FISA court, was used in fewer than 500 cases last year. Section 702, which doesn’t require individual court orders, can cover orders of magnitude more targets: more than 230,000 in 2021. The ACLU represents Xiaoxing Xi, a Chinese-American physics professor at Temple University, who is suing the government over its dismissed prosecution of him for supposedly sharing sensitive technology with scientists in China. The lawsuit, filed in 2017, challenges the FBI’s baseless arrest of Xi and its surveillance methods as well as its discriminatory targeting of Chinese-American scientists. Learn more Xi v. United States A Warrantless Surveillance Court Battle FOIA Request 245561 to the NIH Days Since FOIA Request Submitted 738 foia2nih_20210802.pdf Download FOIA Request APA Justice submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records pertaining to the effort by the National Instututes of Health (NIH) to investigate over 500 U.S.-based scientists and researchers believed to have connections to China. The filing date of record is August 9, 2021. The assigned tracking number is 245561. The request covers the following records created on or after January 2011: Records containing statistics or data concerning the race, ethnicity, or national origin of scientists who have been “flagged,” subject to scrutiny, or investigated for their purported foreign ties, or records sufficient to show this information. Records containing statistics or data concerning the number of scientists in each of the following categories who have been “flagged,” subject to scrutiny, or investigated as the result of (a) NIH cooperation with law enforcement agencies; (b) anonymous complaints; and (c) stewardship of NIH program staff, or records sufficient to show this information. Records containing statistics or data concerning the race, ethnicity, or national origin of scientists in each of the following categories who have been “flagged,” subject to scrutiny, or investigated as the result of (a) NIH cooperation with law enforcement agencies; (b) anonymous complaints; and (c) stewardship of NIH program staff, or records sufficient to show this information. Records describing the methods by which individuals subject to NIH scrutiny or investigation were identified for investigation, including but not limited to NIH cooperation with law enforcement agencies, anonymous complaints, and stewardship of NIH program staff. We thank Yale University student Alex Liang for his research and preparation of this FOIA request. NIH Denial and Follow-up Appeal 202302228_ncca_statement_of_condemn_lance_gooden_20232028_final.pdf 2022/05/13 NIH: FOIA Case Number: 56843 2022/05/31 APA Justice: Appeal of FOIA Case Number 56843

Newsletter - #103 AASF/Cato Webinars; WHIAANHPI; Dr. David Ho 4 NIH; 12/6 Meeting Summary; Media Reports #103 AASF/Cato Webinars; WHIAANHPI; Dr. David Ho 4 NIH; 12/6 Meeting Summary; Media Reports Back View PDF December 21, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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

National Media Network Item One Change the text to include your own content. Adjust the font, size or scale to customize the style. Item Two Change the text to include your own content. Adjust the font, size or scale to customize the style. Item Four Change the text to include your own content. Adjust the font, size or scale to customize the style. Item Five Change the text to include your own content. Adjust the font, size or scale to customize the style. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on April 3, 2023, Paula Madison, businesswoman and retired executive from NBCUniversal, proposed a proactive and assertive national media alert network for the Asian American community. The idea was prompted by the challenge of Texas Senate Bill 147 (SB147) and the revival of discriminatory alien land bills. While this bill was introduced in Texas, the implications nationally and globally were huge. It was decided that a roundtable will be convened to further discuss the development and implementation of the concept and strategies for the near term and the longer term. 2023 Monthly Meeting Apr. 2023 Meeting Paula Madison speaks at APA Justice Monthly Meeting - Apr. 3rd 2023 Inaugural Rountable Following a discussion with the Asian American Journalists Association on April 10, 2023, the virtual Inaugural Roundtable was hosted by APA Justice on April 17, 2023. The Inaugural Roundtable has two stated purposes: Assertively address immediate xenophobic challenges to our freedoms Consider longer-term proactive actions to ensure fairness and justice for all, including the AAPI and immigrant communities It is recognized that the Asian American and immigrant communities are in turbulent times again, facing enormous cross-cutting challenges, including but not limited to Legalizing discrimination at the state and federal levels, such as Texas Senate Bill 147, DATA Act, RESTRICT Act, etc Return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism, such as the loyalty attacks on Rep. Judy Chu, Gang Chen, and Committee of 100 members Warrantless surveillance such as the loopholes in Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that victimized Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi and others Mini "China Initiative" conducted by the National Institutes of Health that damaged or ruined the careers of hundreds of researchers and scientists Cross-border profiling, interrogation, harassment, and denial of entry of Chinese American faculty, students and their families by federal agents Continuing fallout from the now-defunct "China Initiative" including New York Police Department Officer Angwang Collateral damage from the deteriorating U.S.-China relations Anti-Asian hate and violence resulting from xenophobic rhetoric, insinuations, scapegoating, and demonization Members of the Inaugural Roundtable are: APA Justice Task Force API Coalition Asian American Advancing Justice - AAJC Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) Committee of 100 (C100) National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA) The Serica Initiative United Chinese Americans (UCA) The Roundtable is intended to be a diverse and inclusive "big tent" with additional participants and observers to build an organic, focused and structured approach. About 100 organizational representatives and individuals registered, attended, or spoke at the online event. Three questions were asked of each Roundtable member. Discussions were held after the initial rounds of questions before the floor was opened to all participants and observers. The discussions covered a wide variety of issues and perspectives such as the historical and current state for the Asian American and immigrant communities including societal racism and bias; the need to combat stereotypes and to accentuate the contributions with education and sustainable actions; the positive and negative roles of the media in addressing recent events; understanding and exercising our constitutional and civil rights; the fundamental divide between the scientific and law enforcement perspectives; the importance of avoiding silos and building bonds and enduring relationships; the potential actions and use of technology to reach out across generational, racial, and industry boundaries; the establishment of strategies, unity, and readiness to change narratives and address immediate and anticipated issues; training and calling for strike teams and a bureau of well-versed speakers ready for action on short notice; filing lawsuits and taking legal actions to fight injustice. In essence, our communities are lacking in an infrastructure to address issues, and we need to build one that is diverse, sustainable, and ready. The vibrant discussions went beyond the scheduled time of 90 minutes. At the conclusion of the Roundtable, Paula quoted Desmond Tutu, “there is only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time” as she summarized her observations and suggested these follow-up actions: Share contact information to stay connected Create a chat group Organize and provide media training Reach out and build allies Create a playbook Identify a group of speakers ready to speak Employ playbook and deploy strike teams

Newsletter - #117 3/7 Meeting; Before "China Initiative," Sherry Chen; Campaign Tally; DOJ Review Report #117 3/7 Meeting; Before "China Initiative," Sherry Chen; Campaign Tally; DOJ Review Report Back View PDF March 4, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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

Newsletter - #258 6/3 Monthly Meeting; Chinese Students; Clear&Fair Law Enforcement; 6/6 Forum with FBI+ #258 6/3 Monthly Meeting; Chinese Students; Clear&Fair Law Enforcement; 6/6 Forum with FBI+ In This Issue #258 · 2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Bloomberg: Expulsions of Chinese Students Spread Confusion from Yale to UVA · An Urgent Call for Clear and Fair Law Enforcement Guidelines and Procedures for Research Security · 06/06: An Open and Public Community Forum with The FBI · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, June 3, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Tam Dao , Assistant Vice President for Research Security, Office of Innovation, Rice University, will report on the future of the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Research on Research Security program · Haipei Shue , President, United Chinese Americans, will report on the 2024 Chinese American Convention · Jeremy Wu , Co-Organizer, APA Justice, will preview an alpha version of a web page on the story of exonerated Professor Anming Hu · Anming Hu , Professor, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, will give an update of his situation and his family since the end of his ordeal under the China Initiative. 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 . Bloomberg: Expulsions of Chinese Students Spread Confusion from Yale to UVA According to Bloomberg on May 29, 2024, Customs agents at US airports have barred entry to at least 20 students and scholars with valid visas since November in ‘more insidious’ version of disbanded China Initiative. Susan , a second-year Ph.D. student in biomedical imaging at the University of Virginia, faced relentless questioning from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent upon her return from visiting her parents in China. Accused of ties to the Chinese Communist Party, her student visa was abruptly canceled, forcing her to purchase a $1,400 ticket back to Beijing and barring her from the U.S. for five years. Her experience is part of a broader trend where at least 20 Chinese students from prestigious universities have had their visas revoked since November. The Chinese government and lawyers confirmed these accounts, highlighting the lack of transparency and public accountability in these decisions. These actions contradict the efforts to foster educational and cultural exchanges endorsed by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping .The expulsions reveal internal divisions within the Biden administration, where Customs agents under the Department of Homeland Security are canceling visas approved by the State Department. The Biden administration ended the controversial China Initiative but has continued similar practices covertly, impacting Ph.D. students and researchers without public scrutiny. Susan and others, like Meng Fei , a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Yale, have faced racial and gender discrimination, with their exclusions linked to vague national security concerns under Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10043 . This proclamation targets students with alleged ties to Chinese military-civil fusion, yet the specifics remain undisclosed, causing confusion and fear among affected students. Universities like the University of Virginia and Yale are striving to support their students by seeking clarity and providing legal assistance. However, the ongoing lack of clear guidelines and coordination between federal agencies leaves many students in limbo, disrupting their academic and personal lives. As the U.S. grapples with balancing national security and academic freedom, the impact on foreign-born researchers like Susan underscores the need for transparent and consistent policies to ensure fairness and uphold the integrity of educational exchanges. Two years ago, the Biden administration ended a controversial Trump-era policy known as the China Initiative that purported to root out spies but resulted in more ruined careers than successful prosecutions. Now that program has been succeeded by a piecemeal effort — one that’s largely hidden from public view. Instead of targeting prominent academics, Customs agents are expelling Ph.D. and postdoctoral students, as well as company employees, by secret administrative actions with no public accountability or right to appeal. Marta Meng , founder of the Meng Law Group in Covina, California, who represents Susan and three other expelled students seeking to overturn their bans, said no reason was given to her clients or in transcripts of the airport interviews that she has reviewed. Dan Berger , Meng Fei's lawyer, said he can’t understand why his client would have been subject to PP 10043, as nothing in her background indicates ties to any of the banned universities or to state funding, and her visa was renewed by the State Department just last year. That’s a problem for learning institutions, said Toby Smith , who handles government relations and public policy at the Association of American Universities, which acts on behalf of 71 research universities including the University of Virginia, Yale and other schools with recently banned students. “Despite asking for additional clarity, the specific items that would result in visa denial for Chinese graduate students under Proclamation 10043 have never been disclosed to our universities,” he said. “So we have been left only to speculate as to what might spark such denials.” The secrecy makes what’s going on “much more insidious now,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa , executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum , a nonprofit organization that promotes academic freedom. “The end of the China Initiative wasn’t the end, they’re just not calling it that anymore,” said Ivan Kanapathy , senior vice president at Beacon Global Strategies, a national security advisory firm in Washington, and a former National Security Council official in the Trump administration. When the Biden administration ended the China Initiative, it said that a 2021 national security memorandum about vetting foreign students would remain in effect. It instructs the State Department to work with Homeland Security to ensure that the granting of visas reflects “the changing nature of risks” to US research. But it doesn’t specify what those risks are or how the agencies should be coordinating enforcement. “The question is, who is coordinating the whole thing, the guidelines and procedures for law enforcement,” said Steven Pei , an electrical engineering professor at the University of Houston and co-organizer of the Asian Pacific American Justice Task Force , which advocates against racial discrimination. “We are trying hard to balance national security, US competitiveness with China in high tech and civil rights,” he said. “But this top-level policy has not trickled down.”Read the Bloomberg report: https://bloom.bg/3wRL4O3 An Urgent Call for Clear and Fair Law Enforcement Guidelines and Procedures for Research Security Neal Lane* , Steven Pei* , and Jeremy Wu* posted a public commentary, calling for the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate their policies using comparable principles and set clear, fair guidelines and procedures. Our scientific success is rooted in core values, including collaboration, honesty, transparency, integrity, the fair competition of ideas, and the protection of intellectual capital. Some foreign entities do not share these values and are working to illicitly acquire our research and innovation. This necessitates laws – and law enforcement.But it is vital that law enforcement guidelines and procedures be clear and fair for maintaining public trust, upholding individual rights, and promoting accountability and consistency within the justice system. Otherwise, we can expect our competitive edge in science and technology to wane, as well as our standing as a leading democracy.With its sharp focus on research security, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has set a balanced path to guide policies of federal agencies that support research. There is a similar need for the FBI, HSI, and other federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate their policies using comparable principles and set clear, fair guidelines and procedures.Given OSTP’s unique role and capability within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), it should also coordinate with all key law enforcement agencies to close the apparent gap in communication between national science and technology policy set by NSTC and agents at the forefront of law enforcement. In doing so, it can protect America’s security and economic competitiveness while minimizing the unintended negative impact and associated chilling effects on the science and technology community. * Dr. Neal Lane is Senior Fellow in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute, Rice University, and Former Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House. Dr. Steven Pei is Co-Organizer of APA Justice; Founding Chair of United Chinese Americans; and Professor at the University of Houston. Dr. Jeremy Wu is Co-Organizer of APA Justice; Member of Committee of 100; and Retired from the Federal Government. Read the full commentary: https://bit.ly/3yDRaSB 06/06: An Open and Public Community Forum with The FBI On June 6, 2024, the Baker Institute and the Office of Innovation at Rice University, the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, and APA Justice will co-host a hybrid forum titled " A Dialogue Between the Academic and Asian American Communities and the FBI ." Registration for in-person attendance and Zoom webinar is now open. In 2022, the Department of Justice ended its China Initiative — a strategy to counter Chinese espionage and threats to U.S. research security — after academic and civil rights groups raised concerns about bias and damage to the United States’ scientific enterprise. However, there were several recent media reports of border entry issues for Chinese graduate students and academic researchers who are green card-holders and even American citizens. This event brings together Jill Murphy, deputy assistant director of counterintelligence at the FBI, and the leadership of the FBI’s Houston field office for a dialogue with members of the academic and Asian American communities. It will examine gaps between national science and technology policy and its implementation. It will also explore the possibility of establishing a regular communication channel between the academic and Asian American communities with FBI field offices. Register to join the forum in person: https://bit.ly/4aFwvuK . Register to join the forum via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3wjg759 . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/05/31 A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/06/06 A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBI2024/06/20 U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy – Teachers Workshop2024/06/20-22 Social Equity Leadership ConferenceVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. MOCA Forum: A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans WHAT: A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans WHEN: May 31, 2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm ET WHERE: 215 Centre Street, New York, NY HOST: Museum of Chinese in America MODERATOR: Scott Wong. Reporter, NBC News SPEAKERS: · Christopher P. Lu, U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform · Mark Takano, Member, U.S. House of Representatives DESCRIPTION: From the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese incarceration to recent hate crimes, a discussion on the history of discrimination against Asian Americans. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3yG2ltY 3. WHIAANHPI Celebrates 25th Anniversary On June 7, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13125 establishing a White House Initiative and presidential advisory commission dedicated to improving the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Over the course of 25 years and five presidential administrations, the size and scope of these entities have evolved. But the full story of how they came to be has rarely been told. On May 17, 2024, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) posted a documentary video titled "Lasting Legacies - The White House Initiative on AA and NHPIs Turns 25” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nw4TL80yI (10:29) 4. Two New Pandas Coming to Washington DC According to multiple media reports, months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington DC.A fresh agreement had been struck with the Chinese government, and a pair of adult pandas would be arriving from China by the end of the year. The incoming pair are Bao Li and Qing Bao. Both are two years old.Pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing sent a pair to the National Zoo in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. Back View PDF May 31, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Chinese American? Who is a Chinese American? What is the Chinese American population? These questions may appear simple on the surface, but they are subject to definitions and interpretations. They have also evolved over time. Defining Chinese American For data collection purposes, the Office of Management and Budget is the official authority to define racial and ethnic categories for the United States. Today, Chinese American is a sub-category of Asian American, defined as "A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam." This government definition generally reflects a recognized social definition. It is not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically, nor is it linked to the standard geographical definitions. In practice, an individual associates his or her race and ethnicity by self-identification. The U.S. Census Bureau produces official statistics on the Chinese American population according to this definition and self-identified data, which include U.S. citizens and nationals, as well as permanent residents. Under this definition and interpretation, a Chinese American may also be described as a Chinese in America. Definition used in social, legal and other applications may vary, such as the requirement of U.S. citizenship. Basic Statistics The first recorded arrival of three Chinese sailors in the U.S. travelled from Canton (now Guangzhou), China on board the ship Pallas to Baltimore, Maryland in August 1785. The first recorded Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S. around 1820. By 1860, the census counted 34,933 Chinese living in California. More than three quarters of them were miners and laborers who first came to the U.S. during the 1848-1855 Gold Rush and then helped built and completed the First Transcontinental Railroad by 1869. The 2010 census showed that the Asian population grew faster than any other race group over the previous decade. Chinese Americans was the largest detailed Asian group, with about 3.3 million people reporting Chinese alone and an additional 700,000 people identifying as both Chinese and one or more additional detailed Asian groups and/or another race. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the Census Bureau estimated a population of Chinese Americans of one or more races to be slightly over 5 million, or about 1.5% of the total U.S. population. Additional statistics on Chinese in America are available from, for example, the Census Bureau , the Migration Policy Institute , and the Pew Research Center . Beyond Statistics Beyond these statistics, the Chinese American population is complex as it has evolved over the past two hundred years. Several waves of immigrations have occurred; they were also severely repressed for more than 60 years under the Chinese Exclusion Act. There are American-born Chinese (ABC) whose roots have been here for generations; there are also recent naturalized citizens and immigrants of diverse economic and educational background who came from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and the rest of the world. Not surprisingly, more in-depth understanding about the Chinese American population varies according to perspectives, experiences, and even aspirations, notably between ABCs and more recent naturalized citizens and immigrants. Two prominent Chinese American leaders of such diverse background, who have long been engaged with APA Justice, offer their views on this topic. They are: Frank H. Wu (吴华扬), William L. Prosser Distinguished Professor, University of California Hastings College of the Law and author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White . Frank was born in Cleveland, Ohio, son of Chinese immigrants from Taiwan. His paper, "The New Chinese Diaspora Embracing the Model Minority and Perpetual Foreigner? ," was orginally published in Chinese Historical Society of America: History & Perspectives . Chinese translation of the paper was made by Kathy Liu, Steve Ning, and Julia Pan. Xiaoyan Zhang (张小彥), visiting professor at University of Pittsburgh and Chair of United Chinese Americans (UCA). Xiaoyang was born in Beijing, China and came to the U.S. in the early 1980s. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Xiaoyan authored the UCA manifesto "From Sojourner to Citizen " in 2018 and shares a paper here "American Democracy in the Eyes of a New Immigrant from China " about his personal experience and understanding. A Chinese verison is also available. China Policy: Huaren and Huaqiao The Chinese diaspora, consisting of both Chinese living overseas who are citizens of China (huaqiao 华侨), and people of Chinese descent who are citizens of foreign countries (huaren 华人), have significantly shaped the making of modern China. China’s policy towards its diaspora is primarily governed by its national interests and foreign policy imperatives. However, the Chinese government has been careful to ensure that the huaqiao and the huaren fall into different policy domains: Chinese citizens living overseas are subject to China’s domestic policies, while Chinese descendants who are citizens of other countries come under China’s foreign affairs. Nevertheless, from the beginning, the latter continue to be regarded as kinsfolk distinct from other foreign nationals. The huaqiao-huaren distinction is often blurred in ordinary discourse and this has been a source of much misunderstanding. However, it has not been the policy of the Chinese government to blur this distinction, and it is acutely aware of the complexity of the issue and is therefore very cautious about implying any change. As such, when terms such as huaqiao-huaren are introduced in the official lexicon, they are meant to acknowledge certain historical and contemporary realities, and not to deliberately obfuscate the two categories. The use of the combined term is in fact a recognition of the clear-cut distinction between the two groups, and is meant to convey a semantic balance in which neither category is emphasized at the expense of the other. And more from below by Wu Xiaoan, professor of history at Peking University and director of its Centre for the Study of Chinese Overseas Huaren or huaqiao? Beijing respects the difference and is not coercing foreigners to toe its line China’s Evolving Policy Towards The Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia (1949–2018) US Policy: National, Citizenship, US Persons U.S. State Department on Dual Nationality and Citizenship : Section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) states that “the term ‘national of the United States’ means (A) a citizen of the United States, or (B) a person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States.” Therefore, U.S. citizens are also U.S. nationals. Non-citizen nationality status refers only individuals who were born either in American Samoa or on Swains Island to parents who are not citizens of the United States. The concept of dual nationality means that a person is a national of two countries at the same time. Each country has its own nationality laws based on its own policy. Persons may have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U.S. national parents may be both a U.S. national and a national of the country of birth. Or, an individual having one nationality at birth may naturalize at a later date in another country and become a dual national. U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality or another. A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to his or her U.S. citizenship. However, persons who acquire a foreign nationality after age 18 by applying for it may relinquish their U.S. nationality if they wish to do so... Dual nationals owe allegiance to both the United States and the foreign country. They are required to obey the laws of both countries, and either country has the right to enforce its laws. It is important to note the problems attendant to dual nationality. Claims of other countries upon U.S. dual-nationals often place them in situations where their obligations to one country are in conflict with the laws of the other. For data collection and national security purposes, a "U.S. person" includes citizens, lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens, and corporations incorporated in the United States. See U.S. Code § 1801 (i): https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/1801 VS

Newsletter - #354 10/6 Meeting; NAKASEC Updates; Kin Hui/CACA; Acting Dir. Census Bureau; Gary Locke; + #354 10/6 Meeting; NAKASEC Updates; Kin Hui/CACA; Acting Dir. Census Bureau; Gary Locke; + In This Issue #354 · 2025/10/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · NAKASEC: Know Your Rights and Case Updates · Kin Hui Elected National President of C.A.C.A. · New Acting Director at Census Bureau · The Honorable Gary Locke 骆家辉 · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/10/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, October 6, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Mike German , Retired Fellow, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice · Margaret Lewis , Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law · Pat Eddington , Senior Fellow, Homeland Security and Civil Liberties, Cato Institute Mike German has announced his retirement. A former special agent with the FBI, his work focuses on law enforcement and intelligence oversight and reform. Before joining the Brennan Center in 2014, German served as the policy counsel for national security and privacy for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office. Mike’s latest book, Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within (The New Press, 2025), issues a wake-up call about law enforcement’s dangerously lax approach to far-right violence. The book shows how systemic racism persists within police forces, and it urges more strategic and focused approaches to address the problems. He will reflect on his exemplary career of courage and integrity, as well as his thoughts on civil liberty, national security, and current state of the country, including possible comments on the C100-USCET-APA Justice webinar series. Maggie Lewis's research focuses on China and Taiwan with an emphasis on criminal justice and human rights as well as on legal issues in the U.S.-China relationship. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the National Committee on United States-China Relations Board of Directors, for which she is also a Public Intellectual Program fellow. She has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar at National Taiwan University, a visiting professor at Academia Sinica, a consultant to the Ford Foundation, and a delegate to the U.S.-Japan Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Leadership Program. She is also a nonresident affiliated scholar of New York University (NYU) School of Law’s U.S.-Asia Law Institute. Maggie just spent part of 2025 on sabbatical as a Visiting Academic Researcher with the Melbourne Law School's Asian Law Center. She returns to update us on her activities and share her perspectives on the C100-USCET-APA Justice webinar series and how organizations and communities might work together. Pat Eddington brings a wealth of experience to the Cato Institute after serving nearly a decade as a military imagery analyst at the CIA during a critical period of global change and later as a senior policy adviser on Capitol Hill, where he worked extensively on intelligence oversight, surveillance, and drone policy. He is a prolific writer and commentator, committed to advancing government transparency, protecting civil liberties, and ensuring accountability in national security policy. Pat returns to update us on his latest activities and current affairs of our nation, including possible comments on the C100-USCET-APA Justice webinar series.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 . NAKASEC: Know Your Rights and Case Updates On September 24, 2025, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) conducted Bystander Training on how to safely intervene when encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in public spaces, support targeted individuals, and document enforcement activities, all while protecting personal safety and abiding by the law.Whether it is witnessing a detention, documenting an ICE checkpoint, or supporting someone facing questioning, the webinar informed participants with intervention strategies that promote dignity, safety, and solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers.NAKASEC has also created a web page with Know Your Rights information in both English and Korean, as well as a 24/7 Hotline: 1-844-500-3222 to provide live confidential assistance in English and Korean. Visit https://nakasec.org/resources/know-your-rights/ for additional information. 1. Update on ICE Raid of Hyundai-LG Plant in Georgia On September 24, 2025, The New York Times reported that in early September, more than 300 South Korean engineers working on Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in Georgia were swept up in what U.S. officials called the largest-ever Homeland Security raid at a single site. Many had entered on short-term business or tourist visas—a “gray zone” often used because of U.S. labor shortages and visa limits.The engineers—many highly skilled in battery and factory construction—were shackled, held in harsh conditions, and accused of visa violations, despite their work supporting a project expected to create thousands of U.S. jobs. Detainees described mistreatment, including inadequate food, lack of translators, and even racist gestures, prompting a South Korean government investigation.“My main takeaway is that America is not a safe place to work. I don’t think I would go there again to work,” Park Sun-kyu said.“Not even prisoners of war would be treated as badly as hundreds of Korean workers detained by US immigration authorities,” said South Korea’s Labor Minister Kim Younghoon said.According to NAKASEC, most of the Korean workers have now returned home, but many others—from Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela—remain detained. NAKASEC emphasized that this raid, like others, reveals that the Trump administration’s actions are not about legality or safety but about targeting non-white, immigrant communities and spreading fear. The group continues to call for the immediate release of all workers and a permanent end to workplace raids. 2. Update on Tae Heung “Will” Kim Tae Heung “Will” Kim , a 40-year-old Ph.D. student at Texas A&M and green card holder since age five, was detained by ICE at San Francisco International Airport on July 21, 2025, after returning from his brother’s wedding in South Korea. The detention stemmed from a 2011 misdemeanor marijuana charge that had already been sealed.According to The Battalion , the student newspaper of Texas A&M University since 1893, while in ICE custody, Will Kim faced harsh conditions, including being confined to office-like spaces without proper sleeping arrangements, denied daylight, and moved between multiple states. Advocates note that his legal rights were not fully respected, and the prolonged detention far exceeded standard regulatory limits.Kim ’s case has drawn attention from advocacy groups such as NAKASEC, Adoptees for Justice, and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), who argue that his detention exemplifies the broader impacts of aggressive immigration policies on international students and researchers. Kim, a scientist working on Lyme disease prevention, is seen as making significant contributions to public health, and supporters warn that his continued detention hampers important research. His case has prompted petitions and calls for action, emphasizing the psychological, educational, and societal consequences of detaining legal permanent residents like Kim, as well as the chilling effect on international students considering study and research opportunities in the U.S. Kin Hui Elected National President of C.A.C.A. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A., 美洲同源會) is one of the oldest continuous civil rights organizations in the United States. Founded in 1895 in San Francisco, it has worked for more than a century to uplift Chinese Americans by promoting ethics and values, defending the full rights and responsibilities of American citizenship, fostering patriotism, preserving cultural heritage, and educating future leaders. Today, C.A.C.A. has grown into a national organization with local lodges across many U.S. cities.From September 5–7, 2025, C.A.C.A. held its 58th National Biennial Convention at its National Headquarters in San Francisco under the theme “From Exclusion to Empowerment: Shaping a Just Future.” At the conclusion of the convention, Kin Hui and Rick Eng were elected National President and Executive Vice President, respectively. “Established in 1895, at a time when we were excluded [the Chinese Exclusion Act was not repealed until 1943], the C.A.C.A. was founded by young visionaries to advocate for the rights of Chinese American citizens. Today, it is our time to act boldly and shape a just future,” Kin Hui said in his press statement. One of his calls to action is to defend birthright citizenship. As early as 1940, C.A.C.A. was guiding members and the broader Chinese American community on their rights under the 14th Amendment and defending their American citizenship : https://bit.ly/3VFn61i . Today's climate echoes that past, with renewed threats to birthright citizenship. C.A.C.A. passed a resolution during the National Convention to push back against efforts to undermine the 14th Amendment and protect the rights of Chinese Americans.On September 26, 2025, major media including AP News , CNN , NBC News , New York Times , and Politico reported that the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to uphold President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship—the long-standing principle that children born in the U.S. are automatically citizens.President Trump issued the order on his first day in office, but it has been blocked by the courts. Four federal judges have ruled that it clearly violates the 14th Amendment and established precedent. The leading case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), affirmed that a child born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents was a U.S. citizen.If the justices take up the case, the Supreme Court could hear arguments in its new term beginning in early October, with a decision likely by June or July 2026. New Acting Director at Census Bureau According to AP News , NPR , and other media reports, George Cook , a Trump administration appointee, has been selected to serve as Acring Director of the U.S. Census Bureau. He assumes the interim leadership role previously held by career economist Ron Jarmin , who returns to his position as Deputy Director. Cook also serves as the Commerce Department’s Acting Undersecretary for Economic Affairs — the post overseeing the Census Bureau — and as chief of staff to that office. Before joining the administration, Cook worked as an institutional investor and economic analyst. This leadership shift follows the January resignation of Rob Santos , who had been appointed by President Biden in 2022 to a five-year term as Census Bureau Director. Since then, the Trump administration has also disbanded or scaled back advisory committees of statisticians, demographers, and community stakeholders, reducing external oversight and expert input.The timing is significant: President Donald Trump has renewed calls for a new census that would exclude undocumented immigrants from apportionment counts. Such an effort faces steep legal and operational hurdles under existing law (the Census Act) and constitutional protections (14th Amendment). Meanwhile, Census employees cite worsening staffing shortages and budget cuts that could undermine the bureau’s ability to deliver accurate, reliable data.The appointment has drawn sharp criticism. “The appointment of someone serving as the chief of staff — who is necessarily and understandably a political loyalist — as the director of the largest statistical agency, without the necessary qualifications the law requires, is extremely worrisome,” said Terri Ann Lowenthal , a veteran census consultant and former House oversight subcommittee staff director. “The usual process would be to keep the career acting director in place until the administration identifies an individual qualified to be the permanent director.”President Trump's firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner following the release of a weaker-than-expected jobs report in August also sparked alarm about political interference with key federal data. The Honorable Gary Locke The Honorable Gary Locke 骆家辉 is a featured speaker in the inaugural webinar titled "Bridging Nations: People-to-People Exchange in U.S. China Relations" on Thursday, October 16, 2025, starting at 8:00 PM ET. As Governor of Washington, Gary Locke oversaw the creation of 280,000 new private sector jobs. He also had the most diverse cabinet in state history and over half his judicial appointees were women. His management skills and innovations won him acclaim by nationally recognized organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. During his tenure, Washington was ranked one of America’s four best managed states. As Commerce Secretary, he led President Obama’s National Export Initiative to double American exports; assumed a troubled 2010 Census but which under his supervision ended on time and $2 billion under budget; and achieved the most significant reduction in patent application processing in the agency’s history. As U.S. Ambassador to China, he opened markets for made-in-USA goods and services; reduced wait times for visa interviews of Chinese applicants from 100 days to 3; and through the Embassy’s air quality monitoring program, exposed the severity of China’s air pollution. Beyond his public achievements, Gary Locke’s story is deeply personal. The son of Chinese immigrants, he grew up in Seattle’s Yesler Terrace public housing. His father, a World War II veteran and small business owner, and his mother, who spoke little English, instilled in him the values of hard work and education. Gary often recalls doing homework in his family’s restaurant, where he learned early lessons about perseverance and responsibility that shaped his career in public service.Governor Locke is Board Chair of Committee of 100. Register to attend the webinar by scanning the QR code above or clicking this link : https://bit.ly/20251016Webinar News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/10/01 C100: Obstacles and Opportunities in Media and Entertainment2025/10/03 Covering China—Journalism, Scholarship, and the Global Conversation2025/10/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/10/07 Convervations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heros: David Henry Hwang2025/10/16 Bridging Nations: The Power of People-to-People Exchange in U.S.-China Relations2025/10/23 C100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative: Asian American Women in the LawVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100 Conversations: David Henry Hwang WHAT : Conversations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heros: David Henry Hwang WHEN : October 7, 2025, 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm ET WHERE : Online event HOST : Committee of 100 Moderator: Peter Young , CEO and President of Young & Partners; Committee of 100 New York Regional Chair and Board Member Speaker : David Henry Hwang , playwright, librettist, and screenwriter DESCRIPTION : David Henry Hwang is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays FOB, Golden Child, and Yellow Face. He has one Tony Award (M. Butterfly) and three other nominations (Golden Child, Flower Drum Song, and Yellow Face), as well as a Grammy Award (Ainadamar) and one other nomination (Soft Power). Three of his works (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, and Soft Power) have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4nLsnAf # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF September 30, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #231 Prevent Relaunch; Memories and Hopes; Combat Disinformation; Year of The Dragon; More #231 Prevent Relaunch; Memories and Hopes; Combat Disinformation; Year of The Dragon; More In This Issue #231 · CAPAC Members Lead Effort to Prevent the Relaunch of China Initiative · January Brings Memories and Hope · Combat Disinformation Targeting Asian Americans · Lunar New Year Celebrations Underway · News and Activities for the Communities CAPAC Members Lead Effort to Prevent the Relaunch of China Initiative According to NBC News and a press statement by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers led by CAPAC Members Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), and Senator Mazie Hirono (HI) wrote a letter to House and Senate leaders leading an effort to stop Republican Members of Congress from reinstating the China Initiative, a Trump-era program created in 2018 that purported to combat espionage but in effect targeted and profiled those of Chinese descent.The Department of Justice ended the program in 2022, after several of the alleged espionage and national security cases ended in acquittal, dismissal or were dropped altogether. But Republicans in Congress are now attempting to restart the program using a provision in a key House spending bill—at the same time that they are reviving racially motivated rhetoric against Chinese Americans. Republicans are attempting to relaunch the China Initiative in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 5893) which funds the Departments of Commerce, Justice and other science-related programs.Others who signed the letter include: Senators Tammy Duckworth (IL), Raphael Warnock (GA) and Peter Welch (VT) and Reps. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Katie Porter (CA-47), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Adam Schiff (CA-30), Brad Sherman (CA-32) and Jill Tokuda (HI-02).Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3S9zPXJ . Read the CAPAC press statement: https://bit.ly/3UcOLHh January 19, 2024, marked the one-year anniversary when all charges against Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 , a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer accused of spying on behalf of China, were formally dropped. His arrest in September 2020 was one of the sensationalized cases under the now-defunct China Initiative. U.S. prosecutors said they uncovered "new information" that warranted the dismissal but did not provide further explanation. For the past year, NYPD did not reinstate Officer Angwang, but has instead started proceedings to terminate his employment. Read Officer Angwang's case at https://bit.ly/3RIqXId January Brings Memories and Hope According to a Ding Ding TV report by Helen Zia 谢汉兰, she has been tracking hate incidents for 41 years. Among the prominent January incidents are: · January 6, 2020: 89-year-old Yik Oi Huang died after injuries from a severe beating as she walked in a neighborhood park near her San Francisco Visitacion Valley home; · January 11, 2023: a public bus rider in Bloomington, Indiana vowed to rid the country of Chinese while repeatedly stabbing a 17-year-old student; · January 15, 2022: 40-year-old Michelle Alyssa Go was fatally pushed in front of an oncoming subway train in New York’s Times Square; · January 17, 1989: a white nationalist with a semiautomatic rifle killed five children at a Stockton California elementary school yard and injured about 30 others; · January 21, 2023: an elderly Asian man with a semi-automatic pistol killed 11 people and injured 9 as they celebrated the Lunar New Year at a ballroom in Monterey Park, California; · January 23, 2023: in Half Moon Bay, California, a 66-year-old male farmworker killed five fellow Chinese and two Latino coworkers; · January 28, 2021: Vicha Ratanapakdee , an 84-year-old Thai American grandfather, died after being violently shoved as he went for a walk near his San Francisco home. Turning tragic events into action and change has been a continuing legacy in Asian American communities. Asian American activism in the wake of violence has been critical because many other families and communities have also encountered systemic refusal to acknowledge anti-Asian racism. Memorials this month in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay also stand as recognitions of cross-sector, pan-Asian and multi-racial efforts to advance the community healing process through solidarity. On January 28, Monthanus Ratanapakdee has planned a remembrance of her father, Vicha, to be joined by Justin Go , Michelle’s father. The national “Remember Vicha” organizing efforts have succeeded in getting streets named “Vicha Ratanapakdee Way” in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The park where Yik Oi Huang was fatally attacked has also been renamed in her honor through the efforts of her granddaughter Sasanna Yee , who has worked with Asian and Black communities to keep the attack from inflaming racial tension.While January brings remembrances of lives lost to violence, the efforts of Asian Americans and others also show how healing can come when people act together in solidarity to build a beloved community of equity and justice, where violence and hate towards any people has no place.Helen Zia is a writer and the founder of the Vincent Chin Institute, Vincentchin.org , which aims to build solidarity against hate and anti-Asian bigotry through education, narrative and advocacy. Read her Ding Ding TV report: https://bit.ly/48IFpaN On January 21, 2024, the Guardian reported that survivors of the Monterey Park mass shooting are still searching for healing from therapy to qigong. The January 21, 2023, attack was the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County history, hitting the heart of Monterey Park’s large Asian immigrant community. For many Asians, therapy is taboo – but some elders in the community are embracing it. For the past 50 years, Shally Ung hadn’t spent much time thinking about the carnage she had seen growing up in her native Cambodia. But those scenes of bombs raining down on Phnom Penh came roaring back on Lunar New Year last year, when a gunman opened fire at Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and killed 11 people. Ung’s dance partner for nearly two decades, Andy Kao , was shot in the chest and died beside her under a table. Some survivors and longtime Monterey Park residents said they remain deeply proud of their hometown and its reputation as an early haven for immigrants from China and Taiwan. A city with a population of 60,000 that is two-thirds Asian, Monterey Park is known widely as the country’s first suburban Chinatown, and as the place that elected Judy Chu as the first Chinese American woman to US Congress.Read the Guardian report: https://bit.ly/47SuGsN .On January 21, 2024, NBC News reported that on the first anniversary of the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay mass shootings, President Joe Biden issued a statement remembering the survivors and victims and highlighting efforts to curtail gun violence. Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3ubE9h5 Combat Disinformation Targeting Asian Americans According to International Journalists' Network , disinformation runs rampant in immigrant communities in the U.S. It is only increasing, too, due in large part to language barriers, social media and bad actors’ weaponization of entrenched fears. Many outlets, meanwhile, lack fact-checking resources for non-English speakers. Today, Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. electorate. Almost six in 10 are immigrants, while just over half of recent arrivals say they are proficient in English.Mis- and disinformation within Asian American communities spreads widely on the radio, YouTube and popular apps such as WeChat and WhatsApp. WeChat, which is used by about 60% of the Chinese American community, is particularly vulnerable to misinformation, due to a hyper-partisan, conservative ecosystem that rewards sensationalist content. Nick Nguyen , the co-founder and research lead of Viet Fact Check, and Kyle Van Fleet , a strategic communications associate for APIA Vote and head of APIA Vote’s disinformation monitoring program, provided their insights about disinformation’s impact on Asian American communities and how to combat it in effective, culturally conscious ways, including APIAVote's guide on "Dis- and Misinformation Monitoring." According to its website, APIAVote publishes a bi-weekly disinformation report to provide its network, ethnic media contacts, and other national partners for research and analysis to conduct actions and promote good information.Read the International Journalists' Network report: https://bit.ly/3S8sjwl . Read the APIAVote web page: https://bit.ly/493dS3s .On January 18, 2024, NBC News reported that disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracy in the United States in 2024, according to researchers, technologists and political scientists. As the presidential election approaches, experts warn that a convergence of events at home and abroad, on traditional and social media — and amid an environment of rising authoritarianism, deep distrust, and political and social unrest — makes the dangers from propaganda, falsehoods and conspiracy theories more dire than ever. An increasing number of voters have proven susceptible to disinformation from former President Donald Trump and his allies; artificial intelligence technology is ubiquitous; social media companies have slashed efforts to rein in misinformation on their platforms; and attacks on the work and reputation of academics tracking disinformation have chilled research.Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3u8v8FO Lunar New Year Celebrations Underway According to the Washington Post on January 22, 2024, Lunar New Year does not actually arrive until February 10, but for Vietnamese Americans in Virginia, there was no time like the present to start celebrating Tet, their most important holiday. More than 20,000 people were expected to attend this weekend’s festival to listen to Vietnamese folk and new music, purchase traditional clothing and New Year’s gifts and eat everything from shrimp and crab soup, pho and banh mi to bubble tea, spring rolls and a Lunar New Year specialty: sticky rice with pork and mung beans wrapped in banana leaves. At the opening ceremony, a dozen men and women stood side by side wearing traditional tunics called ao dai — the men in midnight blue, the women in bright fuchsia. They walked to the stage accompanied by solemn drumming and the slow beat of a gong. There, they paid respects and gave thanks to their ancestors, an integral moment of Lunar New Year festivities.Celebrations of Lunar New Year in the United States take on extra meaning for Asian American communities and their families because it is a way of maintaining traditions and passing them to the next generation, said Xinqian Allison Qiu , a doctoral candidate in American Studies at the University of Maryland. Her research includes a focus on Lunar New Year celebrations.Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/48LJISv Find out about Lunar New Year activities in Albuquerque , Atlanta , Austin , Boise , Boston , Brooklyn , Cape Cod , Chattanooga , Chicago , Columbus , Dallas , Denver , Detroit , Disney California , Elk Grove , Fremont , Honolulu , Houston , Irvine , Kansas City , Las Vegas , Los Angeles , McLean , Miami , Milpitas , Montclair , Monterey Park , New York City , New Orleans , Newark , Oklahoma City , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , Portland , San Antonio , San Francisco , San Jose , San Diego , Seattle , Spokane , Triangle , Twin Cities , Washington DC , and more. Of course there is always home. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/02/01 CAMDC Deadline for Essay Contest2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/02/10 New Year's Day of the Year of the Dragon2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/04/07 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/04/19 Committee of 100 Annual Conference & GalaVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Chinese American Museum Essay Contest To promote intergenerational communication, Chinese American Museum DC (CAMDC), with the support of the Calvin J. Li Memorial Foundation, will host a new essay contest entitled “Dreams of My Parent(s).” Through this essay contest, CAMDC hopes to foster positive family dialogues and cultivate understanding and appreciation of our shared cultural heritage and immigrant experience. Titled "Dreams of My Parent(s)," current high school students of Chinese descent living in the US are encouraged to showcase the strength, resilience, and determination of their parents, and celebrate their life’s triumphs through the essays. Submission deadline is February 1, 2024. For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/3vKHXXk Back View PDF January 25, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

2020/08/06 Briefing with Senator Mark Warner The APA Justice Task Force submitted the following statement for a briefing with Senator Mark Warner and his staff on August 6, 2020. 2020/08/05: Update on Racial Profiling and Related Issues 2020/04/02 Senator Warner Letter to FBI Director Wray On April 2, 2020, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and urged him to "hold biannual meetings with national leaders of Chinese American and Asian American organizations regarding issues of importance to those communities as you work to counter the foreign intelligence threat from the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC)." On May 29, 2020, the Assistant Director of the FBI Office of Congressional Affairs replied with this letter to Senator Warner. A previous meeting between the Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division and Asian American leaders was cited as productive in the letter. Background and context of the December 7, 2018 meeting is available here . 2020/01/15 CAPAC Meeting On January 15, 2020, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus chaired by Rep. Judy Chu convened a briefing session to update the current work on the profiling of Chinese Americans. As facilitator for APA Justice, Jeremy Wu provided a two-page handout and read a prepared statement during the briefing. 2018/12/07 FBI Meeting On December 7, 2018, a group of community leaders met with a senior-level FBI official and representatives at the FBI headquarters to convey concerns raised within the Chinese American community about the role of bias in its investigations, among other issues. A public statement about the meeting is here: English | 中文 . Each of the five community leaders brought his/her talking materials to the meeting with the FBI official and representatives: Aryani Ong, community advocate Robert Gee, Vice Chair, Washington DC Region, Committee of 100: Letter to FBI Official Andrew Kim, Visiting Scholar, South Texas College of Law and Litigator, Greenberg Traurig: Prosecuting Chinese “Spies:” An Empirical Analysis of The Economic Espionage Act Steven Pei, scientist and Honorary Chair of United Chinese Americans: FBI Meeting Talking Points Jeremy Wu, retired government official: FBI Meeting Talking Points Additional Information 2022/05/31 APA Justice: Summary Statement for The Town Hall Meeting Hosted by The FBI San Francisco Field Office 2022/05/31 APA Justice: Statement for The Town Hall Meeting Hosted by The FBI San Francisco Field Office 2018/12/23 Houston Chronicle: Houston Asians meet with D.C. FBI about economic espionage, racial bias 2018/10/12 Six Hues: Summary: Panel Addresses Concerns that Chinese Americans Are Targeted by Law Enforcement as U.S.-China Tensions Flare 2018/09/22 Houston Chronicle: Houstonians respond to Asian-Americans being increasingly targeted in economic espionage cases 2018/09/22 Community Educational Forum: A Dialogue with the FBI and Legal Experts: The Impact of Espionage Investigations on the Asian American Community 2018/08/26 CBS 60 Minutes: U.S. fight against Chinese espionage ensnares innocent Americans 2018/08/08 Houston Chronicle: FBI warns Texas academic and medical leaders of ‘classified’ security threats 2018/05/17 New York Times: Cleared of Spying for China, She Still Doesn’t Have Her Job Back 2018/05/05 South China Morning Post: Spying charges against Chinese-American scientists spark fears of a witch hunt 2018/03/01 Community Organizations: Joint letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray 2017/05/10 New York Times: Former Espionage Suspect Sues, Accusing F.B.I. of Falsifying Evidence 2015/09/15 New York Times: The Rush to Find China’s Moles Racial Profiling: Continuing Developments Return to Racial Profiling Overview

Newsletter - #152 OSTP in the News; Update on Dr. Yanping Chen; Chinese Academics Vindicated; Chip Ban #152 OSTP in the News; Update on Dr. Yanping Chen; Chinese Academics Vindicated; Chip Ban Back View PDF October 27, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter