Newsletter - #210 9/11 Meeting Summary; Franklin/Angwang; Paranoia/Scapegoating; "Stop The Blame"; More #210 9/11 Meeting Summary; Franklin/Angwang; Paranoia/Scapegoating; "Stop The Blame"; More In This Issue #210 2023/09/11 Monthly Meeting Summary Franklin Tao 陶丰 and Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 - Support Their Fight for Justice Paranoia and Scapegoating with Discriminatory Alien Land Laws "Stop The Blame" Campaign Starts News and Activities for the Communities 2023/09/11 Monthly Meeting Summary The September 11, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary is now available at https://bit.ly/48lSE1h . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), nisha.ramachandran@mail.house.gov with updates from CAPAC John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC with updates from AAJC Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org with updates from AASF Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所; Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) 华美维权同盟 with updates on the Florida alien land bill lawsuit Deborah Seligsohn , Assistant Professor of Political Science, Villanova University; Senior Associate (Non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on the case for renewing the U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) Steven Kivelson , Professor of Physics, Stanford University on a letter to the President and the National Security Council to renew STA Sudip Parikh , Chief Executive Officer of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science family of journals on the future of ethical science collaboration Ting Wu , Special Advisor, Office of the Chief of Staff, The White House, on observations and response from The White House. The 9/11 meeting was privileged for APA Justice invited attendees. The meeting summary is limited in distribution to APA Justice subscribers. It is posted at https://bit.ly/48lSE1h Franklin Tao 陶丰 and Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 - Support Their Fight for Justice 1. Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao Professor Franklin Tao 陶丰 was the first scientist to be charged under the now-defunct US Justice Department's "China Initiative," which unjustly targets many Chinese American scientists and causes significant harm to their careers and families. On September 21, 2023, over 30 people led by Haipei Shue 薛海培 , President of United Chinese Americans, attended the Appeals Court hearing of Professor Tao's appeal to overturn his only remaining charge of making a false statement. The hearing was livestreamed via YouTube. The audio portion is available here: https://bit.ly/46dOxmc (2:24:52) starting at around 1:45: 08.Read Professor Tao's case at https://bit.ly/3fZWJvK and visit his GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/5bf4adbe 2. NYPD Officer Baimadajie Angwang Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 is an officer of the New York Police Department (NYPD), U.S. citizen, Marine Corps veteran, and Army reservist. He was arrested in September 2020, charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and jailed pre-trial for six months under the now-defunct "China Initiative" based on intercepted phone calls. In January 2023, a federal judge dismissed all the charges against him at the request of the Department of Justice "in the interests of justice."However, the NYPD has not only failed to reinstate Officer Angwang, but will hold an administrative trial against him on September 26, 2023, starting at 10 am ET. The trial will be held on the 4th floor, Departmental Trial Room A, 1 Police Plaza, New York City.In a letter sent to Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心 , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Restore The Fourth provided details of the continuing persecution of Officer Angwang. "We all need this unjust treatment to not become the norm. Officer Angwang needs vocal, public support to ensure a fair judicial process. His trial is public, which means that the more people watch across the country, the more momentum we can build behind Angwang’s case. We seek justice for Officer Angwang, and call attention to the broader abuses committed by U.S. intelligence officials," the letter said.In a message to APA Justice, Officer Angwang said, "[t]he reason why we are fighting back is to send a message to any wrong doing against our community is that we do fight back, don’t think we would just take it like how they want us to be. We won’t be silent. We also want to send a message to anyone who is going through my situation or Professor Franklin Tao’s situation or who might going through this, we want them to know that don’t give up on fight, the community is behind you. We will support you. That’s also the reason why I am going to Denver to support Professor Tao. Thank you."Read the Restore The Fourth letter: https://bit.ly/3RuO9v8 . Read the case of Officer Angwang: https://bit.ly/3RIqXId Paranoia and Scapegoating with Discriminatory Alien Land Laws According to AsAmNews on September 18, 2023, three U.S. Congressmen set off alarm bells after a major land deal near a military base raised fears of Chinese spies. "They saw red and now some might say, they have eggs on their faces," the report said.According to ABC7 News , Flannery Associates has been purchasing $1 billion worth of farmland for the last five years near Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, 50 miles east of San Francisco. It is not unusual for the backers of a corporation to remain anonymous.However, with U.S.-China relations at a low, Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) all expressed concern that Chinese spies were behind the purchase of 55,000 acres of farmland in Solano County, prompting federal legislation on foreign real estate transactions and investigations into a type of malware that China could disrupt military operations across the country.When the dust settled, the truth finally came out. Flannery Associates is backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalist and billionaire Michael Moritz . Moritz has been highly critical of San Francisco’s liberal politics. His hopes are to build a new housing development and city near Travis Air Force Base, one he says will bring new jobs to the area.All of this could be dismissed with a shrug, except for one trend. According to APA Justice, 34 states as well as Congress have passed or have considered legislation to ban the purchase of land by Chinese and others from countries considered threats to the U.S. The bills are reminders of the Alien Land Laws that banned the purchase of land by Asians 100 years ago when the Chinese Exclusion Act and anti-Asian discriminatory laws were in effect. “Legislative action must be based on evidence and facts, not fear,” said Edgar Chen , Special Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. “While we recognize there are legitimate national security concerns over geopolitical competition between the United States and China, unless there is concrete evidence that land investments from individuals who hail from foreign nations, whether from China or elsewhere, are being used for espionage purposes, lawmakers should not rush to paint all real estate transactions – especially by ordinary individuals with no ties to foreign governments – as threats to national security.” Cynthia Choi of Chinese for Affirmative Action and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate expressed her own concerns. “Many politicians have been citing Chinese ownership of farmland as a threat to national security, when in reality, experts say Chinese land ownership accounts for less than 1% of farmland and an even smaller percentage of agricultural land . Despite the facts, they continue to sensationalize issues regarding China to justify overreaching measures that harm innocent Asian Americans and immigrants,” she said. The ACLU recently joined in a lawsuit to overturn a ban against Chinese ownership of homes and land in Florida signed by GOP presidential candidate and Gov. Ron DeSantis . “We continue to remain concerned about any attempt by Congress to target individuals solely because of their national origin, which falsely equates individuals from countries like China as synonymous with the Chinese government,” said Kia Hamadanchy , senior policy counsel at ACLU. “These efforts are a reminder of historical instances where false claims of national security were used as a justification to prohibit Asian immigrants from becoming landowners and will only serve to exacerbate discrimination against Asian communities living in the United States.” Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/3LrTobg Rep. Al Green’s Remarks to Challenging Discriminatory Land Laws During a House Financial Services Committee hearing on September 13, 2023, Rep. Al Green remarked, "my state [Texas] had the legislature to propose restrictions that would be directed toward specific persons and it created quite a stir because while the people who passed these laws don't have to interact with the people who can suffer from some of the consequences that may not be intended, persons of Chinese ancestry for example. When you start using specificities of this type, there are people in this country who suffer. They suffer in terms of how people approach them generally, but they also suffer in the sense of consternation as to what they will do with land that they currently hold or will they be able to purchase additional property." Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxwYblt-Ja0 (4:55) "Stop The Blame" Campaign Starts According to NBC News on September 21, 2023, Asian American civil rights organizations are launching a new effort to help monitor and prevent the use of inflammatory anti-Asian political rhetoric, ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. The “ Stop the Blame ” campaign, spearheaded by the nonprofit groups Stop AAPI Hate and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), kicked off with a website that includes information on the impact of racist language and policies.According to the Stop the Blame mission statement on to its website, "Everyday Asian Americans and immigrants are caught in the crossfire as tensions between the U.S. and Chinese governments grow. An alarming number of politicians and lawmakers today are using geopolitics as an excuse to justify hate and racism against our communities. They're promoting anti-Asian political rhetoric, discriminatory surveillance measures, and unconstitutional land ownership bans across the country."This is anti-Asian scapegoating - a political tactic used for centuries by those in power to deflect blame, instill fear, and rile up their voter base at the expense of our safety and our rights. We're on a mission to stop the hate, stop the blame, and stop anti-Asian scapegoating once and for all."Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心 , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, underscored the campaign’s critical timing. “This anti-Asian rhetoric, many times, has to do with politicians who are trying to outdo one another,” she said. “They don’t care who they hurt in the process.” Cynthia Choi , co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of CAA, said the website not only contains data and research on anti-Asian language, but also a tracker that will document states seeking to pass land ownership bans. At least 33 states have proposed bans on land ownership from the Chinese government, entities or citizens in 2023. The website will additionally feature information on different campaigns and initiatives in individual states that are pushing back on anti-Asian policies. They will also be calling on Congress to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Currently, Section 702 of the legislation gives U.S. intelligence agencies the authority to acquire communications of non-Americans, who use American communications platforms, without a warrant. The measure has been criticized by many Asian American and other advocacy groups for its potential to be weaponized as a tool to racially profile communities of color. “We’ve seen how policies created under the guise of ‘national security’ are used to scapegoat Asian American communities in the U.S., and they fuel further racism, violence and the erosion of everyone’s rights,” said Ashley Gorski , a senior staff attorney of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.Instead of leaning on racist, anti-China rhetoric, Chu said, politicians should be careful with their words, and distinguish between the Chinese government and Chinese individuals. Chu brought up her own experience in which Rep. Lance Gooden , R-Texas, questioned her “loyalty” to the U.S. Chu had defended Dominic Ng 吴建民 , a Biden appointee, who was featured in an article by the conservative Daily Caller , that alleged he had ties to a Chinese Communist Party front group. “It was his way of outdoing other politicians,” Chu said. Choi said that with the campaign, she hopes to send elected officials the message that “scare tactics” are not a winning strategy. “The message is that if you attack our rights and put us in harm’s way, we will take action,” she said. “We won’t stand for it. We will hold you accountable.”Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3ZurAbV . Visit the Stop The Blame website: https://stoptheblame.org/ US House Education Subcommittee Hearing According to The Oklahoman and The Hill , Reps. Raul M. Grijalva and Suzanne Bonamici said a September 19 U.S. House education subcommittee hearing on the threat of Chinese influence in American schools perpetuated a debunked conspiracy theory and could fuel anti-Asian American bias. Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director of Asian American Scholar Forum and an invited speaker in the hearing, encouraged the subcommittee to exercise caution when crafting laws and rhetoric on China. She said Asian Americans and immigrants suffer discrimination when the country’s leaders espouse anti-China language. “For many of them, they are not differentiated between this foreign government and who they are here,” Kusakawa said. “Decades after the systemic incarceration of Japanese Americans, we find ourselves repeating history as Asian Americans are treated as ‘perpetual foreigners’ and economic or national security threats,” Kusakawa said. “It has become a harmful pattern that when the United States has tensions with an Asian country, Asian Americans and immigrants face the backlash at home and become collateral damage.” Read The Oklahoman report: https://bit.ly/45ZAK2L and the Hill report: https://bit.ly/48uv81Z News and Activities for the Communities 1. Community Calendar The APA Justice Community Calendar is located on the front page of the APA Justice website at https://www.apajustice.org/ . Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Events: 2023/09/25-27 AAUC National Unity Summit 2023/09/26 NYPD Trial of Officer Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 2023/09/27 1990 Institute: Teaching Asian American Narratives through Literature 2023/09/27 U.S.-China Climate Cooperation Organizing Webinar 2023/09/27-28 APAICS 2023 Tech Summit 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Organizing for Climate Action: The Opportunities of U.S.-China Cooperation Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16) will lead an online discussion called “Organizing for Climate Action: The Opportunities of U.S.-China Cooperation” on how the U.S. and China can act together to tackle climate change and help build a green and fair global economy. Justice is Global, the Quincy Institute, the 1990 Institute, and climate, peace, and racial justice organizations co-sponsor this event on the need for deeper U.S.-China climate cooperation. Register for the event at https://bit.ly/3t9U9PM 3. Asian Faculty Association at Yale (AFAY) According to Yale News , Asian and Asian American faculty gathered at the Yale School of Medicine’s Brady Auditorium to announce AFAY’s inaugural board. The organization aims to build support both within and beyond its membership, and its mission statement includes advocacy for both members and for Yale’s Asian students, especially when facing challenges related to their cultural backgrounds or ethnicities. Currently, 194 faculty members have registered to join AFAY, of which 12 are non-Asian. Professor Haifan Lin 林海帆 served as AFAY election moderator. Professor Qin Yan 严钦 and Professor Yongli Zhang serve as President and President-elect respectively. Read the Yale News report: https://bit.ly/48pIZGQ 4. APAICS Tech Summit - Impact of Increased Competition Between the US and China Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) will host the 2023 Tech Summit on September 27-28. The event will bring together community and corporate leaders, subject matter experts, as well as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) elected officials for bipartisan policy discussions that affect the AA & NH/PI community and the nation at-large. Register for the summit here: https://www.apaics.org/tech-summit-2023 Back View PDF September 23, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - Dcember 2025 Monthly Meeting Summaries Dcember 2025 Monthly Meeting Summaries 2025/12/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting APA Justice Meeting – Monday, 2025/12/011:55 pm Eastern Time / 10:55 am Pacific Time 1. Updates from CAPAC Speaker: Judith Teruya, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Judith.Teruya@mail.house.gov [not on record] 2. Update from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Speaker: Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org · Advancing Justice | AAJC: Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program Joanna provided a policy update covering several key areas. She noted that AAJC continues to monitor developments related to the China Initiative and ongoing negotiations in the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations process, particularly with the extended January 30 deadline. On the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Joanna reported that both chambers have passed their versions of the bill and that AAJC has submitted its official letter to House and Senate Armed Services leadership. She highlighted the Rounds Amendment (No. 3810) as a major area of concern because it would broaden Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviews of foreign purchases of certain agricultural lands. She emphasized that AAJC is in active discussions with Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and others on the Hill to ensure civil rights safeguards are reflected in the final bill. Joanna also addressed Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s recent proclamation labeling The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a “foreign terrorist organization” and “transnational criminal organization.” She stressed that AAJC views this as “an attempt to weaponize state power against a religious minority” and is working with interfaith and civil rights partners to oppose discriminatory actions. She noted that CAIR has already filed a federal lawsuit in response. She closed by expressing AAJC’s appreciation for the APA Justice community and said the organization looks forward to sharing a full 2025 wrap-up in the new year. 3. Update from Asian American Scholar Forum Speaker: Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org [not able to attend] 4. Update from Chinese American Citizens Alliance Speaker: Kin Yan Hui, National President, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Kin Yan Hui was recently elected to be National President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.), He previously served as National Executive Vice President from 2023 to 2025 and as National Vice President for Membership from 2017 to 2023. He is also a Past President of the San Antonio Lodge. In his hometown of San Antonio, Kin serves as the Zoning Commissioner for the City of San Antonio’s District 6, representing 165,000 residents. He also sits on the Bexar County Civil Service Commission. A retired civil servant with over 35 years of service in the U.S. Department of the Air Force, Kin concluded his career in 2017 as Chief Engineer for four Air Force Cyber Weapon Systems. In that role, he led a team of more than 75 engineers and technical professionals developing and acquiring advanced cyber capabilities for the Air Force. Kin holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston, a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, and was an Executive Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. In his remarks, Kin offered a detailed overview of the organization’s 130-year history, its national footprint, and his vision for strengthening its role in the Chinese American community. Opening with characteristic humor—“As a good bureaucrat, I have to have PowerPoint slides, so please put up with that”—Kin set a collegial tone before walking the audience through C.A.C.A.’s mission: “to practice and defend Chinese American citizenship and to preserve our cultural and historical heritage, because without historical and cultural preservation, we are not a people.” Kin traced C.A.C.A.’s roots to 1895, when it was founded in San Francisco as the Native Sons of the Golden State. By 1915, it had reorganized under its current name and expanded nationally. He highlighted several moments of historic significance, including the organization’s advocacy for repealing the Chinese Exclusion Act, testimony before Congress in the 1940s, efforts that led to the War Brides Act and Chinese Alien Wives Act, and more recent achievements such as the 2012 Congressional Statement of Regret and the 2018 Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Chinese American World War II veterans. The medal project, Kin recalled, was a challenge—“It was during COVID, and we were having a very difficult time doing that”—but C.A.C.A. persisted and continues to locate families who were unaware of their eligibility. C.A.C.A. today includes 20 lodges and roughly 3,000 members, historically concentrated along the West Coast but growing rapidly in the South and Southwest. Kin emphasized that while the national board provides guidance and resources, “a lot of the work that’s being done is really at the lodge level.” His vision for the future focuses on restoring prominence, strengthening impact, and ensuring relevance nationwide. Conversations with community leaders, he noted, have helped sharpen that mission: “Not just for the C.A.C.A., but for the greater Chinese American community at large.” To support this vision, Kin outlined strategic goals: empowering lodges, improving messaging and partnerships, increasing membership, and defending birthright citizenship. Membership development will include a new pipeline, service recognition programs, and a youth advisory council—critical, he noted, because “we are all volunteers, with no paid staff, so we must appreciate every minute we get from volunteers.” On birthright citizenship, Kin recounted internal skepticism from some members who believed constitutional rights were secure. His response was grounded in risk management: “The risk may be low, but the severity is so high that we have to address it.” C.A.C.A. will establish a dedicated project team to prepare for and respond to potential policy threats. Kin concluded by reaffirming C.A.C.A.’s long-standing role and future direction: “I just want to introduce the organization…and give you a glimpse into what we are planning to do in the next two years.” He expressed gratitude for the chance to connect with allied organizations and strengthen shared commitments to civil rights, community empowerment, and cultural preservation. 5. Updates from American Civil Liberties Union · Speaker: Patrick Toomey , Deputy Director, National Security Project, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Patrick returned to provide an in-depth briefing on two major areas of ongoing ACLU litigation: the challenge to Florida’s discriminatory housing law (SB 264) in Shen v. Simpson, and the national-security–related litigation surrounding the federal government’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. Both issues, he noted, remain of high importance to Asian American communities and immigrant-rights advocates across the country. Patrick began by reminding the audience that the ACLU is engaged in a wide range of immigration and civil rights litigation, including work related to birthright citizenship, which had been referenced earlier in the meeting. For purposes of this briefing, however, he focused on the two cases in which he is personally involved. I. Shen v. Simpson – Florida’s SB 264 Housing Restrictions Patrick first summarized developments in Shen v. Simpson, a challenge to Florida’s SB 264, a law that restricts property ownership by immigrants from China and six other “countries of concern.” The law prohibits non-citizens and non-green-card-holders from these countries from buying property in large parts of Florida, with only narrow exceptions. The ACLU—together with AALDEF, CALDA, the DeHeng Law Firm, Quinn Emanuel, and the ACLU of Florida—represents four individual Chinese immigrant plaintiffs and a real estate company that serves primarily Chinese clients. On November 4, 2025, a divided panel of the Eleventh Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of SB 264, which Patrick described as “disappointing.” Much of the decision turned on the court's ruling that the plaintiffs lacked "standing" to challenge the law's main restriction on property purchases. However, he highlighted an important clarification in the ruling: the court narrowed the law’s application and found that it does not apply to certain Chinese immigrants who live in Florida and intend to remain there indefinitely. That clarification, he explained, provides meaningful—but limited—relief to affected communities. He emphasized the broader context. SB 264 echoes a long history of “alien land laws” targeting Asians and other immigrant groups under the guise of national security. The ACLU views the law as part of a nationwide resurgence of discriminatory state-level property restrictions, which mirror policies from the early 20th century. Looking ahead, Patrick explained that next steps remain uncertain. The Eleventh Circuit must first issue a formal order returning the case to the district court. Once that occurs, the ACLU and the state defendants will submit a status update proposing a schedule for next steps in the case. He assured the audience that updates will be provided as the litigation team decides how to move forward in light of the Eleventh Circuit's decision. II. Alien Enemies Act Litigation Patrick then turned to the ACLU’s ongoing challenges to the federal government’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 statute allowing deportation of nationals from countries with which the U.S. is at war. In March of this year, he explained, the government used the Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals. These individuals were transported first to El Salvador and detained in the notorious “Terrorism Confinement Center,” before later being transferred to Venezuela. These individuals had no opportunity to contest their designation or removal under the AEA. 1. The Fifth Circuit Case (for individuals still in the U.S.) The ACLU represents Venezuelan nationals who remain in the United States and continue to face potential deportation under the Act. In June, the ACLU argued the case before a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit, which issued a 2–1 decision ruling the government’s use of the Act unlawful. The government then requested an en banc hearing before the full Fifth Circuit, which was granted. Briefing is underway, and oral argument is scheduled for late January. Because the case raises significant questions about executive power and wartime authorities, Patrick noted that Supreme Court review is likely. Importantly, deportations under the AEA are currently paused while the litigation proceeds. 2. District Court Litigation in Washington, D.C. (for individuals already deported) A second challenge focuses on those who were removed in March with no due process. The ACLU is seeking a new preliminary injunction that would allow deported individuals the opportunity to bring habeas and due-process claims that they were unable to pursue before being transported out of the country. Toomey noted that this group was deported “under cover of darkness,” without notice, hearings, or the ability to consult counsel. These cases, he stressed, raise profound constitutional questions about due process, wartime authority, and the treatment of immigrant communities. Both remain active and will likely continue into 2026. Conclusion Patrick closed by encouraging attendees to stay engaged as litigation moves forward. He invited follow-up questions through the chat or by email and reaffirmed the ACLU’s commitment to defending the civil rights and liberties of immigrant communities targeted by discriminatory laws and emergency powers. The outcomes of these cases, he noted, will have significant implications for Asian American communities, Venezuelan immigrants, and the broader legal landscape governing immigration enforcement. 6. Update from National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Speaker: Edgar Chen , Special Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Edgar Chen, Special Policy Advisor for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), provided an overview of NAPABA’s recent annual convention and the organization’s broader civil-rights–focused work. He began by thanking APA Justice for the opportunity to share updates and participated in discussion of Florida’s SB 264 during the Q&A. Edgar explained that NAPABA represents more than 80,000 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students across the United States, with additional Canadian affiliates. Each year, NAPABA convenes members in a different host city for its annual convention. The 2025 gathering took place in Denver, Colorado, and was NAPABA’s second-largest convention ever, with over 2,800 attendees. He noted that last year’s Seattle convention reached a record 3,400 attendees and featured Governor Gary Locke as an opening speaker. Edgar highlighted several elements of the Denver convention that intersect with current civil rights issues. Responding to earlier panel discussion about the federal Community Relations Service (CRS), he noted that CRS — often called “the nation’s peacemakers” — has historically had four directors of Asian American descent: Grand Lum, Rose Ochi, Justin Locke, and Julius Nam. Grand Lum participated in a Denver panel on alternative dispute resolution. Edgar also connected other speakers’ points to NAPABA’s recent work, noting, for example, that NAPABA included the Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American WWII veterans as part of its 2018 lobby-day agenda. NAPABA’s continuing legal education offerings at the convention spanned more than 43 breakout sessions covering emerging and specialized practice areas, including artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, healthcare law, tariffs, and even Asian American leadership in the outdoor and skiing industries — a nod to the Colorado setting. From this broad program, Edgar emphasized several civil rights sessions that were most relevant to the APA Justice audience. These included programming on birthright citizenship, such as a reenactment of the landmark Wong Kim Ark case; discussions about discrimination against Pacific Islander women; sessions addressing sexual violence; and a program on language access in the wake of the recent rescission of the Clinton-era executive order guaranteeing federal language-access services. The convention also explored book bans and the erosion of intersectional identities in public education and discourse. Edgar personally moderated a panel on immigration enforcement featuring Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He summarized the panel’s key conclusion: the central issue currently shaping immigration outcomes is “discretion,” particularly the growing use of negative discretion across U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and other parts of the federal immigration system. He stressed that, beyond ICE, these shifts have implications for refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable communities — especially in the context of the recent shooting in Washington, D.C., which has further intensified national debate over immigration policy and public safety. The convention also featured a major plenary session with Justice Goodwin Liu of the California Supreme Court and Ajay Mehrotra of the American Bar Foundation. They discussed the “Portrait Project,” a data-driven analysis of AANHPI representation in the legal profession and the barriers that impede career advancement. The research identifies three persistent barriers: lack of mentorship, limited networking infrastructure, and insufficient development of soft skills that are rarely taught in law school but crucial to professional success. Edgar emphasized that first-generation lawyers in particular face challenges in navigating these unwritten rules of the legal profession, and that part of NAPABA’s mission is helping to close these gaps. He also noted that NAPABA honored several Trailblazers this year, including Committee of 100 member Alan Tse and Rutgers Law Professor Rose Cuison-Villazor, both widely recognized for their leadership and contributions to civil rights and legal scholarship. The convention concluded with a gala featuring an in-depth conversation between actor Rich Ting and journalist Katie Fang — a session Edgar described as especially compelling. Looking ahead, Edgar announced that the next NAPABA convention will take place in Los Angeles, where attendance could reach 5,000 members. He invited APA Justice participants and interested community members to follow upcoming announcements about the 2026 program. 7. Q&A and Discussions 8. Next Meeting The next monthly meeting will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026, starting 1:55 pm ET/10:55 am PT Back View PDF December 1, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Page not found. (Error 404) Double check the website address and retype it in the address bar—or return to homepage. Back to Homepage

Just a minute, we’re fixing something here. (Error 500) We hope to be back online very soon.

August 2024 Monthly Meeting Summary 2024/08/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting APA Justice Meeting – Monday, 2024/08/051:55 pm Eastern Time / 10:55 am Pacific Time 1. CAPAC Updates Speaker: Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), nisha.ramachandran@mail.house.gov Casey Lee, Policy Director for CAPAC, gave the update report. Casey expressed her thanks to Professor Franklin Tao and his wife Hong Peng for joining the press conference hosted by CAPAC Chair Judy Chu and UCA to celebrate their recent victory. CAPAC also welcomed other speakers like Peter Zeidenberg and Joanna Derman, who contributed valuable perspectives on behalf of their organizations. CAPAC remains committed to working with Professor Tao, Hong, and all our community partners to ensure justice is fully realized, including supporting Professor Tao's reinstatement to the University of Kansas. Chair Chu recently spoke at the AASF Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony. Casey congratulated Gisela Kusakawa and AASF on a successful event. Casey provided an update on the inclusion of the China Initiative language in the House Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill. The bill was marked up and passed out of committee in July, containing a provision to reestablish the China Initiative. However, the House did not put the bill up for full floor consideration before the end of July. With Congress now in recess and only 5 of the 12 appropriations bills passed in the House, the focus will be on passing a continuing resolution when Congress returns in September. This resolution will act as a stopgap funding measure until all appropriations bills are passed. During this time, CAPAC will work with Representative Grace Meng, Senator Mazie Hirono, and our community partners to urge Congressional leadership to keep the China Initiative provision out of the final CJS bill. CAPAC is actively working on this front from both a Congressional perspective and in partnership with advocacy groups. 2. Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program - Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Speaker: Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC Joanna expressed full support for Casey’s remarks and emphasized Advancing Justice | AAJC’s ongoing efforts to monitor and push back against attempts to reinstate the China Initiative. This concern is particularly directed at the language in the House version of the Commerce and Justice Appropriations report for this fiscal year. Fortunately, this language does not appear in the Senate version, so there is hope for a favorable outcome during the conference. AAJC is in close contact with CAPAC and other supportive offices and will provide updates as the appropriations process advances. AAJC is tracking the Department of Treasury’s proposed rulemaking, which would add 59 military installations under the jurisdiction of CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States). AAJC is considering submitting a comment to urge the Federal Government to maintain protections against discrimination based on national origin. They advocate targeting enforcement appropriately, focusing on actions that genuinely implicate national security rather than subjecting individuals to suspicion based on their heritage. AAJC is coordinating with coalition partners, including NIAC, to ensure aligned and mutually supportive comments. AAJC recently participated in a press briefing on Professor Tao’s legal victory, applauding the overturned conviction in his case. 3. Update from Asian American Scholar Forum Speaker: Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org Gisela reported that AASF has been diligently working with allies on policy impacts while also focusing on fostering our community. The first Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony was a tremendous success with over 1,300 attendees. It was held in partnership with Stanford's Asian American Activity Center. Gisela thanked CAPAC for their opening remarks and to Casey, Lindsay, Nisha, and her team for their support. Key highlights from the symposium include bringing together some of the brightest minds and leaders in AI, life sciences, and leadership, including Nobel Prize laureates and Turing Award laureates. Notable figures such as John Hennessy, pivotal in Stanford University's development, and industry leaders like Zoom CEO Eric Yuan and AASF Leadership Council Member Diane Green, attended. Academic leaders, including Stanford University President John Levin, and public figures like Dr. Arati Prabakar, US Cabinet Member and Science Advisor to the President, also participated. The event underscored the importance of recognizing and celebrating the contributions of Asian Americans to our country, aligning with AASF’s broader policy and civil rights efforts. The AASF high school competition was a great success, encouraging students to create videos highlighting the contributions of the medal recipients, fostering a sense of belonging and understanding of Asian American history. AASF continues to work with Joanna and other civil rights partners on legislative issues, ensuring that the academic and scientific perspectives of Asian Americans are represented in the White House and federal agencies. AASF is committed to supporting Dr. Franklin Tao in rebuilding his reputation and pursuing his research dreams. AASF has opened its membership to all scholars who believe in our mission of lifting Asian American pioneers. Gisela invites everyone to join in its efforts. 4. Asian American History in Houston and Nationally Speaker: Anne S. Chao, Co-founder, Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum; Program Manager, Houston Asian American Archive, Rice University · Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA), Rice University · Friends of National Asian Pacific American Museum · 2024/07/22 Rice News: A living chronicle: Rice’s Houston Asian American Archive documents community contributions Anne S. Chao is a modern Chinese historian, and currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the Humanities at Rice University, and co-founder and manager of the Houston Asian American Archive at Rice. She is a co-founder of the FRIENDS of the National Asian Pacific American Museum, whose goal is to establish a national AAPI museum on the nation's Mall. Anne serves on the boards of the Houston Ballet, Wellesley Colleges, the National Archives Foundation, the Dunhuang Foundation among others. Anne gave her report with a 12-slide presentation located here: https://bit.ly/3WxVzPg . At Rice University, Anne established the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) 15 years ago, recognizing that Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., and it yet lacked records of Asian American lives. Distribution of the Asian American population in the Greater Houston area is visualized by the heat map below. The county in the Southwest quadrant of this map is Fort Bend County. It has almost a parity of 25% Anglo, 25% African American, 25% Asian American, and 25% Hispanic. No other county in the country has the same parity. Rice University students began interviewing people, collecting memorabilia, conducting podcasts, making video clips, and exploring different aspects of Asian American lives. HAAA now has about 500 interviews along with various awards, performances, and exhibits. Among those interviewed as part of a multicultural and multifaceted Asian Houston were · Teresa and Peter Chang. Theresa Chang is a judge and at one time the highest placed Asian American woman in the Republican Party. Her husband, Peter Chang, is a cardiologist. · Dr. Vipul Mankad as part of a huge collection of South Asian interviews. · Donna Cole’s father was in the 442nd regiment in World War II. She and her friends created the Go for Broke Foundation that led to Congress awarding the Gold Medal of Honor posthumously to these veterans of Japanese ancestry. · Harry Gee Jr. is a prominent immigration lawyer. The Gee family has made huge contributions to Houston and beyond. · Leroy Chiao is a Chinese American astronaut. · Lakshmy Parameswaran founded Daya, Inc., which serves South Asian victims of family violence. · World-renowned Professor of Physics Paul Chu, and · Many others of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, and others of diverse ethnicities. Anne told the story of the Gee family network in Houston. The Gee name may also be spelled as Zhu, Jee, and Chu. Many of them originate from Taishan and Kaiping counties in Guangdong Province in Southern China. One of Anne’s students created a Gee family network chart, from which a curriculum was developed for the Asia Society. A Voice of America reporter just interviewed the Gee family members about the curriculum. A book is in the works. Harry Gee Jr.’s father came to Houston as a restaurant owner. Harry Gee Jr.’s cousin, Albert Gee, was also a charismatic restaurateur who parlayed his business success into social and political success by contributing to Richard Nixon and John Connally campaigns respectively and also entertained celebrities such as Bob Hope. Switching to the national scene, Anne pointed out that the African American Museum is already part of the Smithsonian collection on the national mall. The Latino American Museum and the History of Women’s Museum are in the pipeline. We are missing the Asian Pacific American Museum. Congresswoman Grace Meng introduced H.R. 3525 in 2021 to create a commission to study the feasibility of creating an Asian Pacific American Museum. It became public law in June 2022. There are eight commissioner positions. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders and the House Majority and Minority Leaders each appoint two commissioners. There are two vacancies at this time, but the commission cannot start work until all eight are present. They have 18 months to produce a report to Congress on the feasibility of an Asian Pacific American Museum. The commissioners are volunteers. They do not have actual funding. Only one of the current commissioners, Dr. Jay Xu, who is the Director of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, has actual museum knowledge and experience. Handel Lee, Debbie Schon, and Anne co-founded a non-profit organization called the Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum to fast track the effort. All three have served on the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Advisory Board. Their goal is to champion the cause, as well as to mobilize, support, fundraise, supply a blueprint, and coordinate the efforts. It has engaged many museum experts and museum fundraisers. They are in the process of creating a group of academics as well as organizations around the country to talk about what to put in the museum. 5. Remarks by Professor Franklin Tao and Hong Peng Speakers: Franklin Tao 陶丰, former Professor of Kansas University, Victim of China Initiative; Hong Peng 彭鸿, Wife of Professor Tao · APA Justice: Franklin Tao 陶丰 · 2024/07/24 South China Morning Post: Chinese-born scientist in US tells of ‘fear and desperation’ from Trump-era convictions · 2024/07/24 美国中文网: “中国行动计划”受害者陶丰教授国会发声 · 2024/07/11 美國華人聯盟 UCA: 快讯 | 华裔学者陶丰胜诉，联邦上诉法院推翻定罪 · 2024/07/11 Reuters: Kansas researcher wins reversal of conviction in Trump-era China probe It was a deeply emotional day for Professor Franklin Tao to speak for the first time at the APA Justice meeting. He thanked his family, lawyers Peter Zeidenberg and Michael Dearington, thousands of GoFundMe donors, brothers and sisters from his church, and the unwavering support from CAPAC, United Chinese Americans, Asian American Scholar Forum, APA Justice, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Committee of 100, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance, Alliance for Impact, and many other organizations. Professor Tao’s ordeal has lasted nearly five years. From the day of his arrest on August 21, 2019, to the day the 10th Circuit Court acquitted him of the last count, it has been 1,786 days—each one filled with fear and desperation. A false accusation from a lying whistleblower led to Professor Tao’s arrest under the China Initiative. Professor Tao said he is not a spy, and he should never have been arrested. He was indicted on 10 felony counts. Thanks to his dedicated lawyers, Professor Tao and his wife fought the charges and ultimately prevailed. On July 11, the final count was acquitted. However, this victory is bittersweet. Throughout this ordeal, Professor Tao has lost almost everything. His academic career, built over 20 years of hard work and 16-hour days, has been destroyed. The legal battle was extremely expensive, costing $2.3 million. He and his wife borrowed from friends, tapped into their retirement savings, and raised over $800,000 through GoFundMe. Despite all these efforts, they are still $1.1 million in debt, and he has had no income for the past four years, leaving his family nearly bankrupt. In July 2020, Professor Tao had an agreement with Kansas University (KU) stating that no action would be taken until the conclusion of criminal proceedings. However, KU terminated him in January 2023 before the conclusion of these proceedings. This was a breach of the agreement. Professor Tao appealed because he is innocent of all the allegations. He has proven his innocence, but he has lost his job. He is now focused on regaining his faculty position at KU. In the past few years while he was fighting his case, Professor Tao published 30 papers and retained the capability of working as a faculty member. Hong Peng followed her husband’s talk to share her story. It is a story marked by suffering and injustice, but ultimately ending in a victory for justice. It was very, very hard to live under the dark clouds of injustice for almost five years. Franklin lost his career and nearly everything. Hong had to work long hours, multiple jobs in different hospitals to help her family survive. She could not count how many times she had to work 24 hours straight, how many times she had to pull off the highway to find a gas station to take a short nap or use cold water to wash her face to stay awake. Sometimes she felt so desperate that she cried in her car after work, questioning why this was happening to Franklin and her family. Then she had to wipe away her tears and moved on. She had to tell herself to stay strong for her husband, their kids, and their family. She deeply regrets how this affects their children who are twins. This all began on their first day of high school. They were followed by a drone that the FBI used to surveil them from the moment they got into the car until the moment they got out at curbside and walked into the school. Their son often cried alone in his room because he did not want his parents to worry. Their daughter had to see a psychologist to cope with the trauma. Before they started college last year, her son said to Hong, “mom, don’t worry about us. We are going to start our new life in college. We are going to be fine. There were times before both of us thought about suicide.” Her heart breaks whenever she thinks about how much this has impacted their kids. Franklin was treated as a criminal when he was innocent. He became extremely depressed and had trouble sleeping and eating. From time to time before he slept, he would say “I almost wish I could just fall asleep and never wake up again. Then I wouldn’t need to think about all of this.” She was heartbroken to witness her loved one suffer so much because of this injustice. Physically, mentally, and financially Hong had to be the center of resource and support for her family. She was so drained. One time that she got off the highway and was completely out. She did not know where she was, but it was the road she drove to work daily. It was scary because she could not afford to be sick. She had to be there for her family. Justice finally prevailed with the 10th Circuit Court acquitted the last count against Franklin on July 11. This victory could not have been possible without the tremendous support they received from the organizations, community, family, friends, legal team, and countless individuals. Hong and Franklin are eternally grateful for the compassion and belief in the truth that were shown to them. In conclusion, Hong and Franklin look forward to Kansas University to reinstate Franklin, starting a new chapter in their lives and to a future where justice is not just a concept but reality for all. 6. Kansas Conference of the American Association of University Professors (KCAAUP) Speakers: · Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, Committee A Co-Chair, Kansas Conference of the American Association of University Professors (KCAAUP) · Rob Catlett, Committee A C-Chair, KCAAUP · Kansas Conference of the American Association of University Professors The Kansas Conference of the AAUP is a collection of individual chapters from a variety of institutions of higher education from around the state of Kansas. All of the officers are volunteers with many being trained at the national level in University Governance. The Conference regularly handles issues regarding denial of due process, governance, tenure adjudication and dismissal. With more than 400 AAUP members state-wide, the Conference is the only state-wide body representing all faculty members. Kansas University (KU) Professor Ron Barrett-Gonzalez spoke about his role with KCAAUP and recent meeting with a KU administrator. Emporia State University Professor Rob Catlett followed Ron with his comments. Committee A at the national, state, or local level frequently handles cases of significant injustice done to a faculty member. It is well aware of Dr. Tao’s case, monitoring it with great anticipation. It is overjoyed at his complete exoneration. The next goal is to have him reinstated. Ron and Rob chose to meet with a KU administrator who oversees discrimination cases on campus, attempting to use persuasion for the KU administration to do the right thing. As many would undoubtedly agree, Dr. Tao’s case is one of clear discrimination based on national origin which is not allowed at many levels, certainly not within university rules. It is un-American and unethical. Ron and Rob went into the meeting with the spirit that and the gentlest persuasion and the primary goal of reinstating Dr. Tao without any great fanfare. Ron and Rob made it clear that there is a golden window of opportunity to correct a wrong. There are some bad actors who discriminate against people of color and by national origin. Some of them are above the university administration in the Board of Regents and State Capitol. During their meeting with the KU administrator, Ron and Rob laid out a plan that includes an ideal time to reinstate Dr. Tao in the last week of October when the nation’s focus will be on the elections at all levels. The KU administrator paid close attention to the plan, took detailed notes, and promised to come back to Ron and Rob and let them know on August 19. As a president once told Kansans, “Speak softly but carry a big stick,” Ron and Rob also made clear that there are non-trivial sticks in this case. KU has a brand-new KU Faculty Union, which was voted in with 87% approval. If the university administration does not do the right thing, the union would make this a cause célèbre and a rallying cry, including media attention and protests below the Provost’s office or the Chancellor's office. It would also help with membership drive and strengthen union membership. As he heard from Dr. Tao and Hong about the injustice they faced at the monthly meeting, Ron was crying inside for them, as we all were. The injustice for a governmental entity taking private property without compensation and due process has been backed up with decisions in several cases at the 10th Circuit Court with decisions and rulings as recently as 2022. Rob is an economist. He followed Ron by commenting that there is reason for hope. He and Ron have worked with this administrator on another case before with success. She was effective. It involved another Chinese scholar. Oftentimes people have a hard time uttering the words “I was wrong” in one sentence. One of the lessons learned by Rob at the AAUP Summer Institute is that in a high profile battle, he would like to have two winners. In this case, KU can have its scholar back, and Dr. Tao can have his job back. 7. Q&A and Discussions 8. Next Meeting Monday, September 2, 2024, is Labor Day, a federal holiday.Next monthly meeting will be held on Monday, September 9, 2024, starting 1:55 pm ET/10:55 am PT Back View PDF August 5, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

January 8, 2024, Monthly Meeting 2024/01/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting APA Justice Meeting – Monday, 2024/01/081:55 pm Eastern Time / 10:55 am Pacific Time 1. Remarks by Congresswoman Judy Chu Speaker: Judy Chu, Member, U.S. Congress; Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Congresswoman Chu Judy represents California's 28th congressional district. She has been a member of Congress since 2009 and Chair of CAPAC since 2011. Rep. Chu kicked off the new year with her review of 2023 and a look ahead to 2024. Rep. Chu kindly expresses appreciation for the formation of the APA Justice Task Force in response to reports of racial bias and profiling of Asian Americans, particularly Chinese scientists, researchers, and engineers. They highlight the importance of the community's existence in addressing racial profiling issues. Rep. Chu acknowledges the challenges faced by the Asian American scientific and academic community and commends their leadership for raising awareness about racial profiling. She thanks the audience for their engagement, citing major wins in the past year. Her remarks cover legislative challenges, particularly bills restricting land ownership for Chinese and immigrant communities in various states. She shares instances where advocacy efforts successfully prevented discriminatory legislation in Texas but acknowledges similar laws passing in other states like Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida. Rep. Chu emphasizes the negative impact of such laws on families and realtors, citing examples of individuals affected by discriminatory land laws. She discusses joint efforts with Rep. Al Green to introduce a bill, the Preemption of Real Property Discrimination Act, at the federal level to counteract such state laws. Her speech also addresses successful advocacy against harmful language in the National Defense Authorization Act, which included xenophobic COVID conspiracy theories. Rep. Chu highlights the importance of protecting the Asian American research community and collaboration. Lastly, Rep. Chu emphasizes the need to recognize and preserve the resilient history of Asian American communities, mentioning efforts to address the historical discrimination of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 2011 and 2012. She stresses the importance of groups like APA Justice in achieving these accomplishments and outlines future priorities, including combating anti-Asian discrimination and advocating for FISA section 702 reform. A transcript of Rep. Chu’s remarks was published in Issue 229 of the APA Justice Newsletter at https://bit.ly/48AZIqx . A YouTube video of her remarks is posted at https://bit.ly/3tUixpp (11:56). 2. Report on Justice4All Protest in Miami - A Call for Unity Against Racism Speakers: · Hongwei Shang 商红伟, Co-Founder and Vice President, Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) · Haipei Shue 薛海培, President, United Chinese Americans (UCA) Hongwei Shang, co-founder and vice president of the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA), expresses gratitude for the opportunity to speak. FAAJA was established in response to SB 264, a discriminatory bill prohibiting land and property ownership by Chinese and other nationals. Over the past 8 months, FAAJA has experienced significant growth, especially after organizing a rally against SB 264 on December 16, 2023. Initially starting with a few thousand dollars from board membership fees and donations, FAAJA successfully raised around $86,000 through fundraising efforts in December. The membership increased from around 200 to nearly 500, including individuals from other states who became strong supporters. The success of the December 16 rally depended on the support of local community leaders. Key organizers met in Hongwei’s office to discuss and divide tasks, including applying for permits, renting equipment, designing promotional materials, and managing security. Local news media, including North American Economic Herald, Miami Chinese TV, and United Chinese News, supported the rally. Event flyers and rally reports were distributed by North American Economic Herald in their media network and were later reprinted by around 150 news media throughout the U.S. Sinovision and CBS also sent people over to cover the rally. Despite stormy weather, around 200 people attended the rally, making it a historical event. Attendees expressed unforgettable memories. They sang the song, We Shall Overcome, which became a constant talking point with the attendees and various news media. FAAJA thanks UCA and Haipei for their support, which facilitated the participation of keynote speakers like Congresswoman Judy Chu, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, Texas House Representative Gene Wu, attorney Clay Zhu, as well as representatives from national organizations such as NAACP, LULAC, and AREAA. The rally garnered support from various communities, including Asian American, Latin American, black, and Jewish communities, with a total of 28 organizations supporting the event. FAAJA plans to collaborate with UCA and other organizations in 2024 to continue fighting against injustice for the AAPI community. Hongwei encourages those interested in learning more about FAAJA to visit their website at Faaja.org . Haipei expresses gratitude to Congressman Judy Chu, Gene Wu, and Andrew Yang for attending the protest in Miami. Despite facing a major storm during the protest, they believe it symbolizes the challenges ahead in their fight for justice and equality. The protest drew support from various minority groups serving as a model for moving forward. Haipei acknowledges the vulnerability of the Chinese community and the challenges they will face in the next two decades, including civil rights issues and concerns about political extremism. UCA is working to launch a civil rights movement in response to these challenges, with the support of figures like Martin Luther King's son and Malcolm X’s daughter. Specifically, Haipei considers the two bills signed by Governor DeSantis - SB 264 and SB 846 - as “gifts” to the Chinese community: SB 264 for its impact on property ownership, while SB 846 bans academic collaboration with China in public universities. He believes these laws will be repealed, comparing them to the successful termination of the China initiative as in previous times. Overall, Haipei remains optimistic that the Chinese community will overcome these challenges and see better days ahead. 3. The 1882 Project and the 1882 Foundation Speakers: · Ted Gong, Executive Director of the 1882 Foundation · Martin Gold, Pro Bono Counsel, 1882 Project; Partner, Capitol Counsel, LLC Ted Gong thanks Steven, Jeremy, and Vincent for their continuous support. He acknowledges Haipei's remarks on civil rights, emphasizing the connection between immigration rights and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Ted discusses three topics. First, he provides an overview of the 1882 Foundation, which began almost 12 years ago. It could not have happened without the support of Rep. Judy Chu and Senator Scott Brown. The importance of the Senate and House resolutions in 2011 and 2012 was not just to express regret of what Congress did, but also reaffirm in writing that Congress has the responsibility to protect the rights of all people in the United States. The 1882 Foundation focuses on preserving oral histories and sites, working with school systems on lesson plans and curriculum, and collaborating with museums to spread awareness about the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Ted notes that expressing regret or apologizing for the Chinese Exclusion Act does not erase its impact. Despite commemorating the 80th anniversary of its repeal at the Library of Congress recently, issues like anti-Asian hate persist. The 1882 Foundation plans to establish a national monument at the Summit Tunnel in California to highlight the contributions of Chinese and Asian Americans. In addition to monuments, Ted emphasizes the need for national heroes, ensuring recognition for those who fought in wars. Collaborating with Martin and Jeremy, Ted aims to delve into the history of immigration laws in a comprehensive series. He sees the current immigration discussions as either too extreme or too general and seeks to initiate a detailed conversation on immigration laws with Martin providing historical insights. Martin was working with Covington & Burling when he served as pro bono counsel for the 1882 Project, which was a great joy and a great matter of professional fulfillment for him. Martin is pleased to continue on behalf of the 1882 Foundation and engage in continuing education and offers his perspective. It is important that what was done in 2011 and 2012 should not gather dust on the shelf but be a point of ongoing education for the community and for others. It is easy to focus on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, as Rep. Chu said, one of the most discriminatory acts in American history, but Martin emphasized that the act did not stand alone. In fact, there were 8 separate enactments of Congress, 2 of which were vetoed and 6 of which became public law. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the third of those pieces of legislation after 2 vetoed measures, and it was followed by legislation in 1884, 1888, 1892, 1902, and 1904 when it became permanent. It remained so until 1943 when the law was repealed in the middle of the Second World War as a war measure. Up until that point, no person of Chinese descent born anywhere in the world outside of the U.S. could become an American citizen. Whether they were born in China, or they were born in England, or in France, or anywhere in the world, it would not have made any difference. So, the law was repealed in 1943, but Congress let it sit, and it was not until 2011 in the Senate and 2012 in the House that we were able to begin to make things right with the expression of regret resolutions. The resolution of the Senate passed by unanimous consent. The resolution in the House passed under suspension of the rules. Martin and Ted sat in the gallery that day in the House when Congresswoman Chu made her floor statement, and the legislation went through. Judy Chu’s leadership in this is obvious and crucial in terms of moving a resolution through the House. It simply would not have happened without her. Martin added a word about the Senate resolution because it gets a bit less attention, but it is worthy of highlighting. The prime sponsor in the Senate was Senator Scott Brown, a Republican from Massachusetts. It is interesting to note that at the time of the sponsorship as both resolutions went in on the same day, May 26, 2011, the 2 prime sponsors were members of the minority party in their respective chambers. Now, how is it that Scott Brown got to be the sponsor in the Senate? Opposition to the Chinese exclusion laws in the Senate was centered primarily among the remnant of the Abraham Lincoln Republican Party that would be found in the northeastern United States. One of the people who opposed the Chinese exclusion legislation - all of those enactments that Martin mentioned - was the senator from Massachusetts named George Frisbie Hoar. He was a senator from 1877 until upon his death in 1904. So Senator Hoar got to see this entire history, from the time that was controversial as it was originally until the time that there was no opposition, which was true by the end of this long and sorry story. In 1902. When the last major piece of Chinese exclusion legislation went through as a renewal and expansion of the old law, he waited until the end of the debate - he was by then an elderly senator - he finally stood up and said, my problem is basically not with the terms of this legislation, my problem is with the principle of this legislation. I believe everybody should be treated equally. As this legislation violates that principle, I am bound to record my protest, if I stand alone. The bill passed 76 to one. He stood alone. So Martin sat in Scott Brown's office where he had pictures of former senators from Massachusetts, including George Frisbie Hoar. Martin said to Senator Brown, we need to get this resolution introduced. If you stand in his shoes and in their shoes, it will have a place to go. Senator Brown did not hesitate. He agreed to sponsor the resolution. Then Senator Feinstein of California came along as the first Democrat. The 1882 Project began to accumulate co-sponsors. By the time it got to the original sponsor list, there were 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans. “When we were able to move to the Senate floor on October 6, 2011, we had strong bipartisan support,” Martin said. “We discharged the Senate Judiciary Committee. We passed the legislation by unanimous consent.” In the House, that came the following year. That is a foundation that builds upon a very long story that Martin will tell in education sessions. Again, it would not have happened without people of goodwill like Scott Brown. And it would not have happened without people of goodwill and leadership like Judy Chu. 4. China Focus, the Carter Center, and Conference for 45th Anniversary of U.S.-China Relations Speaker: Dr. Yawei Liu 刘亚伟, Senior Advisor, China Focus, Carter Center Yawei reported that the Carter Center was founded in 1982 after President Carter was involuntarily retired by the American people in 1981. Carter Center’s work in China started in the mid-1990s. President Carter was not able to visit China during his presidency because of domestic and foreign crises, but he was able to make the big decision to normalize relations with China after very long and hard negotiations with his counterpart Deng Xiaoping in China. Here in the US, but even more so in China, most experts and ordinary people give credit to Nixon and Kissinger for opening up to China, but Kissinger went to China in 1971 and Nixon went to China in 1972. It was President Carter and Deng who made the joint decision to normalize the relationship in 1978. The communique was published on December 15, 1978, and diplomatic relations were normalized on January 1, 1979. Deng Xiaoping told President Carter after he left the White House to visit China anytime he wanted. During one of the visits, President Carter asked Deng, we have a center, does China need the center to work on any projects? Deng Xiaoping referred the Carter Center to his paralyzed son who was the President of the Chinese Association for the Disabled People. That was the first project of the Carter Center in China. It offered special ed training to the teachers who were teaching at the schools for the deaf. The Carter Center also purchased an artificial limb production line from Germany for China. Starting in 1998 the Center started monitoring village elections in China. That gradually became a project the Center called promoting political reform in China. It was launched in 1998 and terminated roughly around 2012. During President Carter's visit, the new leader, Xi Jinping, told President Carter that China will not allow the Center to intervene in “domestic affairs” of China. Xi told President Carter, you are the president who normalized the relationship, so we would like you and the Center to dedicate more time and more resources on the promotion of better understanding between the two countries and the two peoples and to advance the bilateral relationship between the two countries. That was when the Center pivoted to promoting a better understanding between the two countries and how to prevent conflicts in the Pacific and in East Asia. Starting in December 2012, the inaugural Carter Center Forum on US China Relations was opened in Beijing. From 2012 to 2019, a total of 7 forums were held. President Carter attended and spoke at six of them. There was one forum in Suzhou, China, in 2016 that President Carter was not able to travel to China at that time. The pandemic started around January 2019. On the 40th anniversary of the normalization of US-China relations, the Forum was held at the Carter Center from January 17 through 19. By that time, the relationship was already in a downward spiral. The Carter Center was the only US based organization that organized such a meeting to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the normalization of US-China relations. The pandemic hit. During the pandemic, forums were held virtually. This year is the first In-person forum on US-China relations after the pandemic to be held at the Carter Center. This is also the first time the forum is named the Jimmy Carter Forum on US-China Relations. There will be a large contingent of Chinese speakers from universities and think tanks. There will also be many American experts. There will also be subnational government representatives. Vincent, Jeremy, and Steven committed to visit the Center and attend the Forum on January 9 and 10. The Carter Center is again the only US-based organization, at least for now, to have such a meeting in the US. The current atmosphere is such that most of the think tanks and the international NGOs are concerned that if they do something to commemorate the normalization of US China relations, you will be perceived to be pro-China. In the US, the Carter Center is criticized as being too pro-China because President Carter normalized the relationship. He really implemented Nixon's engagement policy. But because of that, it is being attacked by members of the congressional delegation from Georgia as being too soft on China as well as colluding with the Chinese Communist Party. In China, the Carter Center is not getting along very well with the Chinese government because they believe the Carter Center is trying to promote human rights and political reform in China. The Carter Center is accused of trying to sabotage the Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy and to overthrow the regime. The Carter Center is blacklisted in China. The Carter Center has a mission, and the mission is that Americans need to have a more objective view of China and the Chinese need to have a more informed perception of the United States. Misperception leads to miscalculations and miscalculations lead to wrong decisions that can easily lead to a conflict between these two countries. So, one of the missions of the Carter Center is waging peace, and the most important mission for China Focus at the Carter Center is to wage peace between the 2 countries through better understanding of each other, through communicating with each other, through recommendations on mechanisms through which the relationship can be stabilized. 5. Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program - Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC Speaker: Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC Joanna provided updates from AAJC on its ongoing priorities and upcoming events. First, as Rep. Judy Chu mentioned, AAJC uplifted the discriminatory Rounds Amendment that was stripped from the final version of the NDAA. The Rounds Amendment, if enacted, would have effectively prohibited foreign citizens including Chinese citizens from purchasing various forms of US land and it would have been very much in line with the resurgence of the so-called alien land laws that we are seeing at the state level. Our collective advocacy, including many on the call, paid off in that regard. Second, a four-month extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was included in the NDAA which was signed by President Joe Biden. This means that we have a bit of a longer runway to do advocacy and education around the merits of the House Judiciary Committee FISA reform bill. AAJC looks forward to working with all concerned organizations and individuals to ensure the strongest and most reform-minded piece of FISA legislation will receive floor consideration, probably sometime in February or early March. Third, senators on both sides of the aisle are considering extreme permanent changes to US immigration law in exchange for Ukraine aid. These harmful immigration policy proposals include gutting the asylum system, locking up more immigrants and families in detention, and expedited removals that would endanger undocumented people across the country. If passed, this would be devastating for our communities, Asian migrants, undocumented Asian Americans, and mixed status families. Multiple organizations including AAJC organized an in-person protest march in Washington DC on January 9, 2024. 6. Update from Asian American Scholar Forum Speaker: Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org Eri Andriola, Associate Director of Policy & Litigation for AASF, substituted for Gisela who was on leave and travel. Eri provided the following updates from AASF. First, AASF is monitoring the impacts of Florida's SB 846 that Haipei mentioned earlier. This law restricts Florida's public colleges and universities from hiring researchers and graduate assistants from several “countries of concern,” which include China and Iran. As AASF is looking to learn more about the impact of this law, Eri asks that scholars or students who are affected reach out to Gisela at gpkusakawa@aasforum.org and Eri at eandriola@aasforum.org . Florida's SB 846 restricts grants and partnerships collaborating on research projects as well as sharing research data with individuals and entities from the 7 countries of concern without prior approval. To get approval, educational institutions are required to submit a form to the state board of governors who then determine whether the partnership or agreement is valuable to the students in the institution and not detrimental to the safety or security of the United States or its residents. According to the guidance that is implementing the law, it does not apply to student enrollment, but there is a significant share of international graduate researchers from China and Iran at Florida's public universities such as the University of Florida. This is yet another attempt to scapegoat Asian Americans and Chinese American immigrants in particular as national security threats and appearing tough on China. The bill would chill research collaboration and open science and AASF is in the process of creating a brief explainer for the community. Gisela recently spoke with the New York Times on this issue: https://nyti.ms/421rWrZ Second, during last month's meeting, AASF lifted up a sign-on opportunity for a letter that AASF led with coalition partners to Congress on opposing language to reinstate the Department of Justice's China initiative in a house appropriations bill and any future iterations of the initiative. 48 organizations joined the letter that was submitted on December 7. The letter highlighted the lasting harms to scholars targeted, as well as the chilling effect on Asian American scholars and their leadership in science and technology. Eri expressed thanks to those who joined the letter and showed their strong support. Gisela was quoted in a recent NPR report about the attempt to revive the China Initiative here: https://bit.ly/3SlJ8p0 . Third, Eri also expressed thanks to APA Justice for co-hosting a community briefing webinar on Section 702 on December 12. The briefing featured civil rights, national security, and policy experts, who broke down what Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is and how it impacts Asian American communities. Noah Chauvin, Joanna YangQing Derman, Gisela Perez Kusakawa, and Andy Wong discussed the key reform bills at play, including the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GSRA) and the Protecting Liberty and Ending Warrantless Surveillance Act (PLEWSA), and how the Asian American community and advocates can get involved on this issue. Video of the webinar is posted here: https://bit.ly/3O4Lw0v (YouTube video 59:22). Back View PDF January 8, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter