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#206 9/11 Meeting; Bill Richardson/Wen Ho Lee; NO Alien Land Laws; FISA Reform; More News

In This Issue #206

  • 2023/09/11 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

  • Bill Richardson and Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和

  • Reminder: Tell Congress NO To Discriminatory Land Laws

  • Sign-On Letter: Asian Americans for FISA Reform

  • News and Activities for The Communities



2023/09/11 APA Justice Monthly Meeting


The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, September 11, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); John Yang 杨重远, President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed and invited speakers include:

  • Clay Zhu 朱可亮 (confirmed), Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所; Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance 华美维权同盟, to report on the latest developments of the lawsuit against Florida's discriminatory alien land law

  • Deborah Seligsohn (confirmed), Senior Associate (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; Assistant Professor, Villanova University on the case for US-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) https://bit.ly/3OMc8En

  • Steve Kivelson (confirmed), Prabhu Goel Family Professor of Physics Luke Blossom Professor, Stanford University, on the joint letter with Professor Peter Michelson to President Joe Biden and members of the National Security Council on renewing the STA https://bit.ly/44xTNPX 

  • Sudip Parikh (invited), Chief Executive Officer and Executive Publisher Science Family of Journals at AAAS, on moving open science, basic research, and US-China collaboration forward in today's environment.

  • Ting Wu (invited), Advisor, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Office of the Chief of Staff, The White House, on the letter to the President and more

The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.orgOn August 24, 2023, Stanford University Professors Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson sent a letter to President Joe Biden and the Members of the US National Security Council to  express their strong support for renewing the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology, which was signed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping on January 31, 1979.  Their letter was endorsed by over 1,000 faculty and scholars from many US universities including multiple Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academies, and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Read the letter: https://bit.ly/44xTNPX.  Read the APA Justice coverage: https://bit.ly/3E9NmI8



Bill Richardson and Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和


On September 1, 2023, Bill Richardson, 75, passed away in Chatham, Massachusetts.  He was a Member of US House of Representatives (1983-1997), US Ambassador to the United Nations (1997-1998), Secretary of Energy (1998-2001), and Governor of New Mexico (2003-2011).Born in Pasadena, California, in 1947 to a Spanish-born mother and a Nicaraguan-born father, Bill Richardson grew up in Mexico City before attending boarding school in Massachusetts.  In 2002, he became the only Hispanic leader of a US state when he won the New Mexico governorship.By any measure, Bill Richardson was an extraordinary American politician and diplomat.  He won admiration for his commitment to securing the release of US citizens detained around the world, including journalists Laura Ling 凌志美 (Lisa Ling 凌志慧's sister) and Euna Lee 유나리 from North Korea in 2009 and basketball star Britney Griner from Russia last year.  In 2011 he launched his non-profit foundation, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, where he renewed his work seeking the release of detained Americans.  He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times.Bill Richardson's tenure as Secretary of Energy was marred by the prosecution of Dr. Wen Ho Lee 李文和, a Chinese American nuclear physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory who was wrongly accused of spying for China.  Dr. Lee was later cleared of espionage charges and released with an apology from Judge James Parker, who passed away last year.  Eventually, Dr. Lee won a $1.6 million settlement against the federal government and several news outlets for the accusation.  While admitting to making some mistakes, Bill Richardson did not apologize for his role in the matter which remains a deep wound in the Asian American community.In a LinkedIn post, Parag Mehta, a staff member of the first White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) under the Clinton Administration in 1999, recalls his experience in working with Bill Richardson to draft an “apology” he could use in his confirmation hearings for Secretary of Commerce under the Obama Administration. Parag Mehta tried three times to craft language for the Governor.  Each time, he was rebuffed because Bill Richardson did not want to use words like “sorry” or “apologize.”  The issue became moot when he withdrew his nomination.

Dr. Jeremy Wu, Founder and Co-Organizer for APA Justice, served as National Ombudsman and Director of the Office of the Ombudsman under Secretary Bill Richardson at the Department of Energy.

References and Links:



Reminder: Tell Congress NO To Discriminatory Land Laws


On August 25, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put out a call for the public to tell Congress: Say NO to Discriminatory Land Laws."Dangerous laws are being introduced at the state and federal level right now that use 'national security' as an excuse to discriminate against immigrants from China. In Florida, for example, Governor DeSantis has banned many Chinese immigrants from buying a house in much of the state – a move that is both unconstitutional and unfortunately, not new."This type of 'alien land law' should sound alarm bells for all of us. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, to the ongoing post-9/11 surveillance of Black and Brown communities – we’ve seen how such racist policies created under the guise of 'national security' are racist and used to scapegoat entire communities."We cannot allow history to repeat itself: Tell your Members of Congress to speak out against any law that falsely equates Chinese people with the Chinese government."Thanks to ACLU, take one easy step to tell Congress NO to discriminatory land laws at https://bit.ly/3qRsFOh



Sign-On Letter: Asian Americans for FISA Reform


Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) are reaching out to request your support for a critical issue that impacts our Asian American community – reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which will expire at the end of this year unless Congress reauthorizes it. AAJC/AASF/CAA have included a draft letter (see link: https://bit.ly/3RbMIlh) that is set to be shared with members of Congress regarding the urgent need for FISA reform. This letter highlights the concerning history of how Asian Americans have been disproportionately affected by national security programs that have often been fueled by bias, prejudice, and unchecked surveillance. The proposed reforms in the letter seek to ensure that such abuses do not continue and that our communities are treated fairly and justly.As a partner who shares concerns for the well-being and protection of our Asian American community, AAJC/AASF/CAA request your support by signing onto this letter by completing the sign-on form. The deadline to sign on is Thursday, September 7, at 5:00pm ET.For more information on FISA reform, check out the following resources: 

  • Advancing Justice-AAJC on FISA Section 702 reform (https://bit.ly/464ca0l)

  • APA Justice webinar: "Perils of Warrantless Surveillance - The Case for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Reform" (https://bit.ly/44ZCJ6o)

  • Foreign Affairs article: “The Coming Fight Over American Surveillance What’s at Stake as Congress Considers FISA Reform” (https://bit.ly/3sGhQPN)

 If you have questions about subsequent strategies surrounding Congressional outreach or require further information, please reach out to Andy Wong (CAA/Stop AAPI Hate) at andywong@caasf.org or Joanna Derman (AAJC) at jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org.If you know a scholar who has been directly impacted and surveilled, please reach out to Gisela Perez Kusakawa at gpkusakawa@aasforum.org at AASF, which seeks to provide a voice to the Asian American and scholar community. 



News and Activities for The Communities


1.  Current US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns Meets Former US Ambassador to China Gary Locke

In a continuing series by the US mission in China,  Ambassador Nicholas Burns meets with Ambassador Gary Locke 骆家辉, the first Chinese-American Ambassador to China.

  • Part 1.  Ambassador Gary Locke shares what democracy means to him and reflects on government “of the people, by the people, for the people” (2:04)

  • Part 2.  Ambassador Gary Locke was not only the first Chinese American to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China, but also the first Chinese American governor in the continental U.S. He shares his experiences growing up and reflects on his decision to run for office.  The United States is a nation of immigrants, and our diversity is a source of strength. (2:29)

  • Part 3.  Ambassador Gary Locke talks about how his immigration story and the greater story of U.S. immigration relates to democracy. (2:37)

  • Part 4.  Ambassador Gary Locke on how Americans and our government should promote democracy and democratic values in the world. (2:18)

  • Part 5.  Former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke on why he is optimistic about the future of democracy globally and the potential of democratic values to elevate people all around the world. (1:41)

Gary Locke is Chair of the Committee of 100 百人会.  Watch Volume 4 of the series with Gary Locke: https://bit.ly/3PaKkZt


2. KTSF-TV26 Chinese Journal: Roles and Responsibilities of San Francisco FBI Field Office

San Francisco FBI Field Office Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp and Supervisory Special Agent L. Wu were interviewed in the Chinese Journal 華人叢刋 program by KTSF-TV26.  They discussed their roles and responsibilities, including matters such as national security, interaction with local law enforcement, human trafficking, financial fraud, and anti-Asian hate crimes.  The San Francisco Field Office has 800 agents and staff members.  It is one of 56 FBI field offices across the country.  The interview was conducted in Cantonese and English.


3. 2023/09/19 Is National Voter Registration Day

September 19, 2023, is National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) .  Volunteers and organizations from all over the country will hit the streets in a single day of coordinated field, technology, and media efforts to register as many eligible voters as possible. Since 2012, over 5 million Americans have been registered to vote through NVRD efforts. APIAVote has long been a partner of NVRD, and will partner again this year.Join APIAVote on Thursday September 7 at 4pm EST to learn more about NVRD and how to implement a successful voter engagement program so we can mobilize AAPIs to the polls and display our collective power across the country. Register for the event: apia.vote/NVRD2023.APA Justice has also posted the event at its newly created Community Calendar: https://bit.ly/45KGyga


4.  Motion Denied: Yanping Chen 陈燕平 vs FBI et al

Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 brought a Privacy Act lawsuit against multiple federal agencies and personnel for allegedly leaking information to journalist Catherine Herridge, who published a series of investigative reports about Chen’s affiliations with the Chinese military on Fox News Network in 2017. After discovery failed to identify the source of the alleged leak, Chen issued subpoenas to Herridge and Fox.  Both non-parties then moved to quash these subpoenas on the grounds that requiring them to divulge their source or sources violated the First Amendment’s qualified privilege for journalists and a federal common law newsgathering privilege. Last month, the District Court partially denied Herridge’s motion and permitted Chen to depose her.  Herridge responded by requesting that the Court certify that order for interlocutory appeal under 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) and stay the order pending appeal. On September 6, 2023, the Court denies Herridge's motions.Read APA Justice coverage of the case of Dr. Yanping Chen: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Yanping_Chen


September 7, 2023

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