The Big Story
RECAP—BOOKER, YANG DISCUSS ASIAN AMERICAN VOTING POWER WITH NETFLIX’S MINHAJ: Comedian Hasan Minhaj, host of the Netflix show Patriot Act, sat down with Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang to talk about the growing importance of Asian American voters. Here what you need to know…
- What happened: In the latest Patriot Act episode released Sunday, titled “Don’t ignore the Asian Vote in 2020,” Booker highlighted the critical role of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in races across the country, saying: “It’s kind of exciting, this sleeping giant in American politics is about to wake up and to really flex.”
- Yang also told Minhaj that he could not recall any attempt from politicians to appeal to AAPI voters, adding: “I think I grew up like a lot of Asian American kids like my generation, where my parents certainly didn’t emphasize American politics that much and they didn’t present it as something that my brother and I should necessarily be trying to get into ourselves.”
- According to Cory 2020’s Director of Coalitions Linh Nguyen, Booker’s segment was filmed in a Paris Baguette bakery in Edison, New Jersey. Yang’s segment was filmed in New York’s Chinatown and featured rare interviews with AAPI voters. The episode was pitched by Patriot Act’s News Associate Producer Amy Zhang.
- Why this matters: The timely Patriot Act episode comes as AAPI activists are renewing calls for improved representation and political coverage of Asian Americans. A coalition of 23 community nonprofit organizations, led by the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), signed onto a letter to MSNBC president Phil Griffin last month raising concerns about the network’s “lack of coverage of Andrew Yang,” and author Marie Myung-Ok Lee outlined “idea of Asian American invisibility” in a recent Los Angeles Times op-ed.
On the Agenda
BREAKING—NY AANHPI DATA DISAGGREGATION BILL IS VETOED: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has quietly vetoed long-awaited legislation (A677 and S3662) that would require state agencies to collect and publish detailed data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander ethnic groups, according to Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (D).
- The details: Lawmakers have pushed for AANHPI data disaggregation across the country for nearly a decade with mixed results, and earlier versions of Niou’s measure were introduced in New York State as early as 2011—only to go nowhere in the legislature. But unlike previous attempts, this was the first time that the bill actually made it to the governor’s desk for signing.
- What is data disaggregation? AAPI activists argue that current data collection methods treat Asians as a homogenous group, feeding into the “model minority” stereotype while placing some communities at risk of being underserved by their local, state, and federal governments. Lawmakers like Niou say that separating the data by ethnicity helps to gain a better understanding of the different challenges and needs facing each subgroup.
TEXAS REP. ABANDONS RE-ELECTION BID OVER ‘ASIAN’ REMARKS: State Rep. Rick Miller (R-Sugar Land) will no longer run for re-election after his comments about two Asian American primary challengers, Jacey Jetton and Leonard Chan, sparked a political firestorm, the Houston Chronicle reports. Read more.
- Texas State Rep. Gene Wu, one of the only Asian Americans in the Texas legislature, called Miller’s comments “divisive, insulting, and hurtful to the growing Asian American community in Texas,” while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) rescinded his endorsement of the four-term lawmaker.
- Go deeper: Miller represents Fort Bend County, where Asian Americans make up approximately 21% of the population, NBC News’ Kimmy Yam writes. Read more.
ACTIVISTS URGE NAKAMOTO GROUP TO BREAK ICE CONTRACT: Representatives for embattled Nakamoto Group president Jennifer Nakamoto rebuffed attempts by Japanese American and immigrant rights activists to deliver a joint petition protesting the group’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Rafu Shimpo reports. Activists from Tsu for Solidarity, 18 Million Rising, and Sanctuary DMV had also attempted to bring 200 paper origami cranes “in remembrance of those who have died in ICE custody.” Read more.
PACIFIC ISLANDER CLIMATE ACTIVISTS RALLY IN PORTLAND: Hundreds of student activists are calling for city leaders to recognize the impacts of climate change facing Pacific Islanders and members of other Indigenous communities, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Monica Samayoa reports. Read more.
THE LONG READ—ASIAN AMERICANS FACING HIGH RISK OF DISPLACEMENT MOBILIZE TO FIGHT BACK: Asian Americans across the country are deploying various anti-displacement strategies to remain in and preserve their communities, NBC News Asian America’s Agnes Constante writes. 73% of poor AAPIs live in the most expensive housing markets, and low-income members face a high risk of economic displacement, according to the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development. Read more.
2020 Watch
SCOOP—HOW SANDERS’ AGENDA WORKS FOR AAPI COMMUNITIES: Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) is making a series of key commitments to AAPI voters, according to a memo on AAPI organizing shared with The Yappie.
- Among the lesser-known details put forth by the campaign, the senator will ensure that “AAPI leaders are appointed in his Cabinet and judicial posts,” the memo states. A $20 billion grant program within the Minority Business Development Agency would also be created in a Sanders administration to provide grants to entrepreneurs of color.
- On immigration, Sanders “will reinstate the Filipino Veteran Families Reunification program and work with Congress to exempt the families of Filipino WWII veterans from per-country visa caps and expedite their applications,” the campaign tells The Yappie. “We will preserve and expand traditional family visas, and provide funding to address the family visa backlog that has only worsened under the Trump administration.”
- Meanwhile… National Campaign Co-Chair Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) participated in a webinar with AAPI volunteers on Saturday as the campaign continues to build up its national Asian and Pacific Islander organizing program.
HARRIS SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN AS DEMOCRATS FACE QUESTIONS ON DIVERSITY: Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California), one of three AAPI Democratic presidential candidates, has ended her campaign after 316 days, dashing voter hopes that America could elect the first president of South Asian descent in the 2020 cycle. Harris, once considered a top contender for the party’s nomination, cited the lack of financial resources for her departure. Read more.
- Why she mattered: In November, Sen. Harris became one of the only presidential hopefuls to publish a detailed platform specifically for AAPIs and pledged to use executive action to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. She also celebrated her Indian heritage in a video with actress Mindy Kaling.
- What’s next: Harris’ surprise exit means all confirmed candidates at the next Democratic presidential debate are white. But Andrew Yang and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) could qualify if they reach 4% in the Monmouth national poll set for release on Tuesday.
AANHPI WOMEN ARE A ‘GROWING FORCE,’ REPORT SAYS: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are emerging as a potential electoral powerhouse with rising voter eligibility and participation rates, but their concerns and perspectives remain “insufficiently prioritized or disaggregated in political analyses and agenda-setting,” according to a new report released by the Center for American Progress. Read more.
ICYMI—PBS’ NAWAZ NAMED DECEMBER DEMOCRATIC DEBATE CO-MODERATOR: AAPI groups, including the ASPIRE political action committee and AAPI Progressive Action, are celebrating after PBS NewsHour and POLITICO named Pakistani American journalist Amna Nawaz one of four moderators in the upcoming Democratic presidential debate on Dec. 19. Nawaz serves as a PBS NewsHour senior national correspondent and founded NBC’s Asian America platform. Read more.
The Trump Era
BREAKING—JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP RULE ON CITIZENSHIP FEE WAIVERS: A federal judge has issued a nationwide injunction barring the implementation of a Trump administration rule that would make it harder for immigrants to qualify for citizenship application fee waivers, finding that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services failed to provide adequate notice and an opportunity for public comment, according to a press release from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. Read more.
- Some background: In October, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finalized a rule changing the standards that citizenship applicants must meet in order to qualify for a waiver of the $725 application fee, Courthouse News reports. AAPI activists argued that the move would effectively price out non-wealthy immigrant applicants and create a “pay-to-play” approach to citizenship.
- The injunction comes as AAPI nonprofits are rushing to respond to fee hikes proposed by USCIS last month that would raise the cost of applying for citizenship from $640 to $1,170. The Trump administration has also moved to eliminate fee waivers for naturalization and create unprecedented fees for some asylum seekers and participants in the DACA program, citing increased costs and declining revenue. AAPI groups are urging lawful permanent residents who have been considering applying for naturalization to begin the process immediately.
- Meanwhile… A federal appeals court in San Francisco has lifted two of four lower court injunctions against the Trump administration’s controversial “public charge” rule, which allows immigration officers to deny green cards if an applicant used certain forms of assistance. However, the rule remains blocked by courts in New York and Maryland, POLITICO reports.
MEDICARE CHIEF UNDER FIRE FOR ASKING TAXPAYERS TO COVER STOLEN JEWELRY: Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is facing calls to resign after she sought to have taxpayers reimburse her for the costs of $47,000 in stolen jewelry, clothing, and other possessions, POLITICO reports. Verma, a Trump appointee who serves as the official overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare, previously attracted scrutiny after steering millions of taxpayer dollars towards public relations contractors. Read more.
CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENT IS FREED IN U.S.-IRAN PRISONER SWAP: Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang has been released from Iranian prison as part of a prisoner swap facilitated by the Swiss government, according to the White House. Wang had been conducting research in Iran in 2016 when he was detained, accused of espionage, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Read more.
AS SCOTUS DECISION LOOMS, UNDOCUMENTED ASIANS SAY THEY MUST SPEAK UP: With the future of the Obama-era DACA program uncertain, immigration activists are making the case that undocumented Asian and Pacific Islanders need to be more open about their immigration status, the Los Angeles Times’ Anh Do reports. Read more.
- Why this matters: AAPIs represent 1 in 5 immigrants without legal papers in California, but experts say that AAPI DACA recipients remain overlooked. During oral arguments in November, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared inclined to let the Trump administration terminate DACA, which shields thousands of undocumented AAPI immigrants from deportation.
On the Hill
BREAKING—TRUMP APPEALS COURT PICK BUMATAY NEARS CONFIRMATION: The Senate has voted 47–41 to advance the nomination of Patrick Bumatay to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the nation’s largest federal appeals court. The procedural move to end debate Monday night sets up a final vote for Tuesday afternoon, and Bumatay—a member of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association—is expected to be confirmed despite opposition from both home state Democratic Senators. Read more.
UPDATE—SENATE GREENLIGHTS AANAPISI FUNDING, HOUSE TO VOTE TODAY: The Senate has voted to approve a bipartisan deal that would restore $255 million in critical funding for minority-serving colleges and universities, including approximately $4.5 million in grants to Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), the Washington Post reports. Read more.
- The federal dollars, which have been used to strengthen programming for low-income or first-generation AAPI students, expired in September and became subject to a months-long showdown after Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) blocked a two-year extension from moving forward. The Senate passage of an amendment to the FUTURE Act makes the funding permanent, and the full measure now returns to the House for another vote under an expedited process.
- Why AANAPISI funding matters: Half of AAPI students across the country attend an AANAPISI, according to OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, and one-third of AANAPISIs have active Asian American Studies programs. The federal government designates an institution as an AANAPISI if at least 10% of its students are AAPI (among other eligibility requirements), and Asian-serving institutions have historically struggled to attract visibility and resources compared to Hispanic-serving institutions and HBCUs.
HOUSE PANEL EXAMINES IMMIGRATION POLICY FALLOUT FOR EDUCATORS: The Trump administration’s immigration policies affecting undocumented students and those from mixed families are “creating and perpetuating unprecedented challenges” for educators and districts, according to witness testimony presented at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing last week, Education Dive reports. Read more.
ICYMI—BILL TO RESTORE VOTING RIGHTS PROTECTIONS CLEARS HOUSE: The House has voted 228–187 to approve Rep. Terri Sewell’s (D-Alabama) Voting Rights Advancement Act. The measure, which is backed by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and a slew of AAPI civil rights groups, would restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that were invalidated by the Supreme Court’s 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, Vox reports. Read more.
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