In 2025, Texas enacted a law restricting nationals from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from buying or renting property in the state. For Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, it was a rallying cry.
Speaking at AAPI Equity Alliance’s 50th-anniversary policy summit, Wu argued that the law illustrates why Asians need to come together and speak up.
Though Senate Bill 17 carves out exemptions for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, Wu warned that anyone who appears Asian could face unwarranted scrutiny — and that the legislation opens the door to racial profiling.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” he told attendees. “The idea that Asians will be protected if we stay quiet no longer works.”
Wu, chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, was among Democratic lawmakers in Texas who broke quorum last year, leaving the state in protest over Republican-drawn congressional maps they said harmed minority voters. He urged the audience to prioritize community engagement and voter education as the pillars of political power.
Rising fear within AAPI community
His message resonated with the audience. The May 21 event at the California Science Center in Los Angeles drew representatives from community organizations, policy advocates, legal experts and civic engagement leaders.
Among them was Mariko Khan, who sits on the board of Cambodia Town in Long Beach. She said she arrived feeling hopeless and overwhelmed but left with a renewed sense of empowerment. “There are things each of us can do,” she said.
For Khan—born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Chinese American GI—deportations are a key concern in the Cambodian community. Many Cambodian immigrants came to the United States as refugees and have lived here for decades as lawful permanent residents under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). As the Trump administration escalates its immigration crackdown, there are rising fears that Cambodians will be targeted.
In February Rep. Judy Chu, who represents parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, introduced the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act of 2026. The bill would halt the detention and removal of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese refugees who arrived in the US before 2008.
Joe Takurabi is the shelter manager at the Center for the Pacific Asian Family, which works to combat domestic and sexual violence in API communities. She echoed Khan, saying residents are experiencing greater fear in this current climate. Clients are “much more frightened,” she noted, adding there is a growing hesitancy to seek help because of the stepped-up immigration enforcement.
Discussing a rise in arrests, detentions, and deportations of Asian immigrants, panelists stressed that immigration enforcement is not solely a Latino issue but a pressing concern within AAPI communities. They also addressed policy responses, including limits on cooperation with ICE enforcement, requirements that masked agents identify themselves, the creation of “ICE-free zones” on state-owned property, the regulation of private detention facilities, and limits on data sharing between local and federal governments.
Safeguarding voting, civil rights
Andy Wong of Chinese for Affirmative Action warned that there was not enough sustained organizing. “Campaigns treat our communities as an afterthought. They assume persuasion can happen instantly,” he said, emphasizing the value of doing year-round civic work to build trust in the community.
Chandra Bhatnagar, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California, identified voting rights and civil rights protections as key issues in this year’s elections. He cited the need to strengthen the California Voting Rights Act, which would enshrine voting rights protections into state law.
His remarks came as the Supreme Court recently struck down a key provision of the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act; a ruling critics say undoes decades of progress on advancing voting rights and representation.
Bhatnagar also pointed to SB 1105, which would prevent local police from assisting federal immigration agents in operations that violate constitutional rights. And he urged close attention to a voter ID measure that could appear on the ballot this fall, warning it would suppress participation among historically marginalized groups.
Democracy in action
The summit was held under the theme “AAPI Power: Democracy in Action,” and served as an opportunity to assess the political and social landscape facing AAPI communities ahead of the midterms.
It also marked a new chapter for AAPI Equity Alliance—which began 50 years ago under the moniker “Asian Lunch Bunch,” and has since grown into a community advocacy organization supporting 50 member groups.
During the event organizers announced the launch of the AAPI Equity Alliance Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization. Under federal tax law, a 501(c)(4) is classified as a nonprofit social welfare organization and may engage more broadly in policy advocacy, lobbying and issue-based election campaigns.
Executive director Manjusha Kulkarni said the new organization will allow the group to more actively bring AAPI policy priorities to elected officials. It would also strengthen civic engagement and policy efforts that address community concerns.
