Anti-Racial Profiling
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Rejects the Signing of Discriminatory Land Law in Texas
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Washington, D.C. — On Sunday, June 22, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 (S.B. 17) into law. The measure seeks to prohibit individuals and entities from certain designated countries deemed to be risks to national security—including China—from acquiring property interests such as leases, owning homes, or purchasing land, in the state. S.B. 17 is part of a broader wave of state-level legislation across the nation aimed at reviving and enforcing outdated, discriminatory land laws that unfairly target immigrant communities and encourage racial bias.
Coalition of Over 60 Organizations Calls for Halt of Visa Revocation Policy Targeting Chinese Students Based on National Origin
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) & Stop AAPI Hate led a coalition letter representing 64 organizations addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Over 60 Organizations File Amicus Urging Courts to Heed Lessons of Japanese American Incarceration
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SAN FRANCISCO – In March, President Trump issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, against any Venezuelan national as young as 14 who the administration claims is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. In the months since, every judge except one in cases challenging the executive order has found the Trump administration's use of the Act to deport individuals without due process to be illegal.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Condemns Visa Revocations and Restrictions to Student Visa Applications
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations, condemns the Trump administration’s plan to escalate visa revocations for Chinese students and restrict future student visa applications based on overbroad and vague criteria that includes surveillance of social media posts and desire to study in specific fields. This targeted attack on Chinese students is xenophobic and harms the U.S. as a whole.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Outraged by Secretary of State Rubio’s Directive to Revoke Visas for Chinese Students
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security will work together to revoke visas for Chinese students and that visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong will be subject to enhanced scrutiny.
Advancing Justice – AAJC issues the following statement in response:
In the early 20th century, approximately 15 states implemented laws primarily designed to discourage Asian immigrants from settling permanently in the U.S. by restricting land ownership and leasing rights. Though many of these laws were later struck down or repealed, their legacy persists in modern policies that target foreign nationals from specific countries (primarily China) under the guise of national security. Last legislative session in Michigan, H.B. 4283 was introduced by State Representative Gina Johnsen as one of these discriminatory land laws, and later died in committee.
In the early 20th century, approximately 15 states—including Texas—implemented laws primarily designed to discourage Asian immigrants from settling permanently in the U.S. by restricting land ownership and leasing rights. Though many of these laws were later struck down or repealed, their legacy persists in modern policies that target foreign nationals from specific countries (primarily China) under the guise of national security. Recently legislative efforts in Texas have revived land laws in the modern context. In January 2025, Rep.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Denounces President Trump’s Attempt to Invoke the Archaic Alien Enemies Act of 1798
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations, applauds the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for temporarily blocking President Trump's attempt to invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA), an archaic and discriminatory law incompatible with our nation's foundational principles of liberty, equality, and justice for all.