Asian Americans have a reason to celebrate Black History Month

Artists: Alex Chiu & Viva La Free

A mural at the Portland Chinatown Museum reads "We are hee as immigrants because Black freedom fiighters in the Civil Rights Movement fought for us to exist in this land."

If you’ve ever looked at the vibrant, diverse tapestry of Asian America today and wondered, "How did we get here?"—the answer isn't just found in a travel agency. It’s found in the streets of Selma, the lunch counters of Greensboro, and the halls of a Congress finally forced to reckon with its own soul.

To put it plainly: The 1965 Immigration Act wouldn't have happened without the Black Civil Rights Movement. And Asian Americans would not be the fastest growing ethnic group in the US, according to the US Census. Roughly 68% of Asian American adults are first generation immigrants.

February has been designated Black History Month and all communities of color, including th AANHPI communities are indebted to the Civil Rights Movement led by Black icons like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Lewis, Rosa Parks and so many others who literally bled on the streets to gain those rights so many take for granted today.

Here is how the fight for racial justice at home cracked open the door for millions of  immigrants from Asia.

The Hypocrisy of the "Golden Door"

Before the mid-60s, the US immigration system was, frankly, a mess of institutionalized racism. Since the 1920s, we had a "national-origins quota" that was designed to keep America as white as possible. If you were from Great Britain or Germany, the door was wide open. If you were from Asia? You were essentially persona non grata.

But as the Civil Rights Movement gained steam, the optics became impossible to ignore. How could the US claim to be the leader of the "Free World" while enforcing Jim Crow at home and "Europeans Only" at the border? The movement stripped the mask off the idea that discrimination was just "the way things are."

In 1965, the same momentum that gave us the Voting Rights Act gave us the Immigration and Nationality Act (also known as Hart-Celler). It did something revolutionary for the time: it abolished those racist quotas.

Instead of looking at your skin color or your country of origin, the law shifted to two main pillars:

• Family Reunification: If you had family here, you could bring them over.

• Specialized Skills: If you were a doctor, engineer, or scientist, the US wanted your talent.

The Wave Nobody Saw Coming

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, he actually downplayed it. He said it "is not a revolutionary bill" and wouldn't "reshape the structure of our daily lives."

He was wrong.

Free from the old bans, Asian immigration didn't just grow; it exploded. We're talking about a 663% increase in just the first decade.The "Brain Drain": Highly educated professionals from India, the Philippines, and South Korea rushed to fill gaps in the American workforce.

Those higly educated professionals with specialized skills then used the "family" provision to bring their siblings, parents, and cousins.

Within the new law were provisions that eventually allowed for the influx of Southeast Asian refugees following the Vietnam War.

Before the 1960s, Asian Americans made up only 0.5% of the US population. The Act allowed for a massive increase in immigration, especially from South and Southeast Asia, growing the community to approximately 7% of the population today.

Why It matters today

It’s a powerful reminder of how interconnected our struggles are.

The Asian American community as we know it—our Chinatowns, our Manilatowns, K-towns and Japantowns, and Little Saigons, our suburban enclaves in Jersey City, Daly City and the San Gabriel Valley—those ethnic enclaves, originally born out of racial biases meant to corral us in and keep us out of other parts of the cities, are now sources of cultural pride and worthy of preservation and growth.

We are direct beneficiaries of the courage shown by Black activists who demanded that America live up to its promise of equality.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, while primarily focused on African Americans, provided legal protections against discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that applied to all people of color, including AAPI individuals. This set the stage for challenging discriminatory practices in employment, education, and public accommodation

Inspired by the Black Power movement and the fight for racial justice, young Asian Americans in the late 1960s began to unite across diverse ethnic lines (Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, etc.) to form a cohesive "Asian American" identity. This movement focused on fighting against racism, imperialism, and for social justice.

The era spurred the creation of ethnic studies programs, Asian American community organizations, and health centers, as activists demanded representation and resources tailored to their needs.

The 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage, benefited AAPI individuals who faced legal restrictions on marrying outside their race.

Unfortunately, today there are those in America feel threatened by immigrants of color. Encouraged and led by the regime of Donald Trump, the push for mass deportation isn't simply following the law; the aggressive enforcement

in too many cases federal authorities have expanded the list of "undesirable immigrants" to include those who are here legally or who are following the proper steps to eventuallly become citizens. Even US citizens have been victims of the regime's dragnet, detained for hours or months before ICE realizes its error.

There are conservative forces who would do away with the gains of the Civil Rights Movement. The US Supreme Court, once the champion of civil rights, has weakened the Voting Rights Act so that it is a shadow of itself and allowed conservative lawmakers to impose new Jim Crow-like barriers to voting. 

The Civil Rights Movement didn’t just change the law for Black Americans; it changed the very definition of who gets to be an American. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Census: AANHPI community is fastest growing group in the US but there's danger ahead

AANHPI fought for disagregated data leading up to the 2020 Census.

America's reputation as the land of opportunity and promise is taking a hit among would-be immigrants thus achieving Donald Trump's goal of the making America white again.

In addition, In a series of executive orders and policy shifts, the Trump regime has moved to fundamentally reshape how the U.S. Census Bureau counts the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community—a move advocates warn could leave the "fastest-growing" group in America both underrepresented and underfunded.

Population growth in the United States has slowed significantly with an increase of only 1.8 million, or 0.5%, between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the new Vintage 2025 population estimates released Jan. 27 by the US Census Bureau.

This was the nation’s slowest population growth since the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by a historically low 0.2% in 2021. The slowdown also comes after a sizeable uptick of growth in 2024, when the country added 3.2 million people and grew by 1.0%, the fastest annual population growth rate since 2006.

“The slowdown in US population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the Census Bureau. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”

Currently, the estimates of NIM are trending toward negative net migration. If those trends continue, it would be the first time the United States has seen net negative migration in more than 50 years.

Despite the slowdown in immigration growth, AANHPI is still the fastest growing demographic in the US according to Census estimates.

if you’ve been following this blog, you know the "model minority" myth usually hides the real struggle. While the Bureau hasn't released a 2026-specific "America Counts" report yet, the 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates just went live on January 29, 2026, and they tell a story of a community that's growing fast but still fighting for visibility.

About us:

Here’s the breakdown on what the numbers say about us:

Strength in Numbers: The AANHPI community has topped 26.8 million—with 25.2 million identifying as Asian (alone or in combo) and 1.6 million as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

The Big Three: Chinese (5.5M), Asian Indian (5.2M), and Filipino (4.6M) remain the largest groups followed by Vietnamese (2.3M) and Korean (2.0M).

NHPI Community: Native Hawaiians are the largest detailed group (approx. 693,679), followed by Samoan (268,539) and Chamorro (159,845).

Citizenship & Veterans: Roughly 73.2% of the Asian population and 85.9% of the NHPI population are US citizens. Military service remains prominent in the NHPI community, with 6.6% of adults identifying as veterans.

The Education Gap: On the surface, 56.6% of Asians have a bachelor’s degree, but look closer—the NHPI community sits at 25.6%. This is why we keep screaming for data disaggregation; you can't fix what you don't count.

Hustle and Business: There are now over 650,000 Asian-owned firms with employees, proving we aren't just part of the workforce—we’re the ones creating the jobs.

Regional Concentration: Nearly half of the NHPI population continues to reside in Hawaii and California. For the Asian population, more than half live in just four states:
California, New York, Texas, and Washington.

View From the Edge: Danger ahead

The Trump regime's suspicion of the immigrant community could undermine Census' collection for disaggregated data, something the ANNHPI community has been asking for for decades.

Here is what will happen if the Census Bureau sticks to Trump's edicts:

Undocumented neighbors disappear: By directing the Department of Commerce to exclude undocumented residents from the count used for congressional apportionment, the administration is effectively erasing a portion of our community. Since many AANHPI families live in mixed-status households, this move creates a "chilling effect" that keeps even legal residents from opening their doors to census workers.

Cutting the advocacy cord: On day one, the administration revoked Executive Order 14031, which officially shuttered the White House Initiative on AANHPI. Without this body and its advisory commission, the community loses its primary seat at the table for ensuring the census provides linguistic access and accurate data disaggregation.

Expert voices muted: The official disbanding of the Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations in June 2025 means there are fewer experts in the room to explain why a Hmong farmer in Minnesota or a Tongan family in Utah might be missed by generic counting methods.

Trump's "New Census": The Trump regime has proposed a new data collection model that may rely on administrative records and election info rather than traditional door-knocking. For communities with high numbers of non-citizens or limited-English speakers, this shift risks a massive undercount that could drain resources from local hospitals, schools, and infrastructure for a decade to come.

With billions of dollars and political power at stake, these changes aren't just administrative—they’re personal. An undercount doesn't just mean a smaller number; it means our concerns go unheard and our resources are misallocated.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

K-pop makes small inroad at the Grammy's; Bruno, Laufey and Paguia represent

It’s official: When it comes to the Grammys, the Recording Academy is still playing the same tired game of "look, but don't touch" with K-pop.

Despite Rosé and Bruno Mars practically blowing the roof off the building with their opening performance of "APT" at the Grammy awards Sunday, the night ended in a way that felt all too familiar to anyone who’s been paying attention.

Katseye's performance of their hit "Gnarly" nominated Best New Artist and Best Performance by a duo/group, reinforced the high energy and entertainment value of K-pop.

If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone. This year’s shutout of Rosé in the major categories—losing Record of the Year and Song of the Year—mirrors the frustrating history of BTS at the Grammys. For years, the Academy used BTS for ratings, inviting them to perform "Dynamite" and "Butter," yet repeatedly denied them a win in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.

A trophy for K-pop

There was one win, however: the Grammys finally "gave" K-pop a trophy this year, but even that felt like a backhanded compliment. The win for "Golden" from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack happened in the Visual Media category during the pre-show, away from the main stage.

The team for "Golden" meant Grammys for EJAE (Kim Eun-jae), the Korean-American singer, songwriter, and producer, also known as the voice of character Rumi and her co-singers Korean Americans Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami; producers Teddy Park and Park Hong Jun and Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam and Jeong Hoon Seo, songwriters and producers.

Laufey
. 

There were other winners

Asians were not completely shut out at the Grammy's.

Everyone's favorite Asian Icelander, Laufey, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“I owe everything to my music education, to my arts education … we cannot cut arts funding, it’s so important. What you all do here is so important. I love you all so much,” she told the crowd.

The trophy balances out the Grammy she won last year.

Additionally, Marco Paguia, the Filipino American music director/pianist and the original cast of the Buena Vista Social Club. won Best Musical Theater Album for their work on the Broadway musical.

Paguia's Grammy win, follows the Tony Awards’ Best Orchestrations and a special Tony  that he earned last June for his work on the Buena Vista Social Club.

Let's not forget that Bruno Mars energy. Besides singing with Rosé at the show's opening, he had everyone dancing to his new song "I Just Might," which he debuted last night. It's almost a given: he'll be among the nominees next year.

SCREEN CAPTURE

The 6-member K-pop group Katseye performed at the Grammys Sunday night.

View from the edge

For K-pop, the pattern is clear: the Academy loves the global viewership and the high-octane energy K-pop brings to the telecast, but they still refuse to grant these artists the "prestige" of a General Field win. 

Rosé was good enough to open the show, but apparently, her historic impact wasn't "enough" to take home the hardware.

The Grammy's problem is that it tries to be all things to all genres, and when a new genre comes along like K-pop, it doesn't know how to categorize it. "APT" and "Gnarly" tried to bridge the gap with English lyrics, but, apparently, to no avail. However, "Golden" was able to break through which perhaps signals an opening.

Years ago, the recording industry was criticized for not recognizing country music and hip-hop so it had to make new categories to give those genre's their deserved recognition. The academy had the same problem with Latin music and gospel. The solution was the same.

Does the Academy need a complete overhaul of its voting block to finally recognize K-pop as global pop, or are these "performance-only" invites just the new normal?

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Filipino American hockey star left off US Olympic team

NHL

Jason Robertson, one of the top scorers in the NHL didn't make the Olympic team.

 

In the high-stakes world of international hockey, where the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" legacy still casts a long shadow, USA Hockey GM Bill Guerin made a move that has fans and pundits buzzing: leaving Filipino American Jason Robertson off the 2026 Olympic roster. 

General Manager Bill Guerin and Head Coach Mike Sullivan emphasized "stylistic fit" and "balance". They chose more physical, defensively responsible forwards like Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller to handle specific checking roles that they felt did not suit Robertson's "pure scorer" style.

Robertson didn't hide his disappointment. While he was left off the Four Nations roster last year, he felt this season's star-making goal production had proven he belonged. 

The Dallas Star winger admits the snub "hurts your ego" but maintained a professional front.

“I thought that this year was different from last year. Obviously last year [for 4 Nations], I didn’t think I was good enough," he told reporters. "Now, I think I did. It’s their choice and their decision, and that's it."

Management’s logic was simple, if controversial: they aren't just picking the 12 best players; they’re building a team with specific roles. While Robertson entered 2026 leading all American-born NHLers in points, Guerin and Coach Mike Sullivan prioritized "two-way play" and "physical presence".

View from the edge

Sullivan, who is the New York Rangers' head coach,  selected two members of the Rangers, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, despite having significantly less than half of Robertson's total.

Management’s logic was simple, if controversial: they aren't just picking the 12 best players; they’re building a team with specific roles. Guerin and Sullivan emphasized building a cohesive team rather than just selecting top point-producers.

Guerin said Trocheck and Miller fit the physicality of the  "grit-and-grind" style established during the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off.

Robertson's absence is akin to leaving NBA star scorer Stephen Curry off the Olympic basketball team because he's not a great defender. As we saw in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was his scoring, not his defense, that won the Gold Medal for the US.

It should be noted that the two NHL players scoring more than Robertson, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, were named to Team Canada.

Critics argue that leaving home three of the top seven American goal-scorers—including Robertson—is a massive risk if the US struggles to find the back of the net in Milan. Even Dallas' goalie, Jake Oettinger, who did make the cut, called Robertson the "most pure goal-scorer" he’s ever played with.

“I think they leaned into familiarity,” said Malia Poblete, a writer for The Hockey News based in Eugene, Oregon. “A lot of the players had opportunities to connect in their careers earlier. However, there are no doubts these picks still have talent.”

FYI: The Olympic hockey games begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with  Slovakia taking on Finland. Team USA begins action on Thursday, Feb. 12, on NBC.

Robertson, born and raised in California, is one of several NHL players playing for US and Canadian teams of Asian heritage. They include:

• Nick Robertson (Filipino/American, Jason's brother): Toronto Maple Leafs
• Kailer Yamamoto (Japanese/American): Edmonton Oilers (recently with Seattle Kraken/Utah)
• Nick Suzuki (Japanese/Canadian): Montreal Canadiens
• Matt Dumba (Filipino/Canadian): Minnesota Wild (now Arizona Coyotes/Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Kiefer Sherwood (Japanese/American): Colorado Avalanche (now Nashville Predators)
• Kole Sherwood (Japanese/American): Columbus Blue Jackets
• Jonas Siegenthaler (Thai/Swiss): New Jersey Devils
• Akito Hirose (Japanese/Canadian): Vancouver Canucks

Robertson was named to the reserve Olympic team. If there are injuries he'd be the first off the bench, but as of now, he'll have to watch from the sidelines as Team USA tries to reclaim gold for the first time since 1980.

Despite the blow to his ego, Robertson stated he won't change his style: "I'm not going to change the way I play. I’m happy to keep doing what I do ... I just strive to be the best at whatever I can be. It so happened that this year was the Olympic year, and that's not gonna stop me from doing that the rest of the season. I love the game. I just keep playing. And that's the beauty of it."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

The legacy of Fred Korematsu lives on in today's protests

Most of the thousands of Americans protesting the ICE actions and the threat to civil rights and democracy may not know it but they are walking in the steps of Fred Korematsu. 

Korematsu would have been proud to see the thousands of students walking out of their high schools today protesting against the actions of federal agents ignoring the Constitution.

“Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Fred Korematsu, the civil rights hero who bravely fought against the forced removal and incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of them US citizens, during World War II.," said a statement from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

"Mr. Korematsu knew that standing up to the government would cost him his freedom and safety. He did so anyway—taking his case to the Supreme Court and devoting his life to seeking justice—because he believed future generations deserved a country that learned from its mistakes.

“That promise to future generations is now being tested. We are witnessing our nation’s leaders employ the same unjust laws and fearmongering tactics once used against Japanese Americans to target and terrorize immigrant communities today," the statement continues.

Japanese Americans was among the first Asian American communities to protest the Trump regime's mass deportation policies and the denial of due process, and the detention of thousands of people, most of them people of color.

“Federal agents are disappearing people from their homes based solely on their accent or appearance. The largest immigration detention center in US history is operating on the grounds of a former Japanese American incarceration camp. The President is invoking the same racist law once used to brand Japanese Americans as ‘alien enemies’ to deny due process and justify his inhumane deportation agenda."

Civil rights activist

Korematsu was born in Oakland, California to parents who had immigrated to the United States from Japan. During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal of Japanese Americans to incarceration camps, yet Korematsu defied the orders. He was arrested and detained. Korematsu challenged his conviction and imprisonment, eventually bringing his case before the US Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s 1944 ruling in Korematsu v. United States upheld Korematsu’s conviction and the removal orders. 

        FYI: Read more about the life of Fred Korematsu.

Nevertheless, Korematsu continued fighting and successfully overturned his conviction in 1983. He pushed Congress to pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which included a public apology and compensation to Japanese Americans who were incarcerated. In 1998, Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

He remained a civil rights activist for the remainder of his life especially for the rights of Muslim Americans after 9/11. His legacy continues to inspire new generations in the continued fight for justice.

View from the edge

In 2010, the state of California passed the Fred Korematsu Day bill, making January 30 the first day in the US named after an Asian American.

Fred Korematsu Day inspires modern anti-immigration protests by serving as a warning against using national security to justify racial profiling, fear-mongering, and the violation of civil liberties, as seen with policies targeting Muslims and Latin American immigrants. His story encourages legal and grassroots resistance against similar government-sanctioned discrimination.

“Our communities know all too well the cost of silence in the face of injustice. When Japanese Americans were being targeted, few chose to speak out. We must not make that same mistake again," states CAPAC leaders, including chair Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY. 

"This moment demands that we stand up for our neighbors, for due process, and for the fundamental rights that define who we are as Americans. This is how we honor Fred Korematsu’s legacy and ensure one of the darkest chapters in America’s history does not repeat itself.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

If you think ICE is bad now, brace yourself, its going to get worse as standards are lowered

NBC

Asian Americans joined in demonstrations against ICE including these Sacramento protestors.

The fatal shootings in Minnesota, the unwarranted home invasions in Maine, the children detained without their parents, US citizens dragged from their cars and workplaces, the harassment and beatings of onlookers and ignorance of the Constitution and the feeling of impunity by federeal agents looks like something from a dystopian movie.

Except, its not a movie. It is the United States in 2026.

Already the largest law enforcement arm of the federal government, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wants to become even bigger. The agency's problem is hiring enough people to join what has essentially become Donald Trump's private army.

However, the shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday (Jan. 7) where an a Border Patrol  agent quickly fatally shot a mother of three, three times and the unwarranted shooting of an ICU nurse again raises the question about the adequacy of the training of federal agents.  

We already saw the fallout from this earlier this month with the tragic shootings of Renee Nicole Good  and Alex Pritti in Minneapolis. When you trade quality for speed, people get hurt. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is out there saying the training of her ICE troops is "streamlined," but the boots on the ground are telling a very different story.

 

Critics say the violent confrontations were inevitable as federal agents aggressively carry out the Trump regime's political strategy of stirring up Americans against the "others."

Congressional Democrats and immigrant rights groups have criticized ICE, arguing that agents have regularly violated migrants’ due process protections and characterizing recent raids as intimidation tactics.

Criticisms of ICE's relaxed age requirements center on concerns that lowered standards and insufficient training lead to the hiring of unqualified, immature, and potentially corrupt agents who may violate civil and constitutional rights; criticisms already leveled at current agents. 

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently said on Fox News that there’s “no longer a cap on how old you can be” and that 18-year-olds could sign up.

Previously, an applicant had to be 21-years old or under 40 to get hired.
To sweeten the pot for potential recruits, the $29 billion courtesy of the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" allows the agency to offer a generous package of  incentives, including: 

A maximum $50,000 signing bonus

Student loan repayment and forgiveness options

25% Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) for HSI Special Agents

Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUI) for Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers

Enhanced retirement benefits

In this time of high unemployment, those are attractive inducements. The US  unemployment rate was 4.4% in December 2025, marked by slow hiring and massive layoffs.

DHS reports that more than 80,000 individuals had applied to join ICE since the start of the campaign. The Trump regime reports that as of this month, ICE has surpassed its goal of 10,000 new immigration officers. Currently, ICE has more than 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel. 

The annual budget for ICE alone now exceeds the combined budgets of all other non-immigration federal law enforcement agencies. 

This isn't just a policy shift; it's a total overhaul of how federal law enforcement operates. We’re going to keep a close eye on the DHS Inspector General’s investigation into these new "accelerated" standards.

The "47-Day" fast track

Get this: DHS officially gutted training for ICE agents. We went from a five-month professional academy down to just eight weeks. That is 47 days of training, down from 5 months. And yeah, you guessed it—the duration was reportedly picked specifically to honor the 47th President. In comparison, police officers in California undergo six-months of formal training.

Earlier this month (January 2026), it was revealed that an artificial intelligence tool used for hiring mistakenly categorized thousands of applicants as "experienced law enforcement," allowing them to bypass full academy training and instead take a four-week online course. For the mathematically challenged, that's only 28 days!

Under the new shortened course, ICE trainers are basically churning thes rest of the recruits through a 24/7 meat grinder. We’re talking six-day work weeks just to cram everything in. But you can't compress five months of law, tactics, and ethics into 47 days without cutting corners.

Unfortunately, with the shorter training period, DHS had to cut out some training. For example: 

No More Spanish: They cut the entire five-week language program. New agents are literally being told to just "use a translation app" in the field. Imagine trying to navigate a high-tension raid with Google Translate.

Tactical Training Halved: Reports are surfacing that firearms and de-escalation training have been slashed in half just to get boots on the ground faster.

Hmong Americans and thousands of Minnesotans enddure freezing weather to protest ICE.

Vetting Failures: Because they’re trying to hire 12,000 new people in a single year, the background checks are failing. The "breakneck speed" of the current hiring blitz has reportedly allowed some recruits to reach training without complete fingerprinting, drug tests, or background checks. This may be the most dangerous aspect of ICE's reduced training.

And ... if you've been watching the videos -- from the slayings of Renee Good and Alex Pritti to the mistaken detention of Hmong elder ChongLy Thao --- taken by ordinary citizens of how ICE is abusing and ignoring the basic civil rights of people, including US citizens, it appears that the class on what's legal and what's not legal under the Constitution, needs to be extended and hammered into some of the yahoos abusing their authority instead of the cursing and name calling of the already dead victims.

Veteran law enforcement leaders, like Sheriff Kevin Joyce of Cumberland County, Maine, haven’t minced words, labeling recent operations as "bush-league policing." This sentiment stems from incidents where ICE agents have bypassed local coordination, in one case even detaining an authorized local corrections officer on a roadside. The consensus among old-school sheriffs is that while the mission is to remove serious criminals, the agency has "moved the goalposts" to prioritize optics over professional procedure.

One of the loudest complaints from local police is the lack of "professional courtesy" shown to fellow officers. In Brooklyn Park, local police reported ICE agents boxing in and holding off-duty officers of color at gunpoint. These veterans argue that such "reckless" behavior forces local cops to treat federal agents as a potential threat rather than partners.

This isn't just a policy shift; it's a total overhaul of how federal law enforcement operates. We’re going to keep a close eye on the DHS Inspector General’s investigation into these new "accelerated" standards.

ICE will take anybody

There is no evidence to suggest that the ICE screening process for white supremacists is effective; on the contrary, reports from civil rights organizations, media outlets and government sources indicate that extremism is an ongoing concern within law enforcement agencies, including ICE.

As a matter of fact, the ICE recruitment propaganda appears to be aimed at individuals who admire the racist teachings of Hitler.

Key findings and concerns:

Infiltration of Law Enforcement: The FBI has long acknowledged the threat of white supremacists infiltrating law enforcement agencies, a concern echoed by the Brennan Center for Justice and other watchdog groups. Reports have identified "active links" between domestic terrorism investigations and law enforcement officials.

Specific Incidents and Propaganda: Recent news articles from 2025 have highlighted instances of explicit white supremacist references in official ICE recruitment materials and social media posts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). An ICE prosecutor in Dallas was also found to be running a white supremacist account on social media.

Lack of Oversight: Critics, including the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC, have raised alarms about the failure of ICE and DHS to adequately address and remove white supremacist content and extremism in their ranks.

Insufficient Screening: There are concerns that current hiring practices and background checks, particularly during periods of rapid expansion, have been inadequate, with one Government Accountability Office report identifying flaws in US Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) processes.

Calls for Action: Lawmakers and civil rights organizations have urged the Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI, and DHS to improve screening processes for all candidates and current staff for promoting white supremacy and other forms of bias.

Overall, the available information suggests a significant problem with white supremacist ideology within ICE and related agencies, and a lack of effective screening measures to prevent the racists out of ICE and other law enforcement agencies.

The annual budget for ICE alone now exceeds the combined budgets of all other non-immigration federal law enforcement agencies. The total funding for immigration and border enforcement agencies (including ICE and CBP) in FY 2025 accounts for approximately two-thirds of all federal law enforcement spending.

$75 billion for ICE

The recent budget bill provided a total of $170.7 billion to be allocated to immigration enforcement over several years, with $75 billion directed specifically to ICE. And if that wasn't enough, the House passed and the Senate is considering an additional $10 billion to fund ICE the rest of this year.

And what do we get? Masked men and women who are reluctant to presesnt an ID and who might have gone to the local military surplus supply store to get camo garb with a bullet-proof vest imprinted with "ICE" or "Border Patrol." Sometimes, if they didn't have time to fully outfit themselves, the "so-called" agents are wearing blue jeans or khaki pants.

Some local law enforcement members have been heard describing their unidentified federal counterparts as "wannabe cops" with the ability to chase suspects, push, abuse them, and in some cases, employ torture; all in the name of Trump.

In the case of Minneapolis, local police are handicapped. With only 600 cops on the police force, already busy with local crime and traffic, they are no match for the 2,000 ro 3,000 federal agents who feel free to harass and detain anyone hampering their ability to go after anybody they suspect of being an undocumented immigrant.

The mayor and Minnesota Gov. Walz are urging local residents and local law enforcement to not resort to violence against ICE despite the rising anger against the agency. Violent confrontations could give the Trump regime to declare martial law under the Insurection Act and allow the regime to send in the military. But that han't prevented the Trump regime from  giving them sopoenas.

As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC),Grace Meng, D-NY, has repeatedly demanded answers from DHS regarding the treatment of Asian immigrants and lawful permanent residents. Earlier this month she announced her opposition to funding bills that fail to hold ICE accountable for what she described as "trampling on" the rights of law-abiding immigrants.

Thousands of Minnesotans are tallying in support of immigrants.

The View from the Edge

In 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations will continue to have a profound impact on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and other communities of color, characterized by a sharp rise in arrests, mental health crises, and economic disruption. 

Any lingering belief among AAPI voters that the Trump regime's immigration enforcement doesn't affect Asian Americans , even those with the proper documentation and are in the US legally, should have dissipated by now as federal agents have shown they have no knowledge of  or respect for the Constitution.

A recent poll by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago (AP-NORC) found that the economy is the top concern for Asian Americans. 

Asian communities in the US, particularly in the Twin Cities and California, are actively protesting increased ICE operations in 2026, which have tripled arrests of Asian immigrants

A coalition of Asian groups and vendors from Saint Paul spoke about the impact ICE operations are having on their communities.

"This is the most active and united I have ever seen in the Asian community in Saint Paul. Because we've seen our elders be terrorized, we have seen foot traffic decrease in our shops, and we have seen ICE agents lurk out of our stores and community spaces trying to target us," said Cam Yang who joined the Twin Cities' protests. 

In Minnesota, federal agents are reportedly "hunting" for Asians. Residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul are afraid to leave their house or send their kids to school, the elderly won't go to their medical appointments.

The actions of the federal agents, ICE and the Border Patrol, suggests that the rule of law, the Constitution, our civil rights, are on the line.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

2026 Oscars: What happened to inclusion?

The animated feature Kpop Demon Hunters represents AANHPI actors at the Academy Awards.

Its "good news, bad news" for the AANHPI communities after the 98th Academy Award nominations dropped on January 22. While Asian Americans are dominating the technical and animated fields, the prestigious acting and directing categories are looking surprisingly sparse.

While the Academy Award nominations brought some historic firsts, the "View from the Edge" is that the 2026 Oscar race feels like a massive step backward for on-screen visibility. Despite the Academy's much-hyped "Inclusion Standards" finally being in full effect, the nominations revealed a glaring disconnect between industry rules and actual representation.

With her nomination for Best Director for Hamnet, Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color ever nominated twice in that category, and the second woman overall to do so. Zhao is also tied as the most-nominated Asian woman in Oscars history, with seven career total noms, and second most-nominated Asian ever behind cinematographer James Wong Howe (who won twice for “The Rose Tattoo” and “Hud”).

Nevertheless, the nominations have AANHPI creatives asking, "what inclusion?" and "what representation?" Here is the breakdown of the controversies surrounding the 2026 Oscars:

The most stinging critique this year is the near-total absence of Asian performers in the major acting races. 

After the cultural shift of Everything Everywhere All At Once just a few years ago, the 2026 acting categories—particularly Best Actress—are looking incredibly "white-out." Despite strong performances in films like KPop Demon Hunters and international standouts like Kokuho, Asian actors were largely relegated to the sidelines, sparking fresh accusations that Hollywood still views AAPI talent as "supporting" rather than "leading."

The debate around representation standards

The Academy's Representation and Inclusion Standards have sparked debate. Some argue that these rules ensure broader participation and reflect a more inclusive industry, while others express concern about how they might impact creative choices. This ongoing discussion highlights the complexities of implementing diversity initiatives in a creative field.

While the 2026 Oscar nominations brought some breakthroughs for Asian talent in technical fields, the acting and directing categories left many fans—and AAPI advocates—feeling like they’d been ghosted by the Academy. From "theater kids" reeling over a Wicked shutout to the continued cold shoulder given to Asian cinema giants, here are the snubs that have the "View from the Edge" community talking.

The most vocal disappointment online has come from fans of Wicked: For Good. After Wicked:Part One snagged 10 nominations in 2025, the sequel was completely shut out this year—not even a nod for costumes or production design.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo: Despite nominations at the Golden Globes and the Actor Awards, both stars were left out of the Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress races, respectively. Fans are calling it "disrespectful" given the massive vocal and emotional heavy lifting both did for the franchise.

Once again, despite all that critical praise and box office success, Academy voters continue to overlook the work of director Jon M. Chu, the person in the middle of the production who makes the film work.

Dwayne Johnson did not receive a nomination for Best Actor for his role in The Smashing Machine. Despite early buzz and critical praise for his dramatic performance as MMA fighter Mark Kerr, the Samoan American's work, a departure from his usual action roles, was considered one of the biggest acting snubs of the 2026 awards season. 

Academy voters appear to be more open to recognize AANHPI leads ... if ... they are cartoon characters.

The biggest splash this year comes from the world of animation. Directors Maggie Kang and Michelle L.M. Wong secured a Best Animated Feature nod for KPop Demon Hunters. 

Even more historic, the film’s track "Golden" by EJAE is the first K-pop song ever nominated for Best Original Song. 

Pixar veteran Domee Shi also finds herself back in the race for Elio.

Shining "Below-the-Line"

The good news is that AANHPI talent is getting more recognition in the crafts "below-the-line" or "behind-the-camera." While the spotlight often misses them, Asian American craftspeople are rewriting history this year:

• Autumn Durald Arkapaw, a Filipino American, made history as the first woman of color nominated for Best Cinematography for her work on Sinners.

• Miyako Bellizzi earned a Best Costume Design nod for the stylish Marty Supreme.

• Charmaine Chan is representing for Asian women in tech with a Best Visual Effects nomination for Jurassic World: Rebirth.

• Kazu Hiro continues his streak in Makeup and Hairstyling for The Smashing Machine.

After the sucess of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, Parasite in 2020, Chloe Zhao's Nomadland in 2021, Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2023, it looked like that studio doors were finally opening for  AANHPI talent. However, AANHPI were blanked out in 2024 and 2025. 

Except for Zhao, 2026 is the third straight year no AANHPI actors received  nominations, a step back for on-screen visibility. 

Critics argue that while the Academy’s inclusion standards are helping films get made, the industry is still struggling to greenlight the "prestige" leading roles that put Asian faces at the center of the frame.

The message from the AAPI community and general film fans is clear: while "Inclusion Standards" look good on paper, they aren’t yet translating to the podium for the performers and directors.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.