Senate confirms anti-DEI Indian American to lead DOJ's civil rights division

Harmeet Dhillon at her Senate Confirmation hearings.

OPINION

A far-right radical Indian American has been approved to head the civil rights division of the Department of Justice.

The US Senate along party lines, 52-45, confirmed Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General to lead the Civil Rights Division at the federal Department of Justice on April 3.

Dhillon, a extreme-right attorney who embraced Donald Trump’s “big lie” about the 2020 election, will be in charge of protecting Americans’ civil rights — including their right to vote. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join 43 Democrats and one Independent in opposition. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) did not vote.

“Based on her lack of independence and her extensive record of going after the rights of the very people she would have the duty to defend,” the groups say that Ms. Dhillon is disqualified from serving as chief of the Civil Rights Division at DOJ, said a March 12 press release from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which was supported by 65 national organizations.

Dhillon is also known to peddle the conservative movement’s “anti-woke” propaganda, which seeks to further marginalize racial and ethnic minorities and demonize LGBTQ people, reports MSNBC.

Like other Trump appointees, Dhillon will oversee an agency which is tasked to protect the civil rights of Americans even though she is antagonistic to the division's goals. MSNBC says, "Dhillon was chosen ... to pervert the DOJ’s civil rights division and ensure it suits Trump’s illiberal ambitions."

It is "not unusual for Republican administrations to significantly scale back the work in the Civil Rights Division," Dhillon is a "lawyer active in the culture wars" who will likely target DEI practices among institutions and corporations and shut down investigations of police violence and misconduct in her new role, reports The New York Times.

Dhillon was born in Chandigarh, India, to a Punjabi Sikh family and with her family, immigrated to the United States as a child. The family settled down in rural North Carolina when she was a child. Her parents were conservative Sikhs and, when they became citizens, registered as Republicans and raised funds for Republican candidates.

She earned her BA in Classical Studies at Dartmouth College, where she "bristled at the political correctness of liberal classmates," according to SF Gate

After a pair of unsuccessful campaigns for California Assembly and Senate, Dhillon has been active in supporting Trump's views. Her law firm, the Dhillon Law Group, represented the Republicans in cases in states questioning the legality of Trump being on the ballot in his 2024 campaign.

In 2018, she founded the Center For American Liberty, a conservative nonprofit that maintains a "nationwide network of attorneys to zealously advocate for individual liberty and to combat illegal discrimination," says the organization website.

Dhillon also filed unsuccessful lawsuits against California early in the COVID-19 pandemic, representing "pastors, gun shop owners, protesters, cosmetologists and beachgoers" who alleged they were harmed by Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders and business closures, according to Politico.

In recent years, she has become a fixture on conservative mouthpiece, Fox News, to rail against Democrats, cancel culture and the so-called “woke” liberal agenda.

The Leadership Conference points out that Dhillon strongly opposes the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore the Voting Rights Act to its full power. She authored an op-ed for Fox News in which she called the bill a “power grab,”

Based on her past history, Dhillon is, in many ways, "an enemy of civil rights," states the Leadership Conference letter, and the policies the division, in the past, sought to protect and enforce. 

“Especially at this fraught period in our nation’s history, the crucially important work of the division to enforce the promises made in our civil rights laws is more important than ever, and it requires an assistant attorney general with a demonstrated commitment to civil rights for all people,” the letter continues. “Unfortunately, ... Ms. Dhillon does not possess that commitment and is unfit for this critical position.”

Despite her questionable record on civil rights, Senate Republicans unanimously backed Trump's nominee.

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

Taiwanese American helps UConn Huskies win national championship

UCONN

Kaitlyn Chen soaks in the triumphant moment surrounded by her UConn teammates.

She only scored two points but no one is denying the key role Kaitlyn Chen played in the University of Connecticut Huskies ecuring the NCAA Women's Championship by beating the South Carolina Gamecocks, 82-59, on Sunday.

Although Chen was born and raised in California, her parents are Taiwanese immigrants, making her the first Taiwanese American player to win an NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship. Chen shared in a recent interview with CT Insider that her parents have played a crucial role in her basketball journey.

Her parents would take red-eye flights to attend her games and support her as she traveled, she told the Insider. "I love when I get to look up in the stands and see them there. It means so much. And they’ve supported me throughout my whole journey. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them and their support. So, I'm just very grateful for that," said Chen.

Chen attended Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada, twice earning All-Area Player of the Year honors. Ranked a four-star prospect by ESPN, After high school, she chose Princeton to continue her basketball dreams. During her time with the Tigers, she captured Ivy League Player of the Year honors (2023) and landed three-straight Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player nods.

For her efforts, Princeton nabbed three NCAA Tournament appearances. When she entered the transfer portal for her last year of eligibility, she drew plenty of interest fromsome top notch basketball powerhouses. 

Chen wound up picking UConn because of its championship history and a chance to play under legendary coach Geno Auriemma. When she arrived on campus at the start of the year, Auriemma quickly took a liking to her.

“She’s not afraid to use her voice; she walk(ed) into a situation that any kid would be intimidated by,” Auriemma told the Daily Princetonian. “I’ve trusted Kaitlyn Chen since the minute she walked on campus.”

During the run to the championship with the UConn team, Chen averaged 7.1 points on 52.5 percent shooting from the floor, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Chen's leadership and the trust developed between her and her teammates  eventually led to the Huskies 12th national title (April 6, 2025).

She will enter this year's draft, where several WNBA teams have already expressed interest in the guard's leadership and ball handling skills.

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

Trump 'punishes' Pacific and South Asian islands with retaliatory tariffs

Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on the goods provided by residents of Fakaolo, Tokaeau.

ANALYSIS

Self-described tough guy Donald Trump is punishing a couple of islands with new tarriffs, part of so-called "genius" strategy to bring jobs back to America.

Tokelau Islands, consisting of three far-flung islands in the South Pacific, roughly midway between Hawaii and New Zealand is one of the target nations feeling Trump's wrath. The dependent territory of New Zealand will face a 10% tariffs on any goods entering the United States.

The main industries of the about 2600 residents is fishing and subsistence farming.

I'm pretty sure the residents of Tokelau are shrugging their shoulders wondering what they did to offend the great and mighty United States to be targeted with tariffs.

The economic genius Trump, who bankrupted seven businesses including two casinos, announced Wednesday new tariffs on almost the whole world with the intention to bring jobs back to the US.

Keeling Islands, halfway between Sri Lanka and Australia, with a population of 593, also got hit with a 10% tariff because ... uh ... just, because.

Those two territories should be relieved they didn't get slapped with the 25% tariffs targeting Canadian products.

Residents of Tokelau territory transfer imported goods to their atoll.

Economists can't figure out where Trump came out with his figures that claim the world's tariffs against US products. His sweeping tariff policy would be laughable if not for the havoc it wreaks on a global scale and the impact it will have on the American consumers.

Asian countries were hit hard by Trump's planned tariffs. He said he plans to impose 34% tariffs on China, 37% against Thailand, 17% on the Philippines, 26% vs. India, 46% against Vietnam and 24% on Japan. 

By contrast, Europe was slapped with a 20% tariff. Curiously, Russia and North Korea were spared Trump's wrath.

The average cost to American households will mean an increase in spending by thousands of dollars. Didn't Trump campaign on lowering costs? And people believed him despite his record of lying. 

So expect an increase in prices for clothes, cars, shoes, artichokes, electronics, washing machines and energy because tariffs are actually paid by the American company importing those goods, not by the country sending those products to the US. American companies such as Nike, Ford and grocers will naturally pass those extra costss onto the consumer -- you and me.

Will the Trump tariffs hurt Americans? Most certainly. Lower income families will be harmed the most by the tariffs because they spend a greater share of their household income on everyday goods.

However, higher-income households will feel the impact by the tariffs announced Wednesday: An average of $4,600 per household per year for those in the top 10% and $1,700 for those in the middle. That $1,700 represents a larger share of the middle-income household's disposable income.

How will it "punish" the residents of islands of Tokelau and Keeling? They'll probably just shrug and go fishing like their ancestors have been doing for centuries.

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

AAPI advocates challenge Trump and GOP seeking to suppress voting

ANALYSIS

In yet another attempted power grab and effort to intimidate immigrant communities, which historically voted Democratic, Donald Trump signed last week an executive order misleadingly titled, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.”

The order, signed March 25, threatens our democracy by intending to require burdensome documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, encouraging the purging of eligible voters from error-prone database comparisons, and attempting to pressure states from counting mail-in and absentee ballots properly mailed on Election Day. 

 “We are dismayed by President Trump’s attempt to undermine civic engagement and vilify immigrant communities, including Asian Americans. Voting is a fundamental right, not a privilege, for all who are eligible, and all eligible votes must be counted during elections," said Asian Americans Advancing Justice in a statement

"Documentary proof of citizenship, like a passport, is onerous because many Americans don’t have it readily available or even handy when they register to vote."

FYI: Read the lawsuit, League of Women Voters et. al. v. Trump et. al.:, 

The Constitution clearly specifies that Congress and the states can set the rules for our elections, not the President. 

Nevertheless, the White House claims that the executive order is necessarily to prevent noncitizens from voting even though there is no evidence they do in significant numbers in the United States. The order threatens states that do not comply with the loss of federal funding.

Will Scharf, the White House staff secretary, called the order “the farthest-reaching executive action taken” in the country’s history.

The Order’s misguided focus on database matching is alarming because it is prone to errors due to outdated and contradictory information," responds AAAJ. "We know that these Homeland Security databases generally don’t contain information about US-born citizens. As a result, those who are caught in this unwarranted fishing expedition are most likely to be eligible voters who are naturalized citizens. Past attempts to match voter lists at the state level have already erroneously removed many eligible voters."

“This executive order is rooted in baseless rhetoric around voter fraud and noncitizen voting, which is extremely rare, proving yet again that the ultimate goal of this administration is to prevent American citizens who are disfavored by this Administration from voting," says AAAJ. 

"This executive order comes from the same xenophobic impulse as the suspension of federal grants to community organizations helping immigrants naturalize. We saw that same rhetoric in the attempt to slash the Constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. We stand firm in our commitment to protecting vulnerable communities and making sure that every eligible individual can make their voice heard at the ballot box.”

AAAJ is part of a coalition filing the lawsuit challenging Trump’s unlawful executive order. Other groups in the coalition include Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, Organization of Chinese Associations-Asian Pacific American Advocates and a host of other civil rights organizations including the Hispanic Federation, National League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Arizona, League of Women Voters Education Fund, NAACP, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of D.C., the Legal Defense Fund, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

The groups are challenging the order’s usurpation of powers, including its directive for the US Election Assistance Commission to change the federal voter registration form to require burdensome submission of documents to prove citizenship, which many Americans do not have or cannot easily acquire.

Under current law, would-be voters are required to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens and eligible to vote, and to provide a driver's license number, state ID number or Social Security number. Those who attempt to vote illegally can face prison time, fines or deportation.

Several audits by nonpartisan groups and states, including those that voted for Trump and even the conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, have not found any evidence that noncitizens are registering to vote at significant rates.

The coalition which filed the lawsuit against the executive order, released the following joint statement:

“The president has no constitutional or statutory authority to unilaterally dictate how elections are run. This executive order is a blatant violation of the separation of powers. Election rules are decided by Congress and the states, and any attempt by the executive branch to override their power violates the Constitution. This order, based on a persistent false and racialized narrative, could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. It mirrors the SAVE Act, which would add unnecessary barriers to voter registration and silence the voices of American citizens. These unlawful attacks on voting rights are part of a broader effort to undermine our democracy. We have filed suit to stop this executive order and to keep it from interfering with eligible voters’ participation in our elections.”

The executive order and the SAVE Act are just one facet of the overall Republican strategy to weaken the Democratic voters influence. The GOP depends on voter suppression to narrow the margin between Democrats and Republicans because there are more people registered Democrat than Republican. In addition to presenting obstacles to voting and making large portions of the US citizenry ineligible to vote, the GOP use a barrage of lies and misinformation to woo voters to more conservatie policies and Republican candidates.

Prior to a vote on the Executive Order, also known as the SAVE Act, Rep. Terri Sewell n, D-Alabama, sargued against the bill on the House floor on April 1: 

"In reality, this legislation would purge thousands of eligible voters from the rolls. It would create significant barriers for the 69 million women who currently got married and changed their last names, so their birth certificates do not match their marriage certificates, and thus it would be harder for these women, almost 70 million women, to vote, and the 140 million Americans that do not have a passport, and those with military IDs and tribal IDs, none of which would be able to prove their birth citizenship. These are not included in the bill as proper forms of ID that will allow someone to show their citizenship."

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