Asian Americans side with the Supreme Court's decision allowing vote-by-mail

Voting by mail has improved voter participation in US elections.

The US Supreme Court handed Asian American voting rights advocates a major victory on Sept 14, blocking an administration attempt to restrict mail-in ballots ahead of upcoming elections. In a 7-2 decision, the high court left a lower-court injunction in place, preventing sweeping new rules that advocates warned would cause mass confusion.

“You don’t change the rules after the game has started – especially if it means voters will lose. With this ruling, voters won, and the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration yet another loss,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Law Caucus. 

“Millions of people who rely on mail-in ballots – many of whom would otherwise have a difficult time voting – will receive their ballots and be able to confidently return them.," Kohli added. "We made our opposition clear because no eligible voter should lose their voice because of a bureaucratic mistake they had no power to prevent. Today, that threat is off the table for this election. Americans can move forward with confidence." 

Only Justices Samuel Alita and Clarence Thomas, Trump loyalists, dissented. In a rare action, the other four conservative justices, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with their colleagues and joined the liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagen and Ketanji Brown Jackson to issue the ruling.

The decision means that all 50 states can continue to use their existing processes for mail voting, which have proven for decades to be safe, secure, and reliable.

Hundreds of thousands of mail ballots are already being delivered to eligible voters, with millions more to follow this month. Many Americans rely on mail voting because disability, distance, or work or caregiving schedules make it difficult or impossible to get to their polling site in person.

With the injunction in place, USPS cannot refuse to deliver mail ballots for the November election. Nor can it require states to upload personal voter information into its new and untested online portal. 

The USPS rule that has been blocked by the courts would have put into effect Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order to restrict mail voting.

FYI: For local election guidance, sample ballots, and deadlines, check the National Association of Secretaries of State portal. To verify registration guidelines or look up specific regional election board contacts, you can navigate directly to the U.S. Vote Foundation.

The injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by a coalition of nonpartisan voter service and civic organizations that includes the Asian Law Caucus (ALC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)—mobilized quickly to fight the restrictions. 

"For Asian Americans and other voters who disproportionately rely on mail voting—including voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency—this ruling was absolutely critical for securing their ability to vote,” said Ronak Patel, a staff attorney with AALDEF. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court recognized the importance of protecting access to the ballot from the blatant attempts by the Trump Administration to restrict it."

They argued that proposed changes would disproportionately harm naturalized citizens, voters with disabilities, and individuals with limited English proficiency. Community leaders emphasized that Asian Americans rely heavily on vote-by-mail options to safely and accurately review their ballots at home.

View from the edge

Poll after poll indicate that the Republicans are likely to lose control of Congress in November's midterm election.

The attempt to restrict voting by mail is just one of several GOP strategies to make voting harder for minorities and immigrant communities because they tend to lean towards the Democrats. 

The concern was particularly acute in the eight states where voters cast ballots almost entirely by mail: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

The "decision is a relief for the millions of voters who count on the mail to make their voices heard including naturalized citizens, voters with disabilities, and limited English proficient voters but it should never have come to this,” said Murtaza Khwaja, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. 

“This administration keeps manufacturing uncertainty and chaos, testing how far it can go to rig the system against voters. The Supreme Court got this right: states run their own elections, not the White House. We will keep fighting alongside our partners to make sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and trust that it counts.”

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 find this perspective interesting, please repost.

FBI hate crime report shows a dip, then why is fear increasing among AAPI

Don’t let the overall headline numbers fool you—the latest FBI hate crime stats may show a overall drop, but for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, the underlying reality on the street tells a far different story.

While official figures point to a roughly 7% decline in overall reported hate crimes nationwide, anti-Asian hostility remains stubbornly stuck at elevated levels compared to pre-pandemic baselines. For folks living it every day, the minor dip in official government spreadsheets doesn't match the climate of fear, harassment, and lingering microaggressions.

The flaw in the numbers

The biggest takeaway from community advocates is simple: official FBI data only captures a tiny sliver of what AAPI folks actually experience. Severe underreporting—driven by deep-seated distrust of law enforcement, language barriers, and fear of retaliation—continues to obscure the true scale of bias.

As Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC pointed out in response to the data, official numbers fail to reflect the daily climate of hostility. Leaders at civil rights organizations emphasize that much of the ongoing friction is directly fueled by escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric, political scapegoating, and online disinformation targeting Chinese and South Asian communities in particular.

"While the top-line data suggests a slight reprieve, our communities know that hate hasn't vanished — it's just gone further under the radar," noted advocates analyzing the figures. Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California echoed those concerns, warning that without systemic changes to reporting and robust support systems, statistical drops mean very little to vulnerable community members facing street-level bias.

According to the official FBI Hate Crime Statistics, overall bias-motivated crimes ticked downward across the country. 

The FBI recorded 339 anti-Asian single-bias hate crime incidents, marking a 10.6% decrease from the 379 incidents reported in 2024.

Despite the year-over-year drop, the 2025 total remains more than 2.5 times higher than the annual average of 133 incidents recorded between 2013 and 2019.

Pacific Islander data: Hate crimes targeting Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals decreased by 31%, falling from 29 incidents in 2024 to 20 in 2025.

But before anyone starts patting law enforcement on the back, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders are sounding the alarm: the federal scorecard is only capturing a tiny fraction of the harassment our aunties, uncles, and frontline workers face every single day.

More hate directed at South Asians, Chinese

One of the most concerning trends of 2025 was the convergence of anti-immigrant, anti-South Asian, anti-Muslim, anti-Sikh, and anti-Indian rhetoric.

Advancing Justice | AAJC is closely monitoring trends affecting Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist communities, which continue to face discrimination shaped by overlapping forms of racial, religious, ethnic, and anti-immigrant bias. 

The FBI report's 2025 statististics is alarming:

• Anti-Sikh hate crime incidents increased by 24.6% from 142 in 2024 to 177;
• Anti-Muslim hate crime incidents decreased by 10.1% from 228 in 2024 to 205;
• Anti-Hindu hate crime incidents increased by 12% from 25 in 2024 to 28;
• Anti-Buddhist hate crime incidents increased by 7.7% from 26 in 2024 to 28.

Here is why community advocates say the FBI’s numbers represent just the tip of a very dangerous iceberg.

The 'Crime' vs. 'Incident' Trap

The biggest flaw in the federal count is the massive legal gulf between a bias incident and a legally defined hate crime.

Under federal standards, an event only registers as a hate crime if a distinct criminal offense—like physical assault, battery, arson, or felony vandalism—is committed and investigators can establish beyond a reasonable doubt that racial animus was the primary motive.

That leaves out the vast majority of real-world racism: Racial slurs hurled on public transit, spitting and coughing at elders, workplace shunning and business boycotts and online harassment and menacing threats as we go about our everyday lives.

The Stop AAPI Hate reporting center has tracked thousands of firsthand bias incidents across the country. Because these traumatic encounters fall into the category of constitutionally protected speech or low-level municipal violations rather than statutory hate crimes, they are completely erased from the FBI's ledger.

The FBI doesn’t send agents out to tally these numbers; it relies entirely on local police departments to voluntarily report them through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Civil rights advocates have long pointed out that thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country simply submit zero reports or fail to participate altogether. When an agency reports zero hate crimes for an entire metropolitan area, it rarely means bigotry has vanished—it usually means local officers lack the training, language capability, or institutional willpower to classify bias motivations properly.

View from the edge

Even when actionable crimes occur, our community faces institutional roadblocks that prevent folks from dialing 911 in the first place:

• Language Access: Many precinct front desks lack certified translators or multilingual intake forms, turning away non-English speaking victims at the door.
• Immigration & Enforcement Fears: In a heightened climate of federal crackdowns and deportations, undocumented community members and mixed-status families often avoid police contact out of fear of detention.
• Distrust of Outcomes: With so few reported hate crimes ever resulting in formal charges or convictions, many victims conclude that reporting only exposes them to retaliation without providing real justice.

The FBI report shows only the tip of the iceberg. If anything, the latest report reinforces what grassroots organizations have been saying all along: relying solely on police reports will never fix the problem.

The persistent fear of being attacked has driven many vulnerable individuals—especially elderly community members—away from public spaces. Studies show this anxiety has a devastating ripple effect, preventing people from seeking necessary healthcare, going to doctor appointments, or accessing vital public services.

Instead of celebrating the reported decline of hate crimes, the FBI stats only reinforces the distrust between the AAPI community and law enforcement.

Because immigration crackdowns and ICE enforcement have surged under current federal policies, victims are more terrified than ever of reporting hate crimes to local authorities. This causes severe underreporting, hiding the true scope of the crisis from policymakers.

Community leaders continue to urge federal and local lawmakers to invest in in-language resources, community-led safety measures, and aggressive pushback against xenophobic political narratives that make AAPIs an easy target.

"The real risk is not simply that hate goes unaddressed, but that it becomes invisible," said Sim J. Singh Attariwala, Director of the Anti-Hate Program at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. 

"When the federal government dismantles hate-crime prevention initiatives, cuts grants, weakens civil rights enforcement, and erodes trust among immigrant communities, the impact is felt far beyond Washington, D.C. State and local agencies lose critical resources, community organizations lose support, victims become less likely to come forward, and fewer incidents are captured in official statistics. Communities are left less safe and policymakers are left with less visibility into the threats they are trying to address."

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 find this perspective interesting, please repost.

Supreme Court to hear case questioning "birthright citizenship."

Hannah Lu in front the United States Supreme Court Building.

UPDATED: Earlier versions had an incorrect date for the hearing. April 1 is the correct day SCOTUS will hear the arguments for and against birthright citizenship.

Get ready, because the Supreme Court is about to dive into the ultimate constitutional cage match. On April 1, the nine Justices will hear oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, the case that could officially end birthright citizenship as we know it.

Here’s the skinny: Day one of his second term, Trump signed an executive order saying, "If your parents aren't citizens or green card holders, you don’t get a US passport just for being born here." It’s been winding through the courts ever since, but now it’s hitting the big stage.

The daughter of immigrants from Taiwan, Cecilia Wang, the National Legal Director of the ACLU, is presenting the oral arguments to the Supreme Court on April 1 defending birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara. She is arguing on behalf of challengers, including the ACLU , Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and NAACP LDF,

As of March 30, 2026, every lower court that has considered challenges to President Trump's January 2025 executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship has ruled it unconstitutional. These courts have consistently found that the order violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. 

Key lower court rulings

1. US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit: A divided panel in Trump v. Washington ruled Trump's executive order invalid, stating it "contradicts the plain language of the Fourteenth Amendment." ruling the 1898 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark guarantee citizenship to almost everyone born on US soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status.

2. US District Court for the District of New Hampshire: Judge Joseph N. Laplante issued a preliminary injunction and provisionally certified a nationwide class of babies born on or after February 20, 2025, who would be denied citizenship under the order.
District Courts in Washington State and Maryland: Federal judges in these states also entered injunctions blocking the order early in the litigation process.

While lower courts have blocked the order on its merits, the Supreme Court tried to assuage Trump's anger by issuing a procedural ruling in June 2025 (Trump v. CASA, Inc.) that curtailed the use of "universal" or nationwide injunctions by district courts. This temporarily allowed the order to take effect in states that had not challenged it, but it did not address the constitutionality of the order itself.

This isn't just a legal tweak; it’s a full-on identity crisis for the country. If the Court sides with the administration, it rewrites the rules for millions of families. If they toss it, it’s a massive blow to the "America First" legal agenda.

The ACLU's Cecilia Wang will defend birthright citizenship in front of the Supreme Court.

Predicting SCOTUS

I've given up any hope that the six conservative justices will find a spine to make a ruling based on precedent and the Constitution instead of bending over backwards  and twisting rational thinking in order to give Trump what he wants.

However, while the 6-3 conservative majority has frequently backed the Trump administration's broad executive powers, their commitment to originalism and textualism — the idea that the law means exactly what it says — could actually be the administration's undoing here.

Lower court judges — including many Republican appointees—have uniformly blocked the order, calling it a direct violation of the 14th Amendment. If the conservative justices follow their own logic on "original meaning," the administration faces a very uphill battle to get five votes for a total reinterpretation of citizenship.

The conservative majority has handed Trump wins on deportations and ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, those cases focused on statutes (laws passed by Congress) where the President has massive leeway.

The difference is that birthright citizenship is a Constitutional right. Overturning United States v. Wong Kim Ark would be a much heavier lift than just approving a new border policy.

View from the edge

If SCOTUS rules against birthright citizenship an estimated 255,000 children born in the U.S. each year could be denied citizenship if the order is upheld. Projections suggest this could add 4.8 million non-citizen children to the population by 2045.

Many Asian families arrive on professional visas and wait decades for green cards. Under this order, children born during that long wait could be rendered "stateless" or left in legal limbo, denied Social Security numbers and the basic "right to have rights." Immigrants with J-1 visas who have children born while working in the US as nurses, teachers, oil workers or crews of ships would be in the same predicament.

If a generation of our children is denied citizenship, they lose the right to vote and run for office. It’s a direct hit to the growing political power of the AAPI community.
Affected children could face "irreparable harm," including vulnerability to deportation, loss of access to critical health care and nutrition, and legal "statelessness."

SCOTUS is expected to rule on the case in June. The Supreme Court's decision will determine what the United States will be like on its 250th birthday. 

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. 

ICE in Irvine opposed by Asian American residents, students and politicians

For a long time, Irvine was seen as the "safe" suburban dream—the master-planned capital of the Asian American middle class. But that dream is feeling more like a nightmare lately. 

Long the bastion of Republican conservatism in deep Blue California, at first glance, the City of Irvine and Orange County might appear to be a friendly locale for ICE facilities.

However, the news that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has set up shop in a tower block near the 2000 block of Main Street has sent a shockwave through a community that’s 45% Asian.

ICE claims the office building will be used by street level agents and lawyers allaying community fears that it would be a detention facility.

This isn't just about a new office; it's about a shifting frontline. While the national narrative often ignores Asian Americans in the immigration debate, the data tells a different story.

"The establishment of an ICE office in Irvine sends a threatening message to thousands of Irvine families: you are being watched, and you are not safe," said Irvine Councilmember Kathleet Treseder.

"When agents conduct enforcement operations that tear parents from children and neighbors from their homes, that is not “public safety.” That is trauma. That is destabilization. That is fear tactics," she posted on social media.

Stop AAPI Hate reports that ICE arrests of people from Asian and Pacific Islander (A/PI) countries quadrupled between 2024 and 2025. For a community where 65% are foreign-born, the sight of tactical gear in the "safest city in America" is a loud wake-up call that nobody is immune.

What the City is Saying: "Our Hands are Tied"

City Hall is trying to play it both ways—expressing "surprise" while admitting they can't do much to stop a federal lease.

Mayor Larry Agran has been vocal about the lack of communication from federal agencies, criticizing ICE for not being transparent about their operations near childcare centers and gyms.

The City of Irvine released statements clarifying that the Irvine Police Department (IPD) is not involved in federal enforcement. They’ve even activated an Emergency Operations Center to monitor the situation and launched a legal resource page for residents.

Federal officials insist these aren't "broad raids" but targeted operations for specific individuals with criminal records. But for families watching neighbors being taken away in "30 seconds," that distinction feels pretty thin.

However, as we have seen in other parts of the country, undertrained agents unfamiliar with the Constitution and the law, have flouted the civil rights of immigrants and US citizens, detaining anyone whom they "suspect" of being an undocumented immigrant based on one's accent or the color of their skin.

UC Irvine: The student resistance

The UC Irvine campus,  58%  of its student body is of Asian descent, is a cornerstone of the local Asian American community, is officially on high alert.

The New University Editorial Board of the campus newspaper has been blunt, warning that while UCI is a "sanctuary" in spirit, the university cannot legally bar federal agents from campus property.

Students are particularly worried about the revocation of student visas as a tool to silence political activism.

We aren't just seeing fear; we're seeing fight. Hundreds of students from UCI and local high schools like Northwood and Portola have staged walkouts, proving that the next generation isn't interested in the "quiet" model minority stereotype.

The Bottom Line

ICE is bad for business. A recent UCI survey found that there was a$59 million loss in revenue in Orange County since ICE stepped up its activities. Some of that loss is also due to the poor the economic conditions that is affecting entire country.

"What we're hearing from businesses is deeply concerning," said Raiven Greenberg, policy coordinator for the Social Impact Hub who created the survey. "Owners in sectors from hospitality to retail are telling us that their customers are afraid to come out.

"You see the streets are dormant, businesses are empty, people are scared and people are hiding," said OC Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said. "That is not a formula for a healthy workplace."

Is ICE targeting Asians? The numbers say enforcement is ramping up, and the "model minority" myth won't provide a shield. Whether it's at a scheduled immigration interview or a local business near Bake Parkway, the community is learning the hard way that when the enforcement machine expands, everyone is at risk.

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. 

Slaying of Minneapolis mother prompts Asian Americans to join anti-ICE protests

NBC

Asian Americans in Sacramento, CA. joined anti-ICE protests last weekend.

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old poet and legal observer Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026, Asian Americans in Minneapolis and beyond are rising up with a clear message: the Donald Trump's regime's "reign of terror" must end.

In Minneapolis, Southeast Asian refugee communities have responded to the January 7, 2026, shooting of Renee Nicole Good with profound grief and organized resistance, viewing the federal crackdown as a return to the trauma of the war-torn lands they fled.

Prominent Vietnamese American poet and activist Bao Phi, a refugee himself, has been a leading voice at rallies. He describes the current atmosphere as a "trauma response," stating, "You see the pattern of both injustice and... callousness that is an echo of things that have happened to many different communities, including ours before."

The City of Minneapolis, which is home to one of the largest Hmong American communities, released safety guidance and updates on the shooting in multiple languages, including Hmong, to ensure these communities are informed as they navigate the heavy federal presence.

Southeast Asian residents have joined tens of thousands of others in marches through south Minneapolis, calling for "ICE out now". Advocacy groups like OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates have explicitly condemned the shooting as "government-sanctioned murder" and likened federal tactics to the "Tiananmen Square Massacre."

Columnists and community members have highlighted the "human cost" of current enforcement, noting that hundreds of Southeast Asians were deported from Minnesota in the year prior, adding to the fear triggered by the shooting. They frame the defense of their neighbors as a moral necessity for a community built on migration.

From the streets of south Minneapolis to solidarity vigils in Los Angeles, Asian American activists are linking this tragedy to a long history of state violence and the specific trauma of refugee communities.

In Rochester, NY, members of the Bhutanese community joined local rallies to show solidarity with Minneapolis, highlighting how the fear of federal enforcement has resonated across the refugee diaspora.

Who was Renee Good?

Here is how the community is responding:

National organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta and various Filipino American groups in Los Angeles have condemned the shooting as a "profound abuse of power". In a shared statement, community leaders declared, "No one should lose their life at the hands of a violent and dehumanizing system... We stand firmly against ICE and all forms of state violence."

“Any loss of life involving those entrusted to uphold the law is very troubling,” stated the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), the largest national affiliation of Filipino American institutions and umbrella organizations, said in a statement. “We believe that violence of this nature can affect any community and threatens the safety of us all.”

On social media, groups like Stop AAPI Hate have reminded followers that constitutional rights apply to everyone, regardless of status. They urged the community to "Report ICE sightings" and "Protect one another," framing the defense of immigrant neighbors as a moral necessity for a community built on migration.

Local residents have expressed visceral disgust at attempts by federal officials to label Good a "domestic terrorist". One Southeast Asian American resident in Minneapolis shared on social media that overhearing any dismissive talk regarding the victim felt "dehumanizing," especially given the recent escalation where federal agents reportedly used chemical weapons near local high schools.

The shooting has forged a unified front in Minneapolis, where tens of thousands have marched to demand that federal agents leave the city. As Bao Phi put it, the community is standing together across lines of race and faith to ensure Renee Good’s name becomes a catalyst for real change.

Speaking at a rally, Phi observed that "history has a way of repeating itself," noting that the same neighborhoods that once offered safety to refugees are now awash in fear because of the overwhelming federal presence.

“This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it must stop,” said State Attorney General Keith Ellison as he announced Monday the state's lawsuit against the Trump regime. “These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorised Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct.”

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. 

ICE releases Filipino American mother after 8 months in detention

SCREEN CAPTURE

Alma Bowman is released from ICE detention.

After spending most of the year in ICE custody, a Filipino American woman is celebrating  Thanksgiving at home surrounded by family and supporters.

Alma Bowman was released from the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, and reunited with her family after spending eight months detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). 

“We are so thrilled that (Bowman) has been released from detention and has regained her freedom,” said Samantha Hamilton, the attorney from Asian American Advancing Justice who represented Bowman..

 "And we are once again inspired by Alma, who fought tirelessly for her release and for the release of dozens of other women who she has met during the last eight months that she has been in Stewart — a place she never should have been in in the first place,” said Filipino American lawyer Hamilton.

On March 26, 2025, Bowman attended her routine yearly check-in at the ICE Atlanta Field Office in a wheelchair, with her two children, legal team, and a crowd of supporters. Inside, ICE officers told her that she needed to be taken downstairs and separated from her attorney to be fingerprinted. But instead of being fingerprinted, she was detained and sent to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.

Bowman has lived in Macon, Georgia, for nearly 50 years. Her father was a US citizen serving in the US Navy when he met Alma’s mother in the Philippines, where Alma was born.

“I always thought that I was a citizen of the United States,” Bowman said. She was married to a US citizen, whom she is separated from.

As the daughter of a US-citizen father, she should have acquired citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) of 1952. But the US government has repeatedly refused to recognize Bowman’s citizenship, leading to her being detained by ICE, exposing the ongoing implications of an arcane and racist law according to Advancing Justice-Atlanta.

FYI:Alma Bowman's case could affect thousands of US citizens born overseas.

Bowman was previously detained by ICE from 2017 to 2020 at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, a facility known for its documented human rights abuses against people in immigration detention. While detained at Irwin, she helped expose abuse by a doctor who was performing non-consensual gynecological procedures on immigrant women, bringing international spotlight to Georgia. Alma was released on an order of supervision in December 2020. Nevertheless, she was detained again by ICE, highlighting the cruelties of a broken and inhumane system.

Since being re-detained in March, Bowman has tirelessly fought her unjust detention and for the government to recognize her citizenship. On July 30, 2025, she filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the US District Court for the Middle District of Georgia arguing that her detention was unconstitutional and seeking her immediate release. She is represented by Advancing Justice-Atlanta and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Alma’s adult children, Chris and John Mitchell, are eager to welcome their mother back home. “We are super excited that moomin gets to come home. It would have been another sad Thanksgiving without her. The plan is to get her some good home cooking and make sure she's comfortable while catching her up on all she's missed. We are still worried about the status of her ongoing case, but at least she will be with family instead of locked away while in this limbo.”

Bowman’s legal team is also celebrating her long-awaited release. “We are so thrilled that Alma has been released from detention and has regained her freedom,” said AAJA's Hamilton. “And we are once again inspired by Alma, who fought tirelessly for her release and for the release of dozens of other women who she has met during the last eight months that she has been in Stewart—a place she never should have been in in the first place.

"Alma is a drum major for justice," said Kayla Vinson, Staff Attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights. "We could not be happier that she will get to enjoy the end of the year where she should have been all along, at home with her family."

Bowman's release is tempered because she continues to push for the government to recognize her United States citizenship. 

Bowman secured her release through her tireless advocacy and with the legal representation of Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (“Advancing Justice-Atlanta”) and the Center for Constitutional Rights, as well as advocacy by the Malaya Movement USA and Georgia, Tanggol Migrante Movement, GABRIELA USA, and the International Women’s Alliance.

"While this is a major victory for Alma's family and friends, we as Tanggol Migrante, and the Defend Migrants Alliance will continue to fight for the genuine freedom for people like Alma, who see their issues connected to a shared experienced migrants face across the US,” said organizer June Colcol. “We encourage more people to join our movement and take collective action!"

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. 

AANHPI communities on edge over Trump's mass deportation policies

Even before Donald Trump was sworn into office, reinvigorated border officials began their raids into communities of color, affecting immigrants from Asia.

Although most of the media attention focused on the planeloads of alleged undocumented immigrants being sent to South American countries and ICE sweeps reported in California targeting Latino Americans, AANHPI communities have not been spared from fear and nervousness generated by the Trump policy of mass deportations.

Reactions from legal advocates were tempered before the inauguration but as the first week of pell-mell presidential decrees began to be implemented, resistence has stiffen with a barrage of lawsuits against the Trump Presidential Orders.

A day after Trump signed the Executive Order, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., challenging the order. It is the latest of many legal challenges against the flurry of Executive Orders coming out of the White House in the Trump administration's first week.

"The expansion means that low-level DHS officers can now immediately and without process subject individuals in the interior of the United States to expedited removal, without any consideration of their family ties," the ACLU alleged.

There are about 11 million unauthorised immigrants in the US, according to the Pew Research Center.

Arrests have occurred across the natpn involving ICE agents and border control officers. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, said the intention was to first go after those individuals with criminal records but there have been numerous instances in which undocumented immigrants who have not committed crimes and even US citizens have been rounded up.

On Sunday, Homan told ABC News that he expected arrest and deportation numbers to "steadily increase," and said the focus right now was "public safety threats, national security threats".

The 956 reported arrests on Sunday follow 286 arrests on Saturday, 593 arrests on Friday and 538 arrests on Thursday. The actions involved several federal agencies such as ICE, the FBI, US Marshals, the border officers and other federal entities, highlighting the militarized approach to immigration enforce ..

FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS WORKING WITH TRUMP

China has pledged to accept undocumented Chinese citizens back to their homeland. As of 2022, there were 375,000 unauthorised immigrants from China in the US, according to Pew estimates. That figure also includes migrants from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday, Jan. 27, that the Chinese government would accept US deportation flights for individuals confirmed as Chinese nationals who crossed illegally into the US.

According to Department of Homeland Security records, China accepted four charter removal flights from the Biden administration in the past six months. 

Twenty-four Filipinos accused of criminal activity were rounded up by Border officers during the last months of the Biden Administration. The 24 were reportedly deported on Jan. 21, a day after Trump moved into the White House.

According to some accounts, there are about 300,000 Filipinos in the US without legal status. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC says most of this population came to the US legally as students, tourists or with work visas for certain occupations, but failed to extend their visas.

Beyond the first batch of 24, at least 80 more Filipinos are awaiting deportation, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.

DEPORTED TO THE PHILIPPINES

“We’re closely coordinating with Homeland Security to ensure those facing deportation are treated properly,” Romualdez said. He confirmed that deported Filipinos are transported directly to the airport and placed on commercial flights back to the Philippines.

Romualdez noted that Filipinos with work permits have a better chance of obtaining legal residency in the US, as their employers can sponsor them. However, undocumented Filipinos, especially those who entered the US as tourists, may face challenges and are encouraged to seek legal assistance.

“We have many Filipino-American lawyers volunteering at our consulate who can provide information on how they can assist,” he said.

Since Trump won the election in November, Romualdez has been urging  undocumented Filipinos to self-repatriate rather than wait to get deported. Individuals who are deported will find it more difficult to obtain a new visa to return to the US, whereas those who return to the Philippines voluntarily will avoid having breaking the law on their record.

Within the Filipino community, the overstaying Filipinos are called TNT, tago ng tago, Tagalog for "hide-hide."

LARGEST NUMBER OF UNAUTHORIZED ASIANS ARE FROM INDIA

Reports that ICE has arrested South Asians at their temple of worship were disputed by members of those worship houses.

As of 2022, there were 725,000 unauthorised immigrants from India in the US, according to Pew estimates, the third-highest number after Mexico and El Salvador.

That number does not include the Indians in the US with H-1B visas who were brought here by their employers, many of whom are in the high-tech industries. According to the latest data from the 2020 Census, there are over 300,000 Indians with this status.

As of presstime, there have not been any ICE forays disturbing undocumented European or Canadian communities.

Trump is carrying out his campaign promise of deporting immigrants without the proper documents an dending illegal border crossings, mostly the border between the uS and Mexico. While his supporters are cheering the deportations, the Gestapo-like actions of the border patrol officers and ICE agents is disturbing, to say the least.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Video prepared by Catholic Charities.

Legal advocates such as the Advancing Asian Americans for Justice (AAAJ), the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and Asian Legal Defense and Education Fund remind anyone being confronted by federal agents that they have certain rights. The Asian Law Caucus prepared athe following nswers for anyone being confronted by ICE or border officials:

• You have the right to remain silent. You may refuse to speak to immigration officers.
• Carry a know-your-rights card and show it if an immigration officer stops you.
• Do not open your door.
• You have the right to speak to a lawyer.
• Before you sign anything, talk to a lawyer.
• Always carry with you any valid immigration document you have.
• If you are worried ICE will arrest you, let the officer know if you have children.
• ICE and other law enforcement officers may think they can get away with violating your rights.
• Create a safety plan.
• Report and document raids and arrests.
• Find legal help.

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