State of the Union: Donald Trump didn't understand the women's applause

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Women members of Congress congratulate themselves.

DONALD TRUMP's 5,200 words resulted in the longest State of the Union speech ever in which the women in white stole the limelight.

Asian Americans were mentioned in Donald Trump's State of the Union speech Tuesday (Feb. Trump said that African Americans, Latinos and Asians have the lowest unemployment rates ever.

NBC fact checkers say Trump taking credit for this trend is misleading.

It is true that unemployment rates for black and Latino Americans hit record lows last year, although this economic trend is not new. Unemployment numbers were trending downwards since 2009, when President Obama's  economic policies started to take effect, reversing the trend towards recession started under President Bush.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment percentages for blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have been noticeably decreasing since 2010 and continue to do so, says NBC.

"According to the most recent information from BLS, in January of 2019, the black unemployment rate stood at 6.8 percent. Last May, it dropped to 5.9 percent, the lowest percentage ever recorded. Similarly, the current unemployment rate for Hispanic Americans leaves them at 4.9 percent, up from a record low of 4.4 percent in October and December 2018. In addition, Asian unemployment rates remain low at 3.1 percent in January 2019, up from a low of 2.2 percent in May 2018."

NBC also cites that among women over 20, the unemployment rate in January 2019 was at 3.6 percent. That's up from a low of 3.3 percent in May and September of last year.

Despite these numbers, current and former White House economists have debated the legitimacy of Trump’s claims that his administration, versus the Obama administration, has been the cause of this economic success.

"Austan Goolsbee, the former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors for President Obama called the numbers 'a continuation of a steady trend,'" says NBC.

His mention of higher employment numbers for women drew an unexpected response. The record number of female  members of the House, all of them newly elected Democrats, erupted in self-congratulatory applause resulting in the highlight of the evening.

Many of the women, including the speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, dressed in white in tribute to the women's suffrage movement. Trump obviously wasn't expected the dancing and laughter that broke out among the mainly Democratic members when he talked about record levels of female employment in the US economy. Trump didn't get it. He mistook their exhuberance as agreement for what he was saying.

'No one has benefited more from our thriving economy than women who have filled 58% of the newly created jobs last year,' Trump said before the large group of women stood up and cheered. 'You weren't supposed to do that,' Trump joked before pointing out that the midterms had seen the largest number of women elected to Congress.

The New York Times fact checkers also found:

Trump continued to spread falsehoods about the alleged crime wave caused by immigrants.

He said the "lawless state of our southern border" is a threat to Americans' safety and well being. He said he was asking lawmakers to "defend our very dangerous" border.

Still, studies have found that immigrants (legal and undocumented) commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born Americans.

He failed to mention the thousands of children separated from their families and who remain in detention centers around the country.

“I believe Democrats and Republicans can and should work together on issues like rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.  But the President will need to match words with deeds, and we will see if his desire for bipartisanship will align with his actions after tonight," said Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY.

Trump's appeal for unity and togetherness ring hollow considering he is the source of much of the divisiveness and polarization that reigns over the country today.

Editor's Note: This is a developing story. Check back later for further reactions.

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Legal immigrants could be penalized for using government assistance

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C.

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A new rule proposed by the Trump administration would make it more difficult for legal immigrants to get a green card if they apply for food stamps or Medicaid, reports Vox.
Experts warn this change could cause individuals to disenroll from public benefits for fear of losing their opportunity to get a green card, leading to worse health and poverty outcomes for millions of children and families. 

“This plan is outrageous. The goal of the Trump administration’s new ‘public charge’ plan is clear: to drive undocumented and immigrant communities into the shadows and tear apart families who live and work here," said Monica Thammarath, president of Asian Pacific Americans Labor Alliance. (APALA).

“There is no justification for this rule change outside of bald-faced xenophobia," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA and chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. "The change applies to immigrants who are here legally and have done nothing to merit punishment. Immigrant families are no less entitled to food or housing support than any other person trying to get by in this unequal economy."

The proposal, long expected, were released quietly over the weekend and received minimal news coverage because most media were emphasizing coverage of teh sexual assault charges against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 presidential elections.

"This change creates a rigged immigration process that makes it impossible for all but the wealthiest to have a secure, permanent future here. Green Cards shouldn’t go to the highest bidder," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA. "Your actions, not your wallet, should define you in the United States. This just the latest ploy from Trump and Republicans to distract Americans from their efforts to bulldoze working families. We won’t play their games and are ready to fight tooth and nail to stop this rule.”

More than 1.5 million Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) immigrants are in families that u se public benefits to feed and sustain their families.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice immediately moved to denounce the idea.

“This is a wide-reaching and incredibly depraved attack from the Trump Administration on our families. This proposed rule could discourage families from accessing the basic assistance they need in order to survive in our communities. More than 1.5 million Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) immigrants are in families that use public benefits to feed and sustain their families,” AAAJC said in a statement.

According to the civil rights law group, immigrants are already prevented from accessing most federal programs during their first five years of living in the United States.

“The proposed regulation greatly expands the federal government’s ability to reject applications for lawful permanent residency, attacking our family-based immigration system through backdoor methods,” AAAJ statement continued.

The Center for American Progress joined in the condemnation.

“It jeopardizes children in the school cafeteria lunch line, people in need of lifesaving medical care, and immigrant parents working two jobs just to put food on the table,” CAP said. “This move goes around Congress to tear families apart and reverse immigration policies and practices that have lasted for nearly a century—through Republican and Democratic administrations alike.”
The Department of Homeland Security defends the proposal, saying it will save tax dollars.

Once the rule is officially published on the Federal Register, the public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed rule before the Department of Homeland Security proceeds with final rulemaking.

“You don’t kick the cane away from a person and criticize them for not standing. But that’s what this rule is doing," said Chu. "I’m deeply worried that immigrant families who are here legally and are doing their best to get by will now go hungry because they fear being punished for using the resources our country has made available to them.”

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Second anti-Sikh attack in California in a week

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Neighbors and Sikh community members  rallied against the recent attacks on Sikhs in the Modesto, Calif. area.

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LESS THAN A WEEK  after a Sikh man was beaten and his truck vandalized, another Sikh man was assaulted in Manteca, Calif., reports the Modesto Bee. 

Video footage caught on Monday (Aug. 6) shows two adult males confronting Sahib Singh Natt, kicking him repeatedly, and spitting on him, in what the police are investigating as an attempted robbery.

In the video, Natt, in his 70s, attempted to walk around the two men after being confronted during his daily walk, but they followed him. After being kicked and knocked to the ground, Natt got up to defend himself, at which point he was kicked down again. After his attackers began to leave, one returned to kick Natt several more times while he was still on the ground.

“As the suspects left the scene, it is believed that one may have waved a firearm in the air,” according to a news release. “The elderly man was medically treated and released from a local hospital.”

“He was in such a shock,” said relative Parminder Singh Sahi, according to FOX40. “He was not able to tell us exactly what happened so he would tell us one thing and then he will mumble and say something else.” An epileptic seizure seven years ago has impaired Natt’s ability to communicate with others.

“We were disheartened, we were shaken, it was way worse than what we were thinking may have happened to him,” added Sahi.

According to officials, there are no indications so far that the assault was a hate crime, especially since Natt is unable to tell officers exactly what his attackers said.

The full confrontation is shown in the video below. Warning: contains disturbing content.

According to Buzzfeed News, Sikh Coalition Legal Director Amrith Kaur released the following statement: “We are currently investigating the case and looking to directly connect with the impacted community member to guarantee that his legal rights are protected and that all steps are taken to thoroughly investigate this crime. At this stage, we are closely monitoring the situation in order to determine what the evidence shows the motivation of this vicious attack to be. We hope to learn more soon and will share appropriate updates then.”

Last Tuesday, the words “Go back to ur country” and a Celtic Cross, believed to be a hate symbol used by White supremacists, were spray-painted onto a 50-year-old Sikh man’s truck. The victim was beaten to the ground and told by his attackers, “You’re not welcome here!” and “Go back to your country!” This incident is being investigated as a hate crime.

A Sikh man was beaten and his truck spraypainted with a hate message in California Aug. 1

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House passes two anti-immigrant bills

WHILE ALL EYES are focused on the Russia probe and Trumpcare, the U.S. House of Representatives approved two anti-immigrant bills with serious consequences for immigrant communities in the U.S., and would both undermine public safety and tear families apart. 

“These bills are riddled with constitutional violations that completely disregard the civil and human rights of immigrants.," said Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaigns for the ACLU. "Despite claims to the contrary, Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act will make our communities less safe by undermining the trust that law enforcement builds with its communities — citizen and immigrant alike. The true intent of these bills is to empower Trump’s deportation force and anti-immigrant agenda."

The bills are:

• H.R. 3003 allows the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to withhold crucial law enforcement and terrorism funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that limit how their police can work with federal immigration agencies.

• H.R. 3004 expands criminal sentences for undocumented immigrants who reenter, or attempt to reenter, the U.S. It also expands the population of people who would be subject to criminal prosecution for such crimes, including individuals who seek to apply for asylum and surrender themselves at the border, as well as individuals with no criminal history.  

"Their first bill, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, effectively declares war on American cities, law enforcement, and immigrant communities by making deporting immigrants more of a priority than protecting communities," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., chair of the Congresional Asian Pacific American Caucus. 

"There is abundant evidence that sanctuary and community trust policies make communities safer," agreed Asian American Advancing Justice, a coalition of five civil rights organizations. "As Arizona and Texas have shown us, forcing local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws increases racial profiling and distrust of law enforcement by communities of color."

“The second bill, Kate’s Law, is even worse," continued the AAAJ statement. "This is politically-driven legislation intended to create a fear of immigrants, even though repeated studies have shown immigrants commit fewer crimes. It goes so far that it criminalizes immigrants trying to rejoin their families or refugees fleeing violence. This is shameful."

Approximately 40 percent of all immigrants come to the U.S. from Asia, and 1.6 million of those immigrants are undocumented. Anti-immigrant policies create a climate of fear for all immigrants, regardless of status.

"Criminalizing victims of human trafficking, asylum seekers, good Samaritans, and victims of violence under the guise of safety is unacceptable," said Rep. Pramila Jayapa, D-Wash. "I reject these fear-mongering bills, and I will continue to fight to welcome the ‘huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,’ even as my Republican colleagues attempt to slam the door in their faces.”

Anti-immigrant rhetoric has been a key part of Donald Trump and his campaign and administration. His push for the a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and his executive orders limiting travel from six Muslim-dominated countries is part of creating an environment of fear to motivate his followers to support a dictator-like president.

A Pew Charitable Trust survey shows that as many as 66 percent of registered voters who supported Trump consider immigration a “very big problem,” while only 17 percent of Hillary Clinton’s supporters said the same. Seventy-nine percent of Trump supporters embrace the proposal to build a wall “along the entire U.S. border with Mexico.” Moreover, 59 percent of Trump supporters actively associate “unauthorized immigrants with serious criminal behavior.”

In Trump, his supporters find a line of talk and thinking that supports their own xenophobia and fear of the "other."

Texas lawmaker's emotional plea on behalf of immigrants brings up anti-Asian actions

Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, center, urged his peers to vote against the anti-immigrant measure.

TEXAS STATE state Representative Gene Wu was visibly emotional as he spoke against Senate Bill 4, a controversial immigration enforcement bill before the Texas House of Representatives.

"This topic is painful for me," said Wu, who represents a district in Houston. "I am an immigrant. My parents are immigrants. I represent a district filled with immigrants."

In his speech last week he struggled to control his emotions as the Democrat spoke about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which restricted the immigration of Chinese immigrants into the U.S. Wu called attention to the incarceration of Japanese/Americans during World War II. The video of his speech went viral.

SB4 would allow law enforcement officials to ask about a detainee’s immigration status. Police chiefs and sheriffs could face criminal charges if they don't help the federal government enforce immigration laws. 

After 16 hours of debate, the bill passed at 3 a.m. April 30. It still faces several hurdles before it becomes law.

"(The bill) will tell people, 'If you are stopped by the police, they will ask you about immigration status, even if you're trying to help, and you will be deported,'" Wu says.

Wu, who represents the diverse neighborhoods of southwest Houston, came from China with his family when he was just 5-years old.Wu wasn't alone in opposing the bill, Other representatives who are immigrants or have immigrants in their family spoke out against the measure. Many law enforcement officials were against it because they knew they needed to have the trust of the immigrant community in order to fight against crime.

In the end, the vote wasn't even close. The House of Reprsentatives voted for the bill, 93-54. The Texas Senate passed the proposed law in February. It now goes to committee before going to Gov. Greg Abbott.

In addition to mandating police to detain civilians who might be undocumented immigrants, the bill also prohibits Texas cities from passing bills that would curtail SB4's provisions. Police would be required to comply with federal requests to detain suspected undocumented immigrants, making officers an extension of ICE. At its core, SB4 targets "sanctuary city" and profiles people who look like an immigrant.

It seems unlikely that Republican Gov. Abbott will veto SB4 given his past statements about defunding sanctuary cities.

“Many members on the floor came up and told me, ‘We know this is wrong... but we’re going to do it anyway. Because we need to stay elected,'” said Wu.

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