Join us in learning about the ongoing criminalization efforts by the federal government against Asian Americans and immigrants.

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Please join us for the upcoming webinar, "Criminalization of Asian Americans: Prosecutions and Surveillance of AMEMSA Communities, Chinese Americans, and Immigrants", organized by Arab American Institute and Advancing Justice | AAJC on Thursday, September 30 at 4pm ET / 3pm CT / 1pm PT.

This webinar seeks to connect the ongoing criminalization of Asian American and immigrant communities with a focus on the surveillance, targeting and profiling of AMEMSA communities post-9/11 and following the Trump-era “China Initiative,” of Asian American and immigrant scientists and researchers, particularly those of Chinese descent.

Asian Americans have been perceived as national security threats and “perpetual foreigners,” and treated differently from other Americans. In particular, AMEMSA communities, Chinese Americans, and immigrants have been subjected to heavy scrutiny, mass investigations and criminal prosecutions under the pretext of combatting terrorism and economic espionage. Many of these investigations are not based on reasonable suspicion or evidence of wrongdoing but rather on ethnicity or religion. Inseparable from these criminal prosecutions are the surveillance of our communities including at their homes, workplace, and points of entry where their electronic devices and social media are searched. The long term impact on our community is immeasurable as these prosecutions not only have immediate criminal consequences, but also lasting immigration consequences that can be immediate or may not be triggered till years later.

The webinar will lift up the experiences of AMEMSA communities post-9/11, explore best practices and lessons learned to combat racial profiling, and call attention to collaboration efforts across diverse groups to protect the civil rights of all communities.

Click the button below to RSVP and join us on Zoom!
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Speakers:
* Ryan J. Suto, Esq., Policy Counsel, Arab American Institute
Ryan J. Suto, Esq. previously served as the Government Relations Manager at AAI. Before joining AAI, Ryan worked with organizations such as UNDP Bahrain and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. Ryan graduated from Syracuse University's Law and Public Diplomacy program, where he received certificates in Middle Eastern affairs, international law, and post-conflict reconstruction. He previously earned bachelor degrees in political science and philosophy from Penn State University.
* Gisela P. Kusakawa, Staff Attorney, Anti-Racial Profiling Project & Immigration, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Gisela P. Kusakawa is an attorney leading Advancing Justice | AAJC’s policy and advocacy efforts to combat the government targeting of Asian Americans and advancing our communities’ immigration priorities. Her portfolio includes the intersections of national security, technology, immigration, and criminal law. Her work laid the groundwork for the launch of the Anti-Racial Profiling Project dedicated to protecting the rights of Asian Americans and immigrants unjustly targeted by the government. She is a recipient of the NAPABA Law Foundation Community Law Fellowship and the Justice Thurgood Marshall Civil Liberties Award for her work in civil rights and public service. She clerked under the first Asian American judge in Virginia, the Honorable John M. Tran, and worked for a refugee firm helping asylum seekers and refugees find protection in the United States. Gisela served indigent immigrant populations under AmeriCorps in Ohio, worked on business and job development in the Philippines,
and was a Rotary Scholar at Kofu City, Japan. She was a founding member of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Washington, D.C.
* Harsha Panduranga, Counsel, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice
Harsha Panduranga's work has been featured in press outlets including the Atlantic, Slate, Daily Beast, and Just Security. Panduranga received his BA and JD from the University of Michigan.

Moderator:
* Vivin Qiang, Program Coordinator, Anti-Racial Profiling Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Vivin Qiang leads the community engagement and media outreach efforts for the Anti-Racial Profiling Project. Before joining Advancing Justice | AAJC, she worked in China for a global environmental nonprofit organization, where she supported the program’s overall communication strategy and engaged with Chinese communities in building conservation projects across urban neighborhoods. Vivin received her M.A. in Development Studies with a concentration in Migration from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, and holds a B.A. from Eureka College in Communications with a minor in International Relations.

Learn more about the Anti-Racial Profiling Project ([link removed])
If you believe you are being targeted by the government and you are looking for attorney referrals, please contact 202-935-6014 using the Signal app and a staff member from Advancing Justice | AAJC will reach out to you directly (Available in English & Mandarin/普通话).
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