|
👋 Good morning and welcome to Power Shift, The Yappie’s weekly guide to the politics, policy news, and activism affecting Asian American + Pacific Islander communities. Email me at [email protected] to share tips, comments, or questions. And support our work by making a donation.
– Edited by Shawna Chen
THE BIG STORY
Another Asian American admissions fight reaches the Supreme Court
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case alleging racial discrimination against Asian American middle school students, a move that could test race-neutral admissions policies amid an escalating wave of rhetoric accusing Asian Americans of taking away educational and job opportunities.
How we got here: A coalition of Asian American parents sued Maryland’s Montgomery County school board in 2020 challenging the lottery-based admissions system at four competitive magnet middle schools, which they claim violates equal protection laws under the 14th Amendment and was designed to reduce Asian enrollment.
The school board implemented the policy in the 2021-2022 school year as part of a broader effort to address racial disparities—grades and test scores are still considered throughout the process—and maintains that they are committed to “providing equitable access to rigorous opportunities for all students,” per Maryland Matters.
A report had previously found that Black and Latino students were underrepresented while Asian students were overrepresented, NBC News reports.
Lower courts rejected the case because the group couldn’t show the Asian American share of admissions fell below their share of the applicant pool, and ruled that there’s no evidence the policy was motivated by discriminatory intent.
The latest: The Supreme Court said Monday it would consider whether a case “challenging a facially neutral admissions policy as racially discriminatory must establish that the targeted racial group suffered an aggregate disparate impact relative to its share of the applicant pool” in order to proceed.
That means justices aren’t expected to rule on the policy’s constitutionality—they will decide a more technical question over the evidence needed to bring such a claim.
Still, it reopens the ongoing debate over affirmative action, which has taken newfound prominence with the far-right movement peddling the Great Replacement Theory.
Our Take
The coalition suing the school board is represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative-leaning organization that has challenged other policies benefiting marginalized communities.
While the foundation appears to advocate for Asian American interests in this case, their degree of success could also shape arguments for future anti-DEI lawsuits.
POLICY TRACKER
Jail cooperation hasn’t slowed community ICE arrests, data shows
Photo: U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
When federal immigration officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota earlier this year, White House border czar Tom Homan said he’d draw back ICE enforcement operations—including raids at schools, homes, and other neighborhood locations—if cities and states voluntarily assist ICE by handing over undocumented immigrants already in jail.
Minnesota did see its surge wind down once Homan withdrew 700 agents in early February. But the trade-off hasn’t held across the nation, according to a new report.
The daily average of community ICE arrests (such as at homes and workplaces) and of arrests at law enforcement locations (such as courthouses) has each risen more than 450% since 2024, per the Prison Policy Initiative’s (PPI) analysis of federal data obtained by the Deportation Data Project.
Arrests via jail detainers, where local jails honor an ICE request to hold someone past their release date so agents can pick them up, increased 144%.
States that refuse ICE cooperation, however, end up with fewer overall arrests, PPI found. From January to early August, Illinois and Oregon—both of which restrict local law enforcement’s work with ICE—had annualized arrest rates around or under 30 per 100,000 residents.
That number climbs to 166 in Georgia and 226 in Florida, where arrests include mandatory immigration status checks and undocumented immigrants facing certain state charges are barred from bail release before ICE can arrive.
What we’re watching: Plainsclothes ICE agents appeared to apprehend and transport an Asian woman into an unmarked van outside Los Angeles International Airport in a video that went viral last week.
While it’s as of yet unclear why they detained her, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted on X that ICE agents are increasingly showing up at airports to arrest asylum applicants who “overstay” due to federal processing delays.
Our Take
As PPI’s analysis shows, the way that she was abducted—in plain clothes and in plain sight—is likely to continue regardless of local law enforcement agencies’ cooperation with ICE.
Transparency remains an ongoing conversation despite the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rejecting the Government Accountability Office’s recommendation for ICE agents to wear body cameras that automatically activate once weapons are drawn.
ON OUR RADAR
Photo: Defense Visual Information Distribution System
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines has been appointed the new dean of the College of Cardinals, the advisory body that advises the current pope and holds the honor of selecting the next successor.
Historically, Italian members of the clergy have held this elite role within the Holy See. Cardinal Tagle is the first Asian to assume the position.
As a Catholic, I tend to see diversity within the pews but less within the leadership in American Catholic parishes. It is encouraging to see an Asian leader elected into one of the highest positions within the church. I hope it will positively influence diversity in leadership within the U.S.
Like what you’ve read?
Make a donation, forward this newsletter to a friend, or subscribe here. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Founded in 2018, The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit news organization reporting on Asian American + Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Learn more.
