Asian American Alliance Newsletter 2/18/2026

Here's some recent news highlights on Asian American political issues…

1. The DHS Shutdown Continues
2. South Asian Hate Sparked by H-1B Visa Discussions

DHS Shutdown Continues, with Little Progress Towards a Deal

On Feb 14, funding for the Department of Homeland Security expired, shutting the department down for the third time over the past few months. While another short-term funding extension was proposed by Republicans, it was quickly blocked by Democrats. In the meantime, DHS’s immigration enforcement continues on previous funds.

On Monday, Democrats called for 10 new constraints:  DHS officers must 1) have a judicial warrant to enter private property, 2) not wear masks, 3) carry an ID, 4) not conduct enforcement near hospitals, schools, churches, etc., 5) stop racial profiling, 6) follow use of force standards, 7) allow States the ability to investigate potential crimes, 8) provide better conditions in detention facilities, 9) wear body cameras, and 10) carry and wear only standardized equipment. These proposals were rejected the day after, suggesting that DHS will remain shut down for much longer.

On behalf of Republicans, a counteroffer (which was not made fully public) was said to include increased penalties for doxxing DHS officers, and an end to sanctuary cities. This offer was also rejected, and Democratic leaders have made it clear that they intend to stand by their initial 10 demands.

Read more here.

How Discussion Over H-1B Visas is Fraught with South Asian Hate

A recent City Council meeting in Frisco, TX discussed H-1B visas, with several speakers arguing that the program had been put in place by Western elites and corporations that sought to create an “Indian takeover” of Frisco, disempowering white Americans.

This meeting is an example of how broader discussion of H-1B visas is constantly fraught with hate speech against South Asians. In 2025, Stop AAPI Hate found that the use of anti-South Asian slurs online had more than doubled since 2023. It had escalated during Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and again surged after the H-1B visa executive order and Zohran Mamdani’s election.

Stephanie Chan, the director of data and research at Stop AAPI Hate, points out how recent rhetoric echoes The Great Replacement Theory, a far-right conspiracy theory that was popularized in France in 2012 by Renaud Camus. The theory asserts that white populations face deliberate replacement through mass immigration and declining birth rates, and historically, the Great Replacement Theory had been used to justify acts of extreme, violent anti-semitism. Today, Chan worries where this rhetoric—now directed towards South Asians—will lead.

Read more here.