Asian American Alliance Newsletter (3/26/2026)

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

1. Airport Security Delays, due to DHS Shutdown
2. Debates over DHS Funding, and the SAVE America Act
3. Eid al-Fitr Celebrations Across America

How the DHS Shutdown is Delaying Airport Security

Airport security across the country has been experiencing significant delays, due to the partial government shutdown over the DHS deal. With funds still suspended and negotiations ongoing, TSA officers have been required to work without pay for the past 39 days. Many officers have left their positions, resulting in over four-hour delays in some airports. Meanwhile, ICE operations have remained relatively unaffected, still using the prior $75 billion funds from 2025.

Beginning March 23, the Trump Administration began stationing ICE officers at airports to offer support to TSA. There has also been discussion of sending the National Guard. However, these ICE officers have not been trained in TSA functions, and have not been helping to screen passengers. TSA union leaders have spoken out about the ICE deployment, voicing that the presence of ICE has only added more tension, while providing little to no aid. Some leaders also reported airport restaurants closing due to the concerns of recently immigrated employees.

This deployment only further extends the role of ICE beyond its typical immigration enforcement duties. Hiroshi Motomura—co-director of UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy—has voiced concerns over ICE functioning as a police force operating under both more aggressive rules and an effectively independent budget.

Read more here.

Updates on Proposals for DHS Funding and the SAVE America Act

On March 24, Republicans proposed a deal that would restore funding for 94% of the DHS, excluding funding for ICE. However, with no restrictions on immigration officers included in the proposal, it was rejected. Since then, Democrats have proposed a counteroffer, pressing for more restrictions on immigration agents—but details of the offer have not yet been disclosed.

Notably, Trump was also opposed to the Republicans’ recent proposal. Instead, he argues that Republicans should use the DHS shutdown as an opportunity to pass his Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act—a strict voter ID bill. This bill would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering and ban a majority of mail-in voting. However, this bill, if passed, would likely disenfranchise many and impose high costs on state and local election offices.

Although the goal is to combat voter fraud by noncitizens, the act could disproportionately impact legal voting by naturalized citizens, people of color, lower-income individuals, and those living in rural areas.

Read more here.

Eid al-Fitr Celebrations Across America

Although Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is not a national holiday in the U.S., many Muslim families across America celebrated on March 20. In fact, public and cultural recognition for the holiday has been growing. Reflecting the growing Muslim populations in these states, several school districts in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Texas, and Maryland have declared Eid al-Fitr as a holiday. Further, more American retail businesses have introduced Eid-related discounts and advertisements, reflecting the growing recognition of Muslim consumers in America.

For more, The New York Times recently featured local NYC businesses as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr, in light of Mamdani being the first Muslim mayor of NYC. Similarly, The Atlantic featured photos of Eid al-Fitr globally.