Asian American Alliance Newsletter 2/4/2026

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

1. The Partial Government Shutdown
2. The Hmong Community in Minnesota
3. The Recent Immigration Ban

The Partial Government Shutdown Has Ended

The partial government shutdown—prompted by the recent killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti—ended this Tuesday, Feb 3. The measure was narrowly passed in the House, in a 217 to 214 vote, and consists of a $1.2 trillion spending package. However, it only includes enough funding for the Department of Homeland Security to support it until Feb. 13, buying ten days for lawmakers to reach an agreement about ICE reforms.

Currently, Democrats are calling for ICE agents to have body cameras, operate unmasked, follow a code of conduct, and have judicial warrants. Thus far, Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, announced that all federal agents in Minneapolis are required to wear body cameras; but it is unclear how dedicated Noem’s intentions are to expanding the policy outside of Minneapolis, or whether Republicans will be amicable to the ICE reforms stipulated by Democrats. On this latter point, it seems unlikely that the House will reach an agreement by Feb 13. There has already been considerable pushback on the topic of requiring judicial warrants for ICE operations, and the Senate Majority Leader John Thune has spoken of another short-term bill to fund the DHS.

Many across America share concerns about current DHS policies, with Minneapolis losing approximately $20 million each week due to business shutting down and people not feeling safe outside. The ICE operation in Minneapolis—Operation Metro Surge—marks the largest DHS operation in history.

Read more here.

Impacts on the Hmong Community in Minnesota

Over the past weeks in Minnesota, there have been numerous reports of ICE agents questioning individuals (the vast majority of whom are people of color) about their immigration status despite having clear records of their citizenship. Historically, immigration enforcement focused on targeted operations based on specific intelligence. However, this no longer seems to be the case; ICE agents are now seen detaining individuals based on their perceived ethnicity, in a legal practice termed Kavanaugh stops.

The Hmong community in Minnesota has been especially impacted by the current immigration crackdowns. The Twin Cities are currently home to the largest Hmong-American population, following the Vietnam War. ChongLy Scott Thao, a Hmong immigrant and naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested by ICE agents and taken from his home on Jan 20, in St. Paul. Thao’s initial attempts to show them his identification were ignored, and he was not returned until hours later. The Department of Homeland Security later reported that Thao’s arrest was made amid attempts to detain convicted sex offenders—whom they claimed looked quite similar to Thao. In response, Thao’s sister-in-law, Louansee Moua, said, “They don’t care if he’s a U.S. citizen. They don’t care if he’s not a criminal. They’re just taking him because they’re basically profiling him.”

Mayor Kaohly Her—the first Hmong-American to be mayor of St. Paul—reported that some Hmong vendors have seen business down nearly 70%, due to patrons being afraid to leave their homes. Louansee Moua expressed “a sense of abandonment” and disrespect towards the service her community did, as many had come to St. Paul after having served beside the United States in the Vietnam War. These recent events only further push at the question of what citizenship looks like to the DHS, if documentation and service are so frequently dismissed.

Read more here.

Lawsuit over Trump’s Immigration Ban on 75 Countries

On Jan 21, The Trump Administration halted visa processing for 75 countries mostly across Africa and Asia—including Afghanistan, Mongolia, Thailand, and Kazakhstan, to name a few. The claim was that immigrants from these countries “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates” and become simply reliant on the government. This program may block nearly half of all legal immigration.

The Trump Administration is currently being sued by the National Immigration Law Center, among other organizations, for this welfare claim. The Center points out that most people who receive immigrant visas cannot also qualify for cash welfare for years. One of the plaintiffs involved in the case is Munthaz Mahmud Hassen from Rochester, NY, who was separated from his two children. While their visa petitions were approved of and fees paid for, they are not allowed to travel into the United States. A senior staff attorney at the Center calls the program “patently discriminatory” and harmful to many families.

Read more here.