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To: President Biden
End the racist Department of Justice China Initiative
The China Initiative is a program of the Trump DOJ that was promoted as a way to root out Chinese industrial espionage, but has instead been a broad racial profiling attack on ethnic Chinese students and scientists. The large majority of charges brought under the Initiative are for non-espionage offenses like making false statements or tax evasion. It has ruined lives and careers, hurt our ability to attract top scientific talent, and created an atmosphere of suspicion toward all ethnic Asians in the scientific community and higher education. The Administration should immediately end the China Initiative, root out racially-biased investigative practices, and develop a more effective way to safeguard US interests in science and technology.
Why is this important?
This type of racist witch hunt is diametrically opposed to US values and interests:
It is unjust, plain and simple, because it targets people based on their ethnicity rather than any evidence of criminal behavior.
It validates and exacerbates racist attitudes toward Asian Americans.
It undermines the spirit of openness and collegiality that has made US S&T research and development the envy of the world.
President Biden: You cannot say you oppose racism toward AAPI people while your Justice Department carries out a national campaign of racial profiling and harassment of AAPI people!