In the early 20th century, approximately 15 states implemented laws primarily designed to discourage Asian immigrants from settling permanently in the U.S. by restricting land ownership and leasing rights. Though many of these laws were later struck down or repealed, their legacy persists in modern policies that target foreign nationals from specific countries (primarily China) under the guise of national security. Last legislative session in Michigan, H.B. 4283 was introduced by State Representative Gina Johnsen as one of these discriminatory land laws, and later died in committee.

In the early 20th century, approximately 15 states—including Texas—implemented laws primarily designed to discourage Asian immigrants from settling permanently in the U.S. by restricting land ownership and leasing rights. Though many of these laws were later struck down or repealed, their legacy persists in modern policies that target foreign nationals from specific countries (primarily China) under the guise of national security. Recently legislative efforts in Texas have revived land laws in the modern context. In January 2025, Rep.

At Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, we work to promote educational equity for the nation’s diverse Asian American communities and to protect the civil and human rights of all students and families. Strong, fully funded public schools play a vital role in promoting equity for children and equipping them to grow into future leaders.

Recently, there has been a resurgence of school voucher legislation at the state and federal levels. This directly impacts 2.8 million Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander children currently attending U.S. public schools.

At Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, we work to promote educational equity for the nation’s diverse Asian American communities and to protect the civil and human rights of all students and families. 

Recently, there have been renewed threats to strip undocumented children’s right to access K-12 public education. This would directly impact an estimated 136,400 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) K-12students.

Here’s what you need to know, and how to protect the right of all children to receive a public education.

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump issued more than a dozen Executive Orders (EOs) that seek to sow fear in immigrant communities. These orders seek to militarize our borders and immigration enforcement more broadly, massively expand the existing deportation and detention machinery, punish organizations that care for immigrants as well as local governments that prioritize protecting their residents, and misinterpret the U.S. Constitution and immigration laws.

This is not the first time¹ Texas has considered a state “alien land law.” Just last year, State Senator Lois Kolkhost (R) introduced S.B. 147, which is often cited as one of the first examples of modern land laws, introduced in response to what certain lawmakers perceived to be threats to the U.S. electrical grid. Prior to that, Texas has previously passed three versions of alien land laws in 1891, 1892, and 1921, the last of which was only formally repealed by the Texas state legislature in 1965.

The American Courage Awards will take place on October 3, 2024.

Donate² to support us in honoring the resilience of our community and sign up³ for our email communications to receive updates on registration and event speakers. 

This guide is for education stakeholders and policymakers as they consider introducing legislation to mandate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in K-12 curricula. Due to each state’s varying political, social, and educational contexts, it is strongly recommended that stakeholders determine the existing infrastructure and opportunities for changing the curriculum prior to using legislation as a pathway for implementing AAPI history. 

The 2022 National Poll of Asian American Non-Voters and Voters⁴ interviewed 2,800 Asian American citizens about the mid-term elections.

The Advancing Justice - AAJC Messaging Guidance fact sheet provides key information for politicians, political candidates, journalists, and more on how to discuss national security concerns without China-bashing or vilifying Asian Americans.

(Updated 1.19.2024)