Speak Up! Community Action Alert!

Voice Your Concern with FBI Director Wray’s Remarks on Chinese Students, Scientists and Professors as National Security Threat

Many in Asian American communities, particularly Chinese Americans, were shocked and concerned to hear high-ranking US officials characterize, at a recent Senate hearing, all persons of Chinese origin in the United States, particularly Chinese students, professors and scientists as potential national security threats, therefore requiring “a whole-of-society response by us” to such an existential threat.

Spurred by the community’s broad concerns, leaders of 14 national Asian American organizations sent a letter on March 1st to FBI Director with a request for a meeting. Given that several Chinese American scientists in recent years have been mistakenly targeted for prosecution of espionage-related charges, these organizations seek to create an ongoing dialogue with the FBI to foster better communications and mutual understanding between these communities and the FBI. Now is your turn.

Actions so far:

• UW-Madison
• Carnegie-Mellon
• MIT
• University of Delaware
• University of Pittsburgh
• CalTech
• John Hopkins
• UC San Diego
• U-Chicago
• Columbia University
• Case Western Reserve
• U-Maryland
• Yale
• Rice
• UC Davis
• U-Michigan
• Stanford
• UC Berkeley

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1)  Sign up on here to register your concern, and support the organizations’ efforts to create a dialogue with the FBI Director.

2)  Contact your House Representatives and Senators.  Find their contact info here.  See below for sample language for a phone call or letter.

3)  Share this action alert with your friends, neighbors and colleagues.

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社区行动指南！

发出我们的声音，反对联邦调查局局长把中国学生，科学家和教授都列为国家安全威胁的言论！

在最近的参议院听证会上， 这位联邦高级官员将所有美籍华人，特别是中国学生，教授和科学家都列为潜在的国家安全威胁，因此需要动员“我们全社会的举措”来对应这种前所未有的威胁。这种言论令亚裔社区尤其是华人社区感到极为震惊和不安。

由于亚裔社区对此事件的广泛关注和不满，14个全国性亚裔组织于3月1日致函FBI局长，要求与局长见面，展开亚裔社区和FBI之间的对话。鉴于近年来有数位华裔科学家被错误无辜地起诉从事间谍等相关活动，这些亚裔组织试图与联邦调查局展开对话，以促进社区与联邦调查局之间更好的沟通和相互理解。现在是轮到你行动的时刻了。

你可以采取以下行动

1） 请在此填表, 来表达您的关注和担忧，并支持这些亚裔及华人组织与联邦调查局进行对话；

2） 联系你的联邦众议员和参议员。你可以在这里找到他们的联系信息, 并请参阅下面说法和建议给他们打电话或写邮件表达你的看法；

3） 与你的朋友，邻居和同事分享这个行动。

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Sample Language for Phone Call or Letter
给议员打电话或写信可以用以下文字

I am a constituent from [City, State]. I am calling to express my concerns about the FBI Director’s remarks during a recent Senate hearing. He made a blanket statement that characterized all Chinese students, professors and scientists as potential spies. By making such statements, he is approving law enforcement to target people based on their ethnic background and national origin, not on their actions. This is against the American principles and values. I know examples of innocent Chinese Americans being wrongfully accused as spies and caused severe damage to their life and family. I’d like to ask my congressman/senator to

• Call on the FBI Director to clarify his statement, and reaffirm that the FBI will not engage in profiling based on national origin or ethnicity.
• Encourage the FBI Director to speak to the coalition of national organizations that sent him a letter on March 1 calling for a dialogue between the FBI and the Asian American community.
• Assure the voters in [your congressional district or state] that the congressman/senator will not tolerate broad profiling based on a person’s ethnic identity or national origin.

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Background Reading
背景阅读

• “The Chinese Student Threat?” Inside Higher Ed, February 15, 2018
• CAPAC Members on Rubio and Wray’s Remarks Singling Out Chinese Students as National Security Threats, press statement, February 15, 2018
• “FBI Director’s Shock Claim: Chinese Students Are a Potential Threat,” Daily Beast, February 13, 2018