讀後心得

The Chinese American Planning Council (華策會) has recently faced accusations from oversight organizations for hosting a "Know Your Rights" seminar aimed at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They have been reported to the Trump administration and New York City Mayor Adams. The council stated that their purpose is to provide information and they are not encouraging the public to evade the law. The oversight organization "Muckraker" claimed that the council teaches people how to obstruct ICE enforcement, while the conservative organization "Oversight Project" accused the council of misusing government funds. The council's CEO, He Yongkang (何永康), emphasized that they follow the law and are dedicated to helping community residents understand their rights. With the tightening of immigration policies, some Chinese service organizations have expressed frustration as they feel unable to mention "immigration" issues in their funding applications, affecting their mission to serve.

The Chinese Planning Association (CPC, short for 華策會) was recently accused by oversight organizations for hosting a "Know Your Rights" seminar in response to officials from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, and the activity was reported to the government and the mayor. The CPC issued a statement saying they merely provided information for attendees to understand their rights and did not encourage the public to evade the law; the public could choose whether to exercise these rights.

Regarding the related accusations, the CPC is facing a chilling effect, as some immigration service organizations pointed out that in the current atmosphere, grant application documents cannot even mention words related to "immigration," which contradicts the mission of many organizations to serve the Chinese community.

Oversight organizations recently released footage alleging that the CPC trained the public through seminars on how to obstruct ICE enforcement, hindering the procedures for deporting illegal immigrants. Conservative oversight bodies issued a statement and reported to the city and government, accusing the CPC of misusing government funds. The organization's president accused the CPC's seminars as "a conspiracy by a group of individuals and organizations to deliberately undermine law enforcement," and stated that this incident would test the mayor's stance on illegal immigration to see if it was strong enough.

The Executive Director of the CPC replied that the organization has a long history and is nonpartisan. In addition to providing social services, it also helps everyone understand relevant laws and rights. The courses aim to help community residents be more aware of their rights, including in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, housing, and immigration. He emphasized that the purpose of the seminar is to let participants understand their rights, not to encourage evasion of the law.

Since the implementation of the policy, some nonprofit organizations within the Chinese community have felt immense pressure. A leader of a community service organization expressed that since their activities and services rely on government funding, they cannot mention terms like "immigration" when writing grant documents, which confuses them and makes it very difficult to adapt to the ever-changing policies while going against their principles.