讀後心得

The Chinese American Planning Council (華策會) has been accused by oversight organizations for hosting a seminar titled "Know Your Rights" and reported to the Trump administration and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The Chinese American Planning Council responded by stating that they were only providing information and did not encourage illegal activities, emphasizing that the purpose of the meeting was to help the public understand their rights. However, the oversight agency alleged that the organization used the seminar to teach how to obstruct ICE enforcement and questioned its misuse of government funds. As the Trump administration's immigration policies become stricter, some non-profit organizations within the Chinese community are affected and face challenges in drafting grant proposals, such as not being able to mention "immigration."

The Chinese Planning Association (CPC, also known as 华策会) is currently under scrutiny for organizing a "Know Your Rights" seminar aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, which has led to accusations from oversight organizations and reports to the government and the mayor regarding the related activities. The CPC subsequently issued a statement emphasizing its mission to provide information that helps participants understand their rights and clarified that it does not encourage anyone to evade the law; attendees can choose whether or not to exercise those rights.

The accusations have also created a chilling effect, with some immigration service organizations pointing out that, in the current atmosphere, they cannot even mention the word "immigrant" during the grant application process, which has negatively impacted many organizations' ability to serve the Chinese community. The oversight organization released a statement, accusing the CPC of training citizens through the seminar to obstruct ICE enforcement actions, thereby hindering the process of deporting illegal immigrants. Conservative oversight bodies immediately stated their findings and reported the CPC to the relevant government for alleged misuse of government funds.

The president of the organization accused the CPC's seminar of being a deliberate act that undermines law enforcement and stated that they would use this incident to test the mayor's attitude toward illegal immigration. In response, the CEO of the CPC stated that the association has a history of over 60 years since its establishment, is not affiliated with any political party, and its purpose is to provide social services and help community members understand laws and rights across various aspects, including education, healthcare, employment, housing, and immigration. The CPC emphasized that its activities fully comply with the law and that the purpose of the seminar is to provide information for the public to understand and decide whether to exercise their rights.

Since the Trump administration took office, immigration policies have become increasingly stringent, putting some nonprofit organizations in difficult positions. A community service organization leader, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that the association's mission is to better serve the immigrant community, and not just new immigrants, but due to reliance on government funding, they are unable to mention the word "immigrant" when writing grant applications, which leaves them feeling confused. The leader expressed that facing the dilemma of abandoning their original intentions due to constantly changing policies is indeed a tough choice.