California lawmakers propose May 17 as Bruce Lee Day
California lawmakers have introduced legislation to designate May 17 as “Bruce Lee Day,” honoring the martial arts icon’s contributions to film, Asian American representation and cultural bridging.
The Rebel Yellow - Issue #185
Dear Rebels,
Today’s issue brings urgent accountability questions following tragedy, alongside cultural milestones and persistent threats. We lead with the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Burmese refugee whose body was found in Buffalo five days after Border Patrol abandoned him in freezing temperatures, sparking calls for federal investigation.
Questions of accountability extend to D.C., where Rep. Derek Tran condemns President Donald Trump’s unilateral Iran strikes as constitutional overreach. Meanwhile, the CDC removes tuberculosis data highlighting Asian case rates amid federal DEI rollbacks. And Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva’s late February release following NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s intervention underscores immigration enforcement concerns.
Unfortunately, violence and targeted crime persist. A Florida man attacked a Chinese restaurant owner spouting COVID-19 conspiracies, while eight Asian American homes in Fairfax County, Virginia were burglarized for half a million dollars in targeted crimes.
In brighter news, California lawmakers propose Bruce Lee Day, Vietnam enacts Southeast Asia’s first national AI law, Filipina actors from “The Pitt” earn Actor Awards ensemble honors and Simu Liu sets the record on how to pronounce his name!
Calls grow for inquiry into death of blind Burmese refugee after Border Patrol release
Calls for accountability are mounting weeks after a nearly blind Burmese refugee was found dead on a street in Buffalo, New York, five days after Border Patrol agents released him at a business far from his residence.
What happened: Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was taken into custody by Border Patrol on Feb. 19 as he was being released from jail after posting bail following a plea agreement that prevented ICE detention, Investigative Post first reported. After determining he could not be deported, agents dropped him at a closed Tim Hortons several miles from his East Side home at around 8 p.m. They failed to inform his family or lawyer, both of whom had gone to the jail expecting him.
His attorney filed a missing person report on Feb. 22. A detective closed the case the next day after mistaking that Shah Alam was in ICE custody in Batavia, though it was reopened later. During those days, Buffalo reportedly suffered freezing temperatures. His body was discovered near KeyBank Center on Feb. 25.
About Shah Alam: Shah Alam, who did not speak English, fled Myanmar as a stateless Rohingya refugee and lived in Malaysia for two decades with his wife and five sons before reaching Buffalo in December 2024 with two of them (three remain in Malaysia). His vision was severely impaired, with one eye completely sightless and the other with limited, blurred sight.
In February 2025, he got lost on a walk and ended up on the wrong property. Police reportedly confronted him and, when he failed to comply with orders, shocked him with a Taser and struck him, leading to his arrest and nearly a year in jail. “He didn’t understand anything. He was illiterate,” his wife said at a press conference this weekend, stressing that he neither read nor wrote and only knew “how to use his hands to work.”
Why this matters: Shah Alam’s death exposes how institutional failures worsen the precariousness refugees experience even after escaping persecution. The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group, have endured generations of persecution in Myanmar, with over 700,000 members displaced since 2017. The tragedy coincides with the Trump administration having ended temporary protected status for roughly 4,000 Myanmar nationals despite ongoing State Department reports documenting torture and armed conflict.
Reactions: Officials have criticized Border Patrol over the tragic situation. “A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location,” said Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, who called the federal agency “unprofessional” and “inhuman.”
CAPAC Chair Grace Meng, among others, also called for accountability. “Leaving a nearly blind man who didn’t speak English stranded far from home without telling his family was a shocking breach of responsibility and basic humanity by federal enforcement. There must be a full investigation and real accountability from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” she said.
A GoFundMe page has been organized to help Shah Alam’s family.
Rep. Derek Tran condemns Trump’s Iran strikes as violation of congressional authority
U.S. Rep. Derek Tran (D-CA, 45) on Monday in Washington, D.C., condemned President Donald Trump’s recent unilateral military strikes on Iran, calling them a violation of Congress’ constitutional authority. Tran said the administration did not notify or seek authorization from lawmakers before launching the operation. He warned the decision puts U.S. service members at risk and sidelines Congress in matters of war.
The strikes were launched on Feb. 28 as part of coordinated U.S. and Israeli military operations targeting Iranian missile sites and leadership infrastructure following escalating regional tensions. In a video posted to his Truth Social account shortly after the operation began, Trump said the action was intended to counter what he described as imminent threats. “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said, adding that the operation was necessary to protect U.S. security.
In a statement to The Rebel Yellow, Tran described the strikes as “a dangerous overreach of executive power,” arguing that bypassing Congress ignored the law and excluded the American people from a decision with immediate national security consequences. “By bypassing Congress, this Administration has not only ignored the law but has also sidelined the American people in a decision that puts the lives of our service members at immediate risk,” he said. Tran emphasized that under Article I of the Constitution, Congress holds the sole authority to declare war and is not a bystander in matters of armed conflict.
While criticizing the administration’s process, Tran also addressed the broader geopolitical stakes. He called Iran “a terrorist nation-state” governed by “a brutal regime that oppresses its people” and described it as an adversary of the U.S. However, he said “the fact remains that America is not willing to entangle ourselves in another forever war,” warning that the absence of congressional buy-in and diplomatic engagement is “a recipe for catastrophe” that could escalate into a broader conflict.
Tran, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee overseeing the Department of Defense, said he is calling for “immediate, transparent briefings” and will work with colleagues to assert Congress’ oversight responsibilities. He also serves as co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus National Security Task Force.
CDC tuberculosis page highlighting Asian case rates removed from website
A CDC webpage detailing tuberculosis (TB) trends among Asian persons is no longer accessible on the agency’s website. The page cited federal surveillance data showing that Asian persons had the highest TB case rate among racial and ethnic groups in 2023. It also emphasized that most TB cases in the U.S. occur among people born outside the country, a demographic that includes large segments of Asian immigrant communities.
CDC removes Asian TB data
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