Jo Koy becomes first Filipino American honored at TCL Chinese Theatre
Comedian and actor Jo Koy pressed his hands and feet into cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, becoming the first Filipino American to receive the honor at the nearly century
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The Rebel Yellow - Issue #181
Major cities across the country are preparing Lunar New Year celebrations as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown creates fear in Asian American communities, with agents conducting door-to-door operations asking residents to identify Asian neighbors. Democrats launched digital ads in 18 competitive House districts targeting Trump on tariffs and immigration ahead of Tuesday’s Lunar New Year. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung used a disability slur against Rep. Ro Khanna during a dispute over unredacted Epstein files. Over 1,000 scholars demanded Northwestern University apologize for its treatment of late professor Jane Wu, who died by suicide following years of institutional scrutiny after being cleared of China Initiative allegations. Former Trump advisor Steve Cortes released a documentary calling for the removal of all Chinese students from U.S. campuses, claiming they should number “zero, none.” Oregon marks the 10th anniversary of Minoru Yasui Day honoring the attorney who challenged wartime discrimination laws. Jo Koy became the first Filipino American honored at TCL Chinese Theatre, and Michelle Yeoh will receive a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival faces a six-figure deficit after federal diversity funding cuts and the loss of a major corporate sponsor.
U.S. cities press forward with Lunar New Year celebrations amid immigration crackdown
Major cities across the country are preparing to welcome the Year of the Horse with vibrant Lunar New Year festivities, even as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown casts a shadow over celebrations in many communities.
Culture goes on: The Lunar New Year begins Tuesday, Feb. 17, launching a 15-day observance on the lunar calendar. Earlier this month, Chicago held its Light Up Chinatown event, where Mayor Brandon Johnson declared, “Let this be a year of unity and strength as the year of the horse charges us to do.” On Saturday and Sunday, Seattle hosted the 30th anniversary of Tet, the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year. This was one of the largest Tet events in the Pacific Northwest, headlined by Vietnamese performers Hồ Lệ Thu and the duo Trúc Linh & Trúc Lam. In Texas, Houston Botanic Garden’s “Radiant Nature” showcases Chinese lantern installations through Feb. 22.
Major parades and cultural events continue through early March. New York City’s parade through Chinatown is scheduled for March 1, with Lion Dance troupes moving from Mott Street and Canal Street toward Sara D. Roosevelt Park. On the West Coast, Los Angeles has expanded its programming to 12 free events, which began Jan. 18 and continue through March 1. It features the 127th Golden Dragon Parade and East West Players’ “Tam Tran Goes to Washington,” a play centered on a UCLA student whose immigration status leads her to testify before Congress. In Minnesota, the Twin Cities Dumpling Feast, now in its fifth year, will take place at Peking Garden Chinese Restaurant.
Why this matters: Asian American communities should not live in fear during this celebratory season. In January, federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. Another fatal shooting by federal agents occurred in Franklin Park, a Chicago suburb. These incidents came as the Trump administration deployed roughly 3,000 federal immigration agents into Minnesota by late January, though border czar Tom Homan said last week that approximately 700 would leave. Unsurprisingly, the crackdown has created an atmosphere of fear in Asian American communities, especially as agents go “door-to-door asking people where the Asian people live.”
Despite these turbulent times, the celebrations continue. The Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse this 2026, is believed to bring intense, transformative change, a symbolism that resonates amid current tensions. Chicago resident Edward Huang, for one, told WLS the celebration is “a reminder for us as immigrants to all stick together and to charge forward, as well, no matter what happens.”
Quick reminders: Celebration attendees should know their rights while participating in public festivities. Carry identification, remain aware of your surroundings and understand that you have the right to remain silent if approached by federal agents. At home, do not open your door to agents without a warrant signed by a judge. Community organizations at these events can provide support and resources. Most importantly, recognize that your presence in Lunar New Year celebrations, among other events, affirms that these cultural traditions will endure.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he expects the federal immigration surge in his state to end within days after conversations with border czar Tom Homan and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, saying operations should conclude in “days, not weeks and months.”
Democrats launch Lunar New Year ads hitting Trump on tariffs, immigration
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of House Democrats, is rolling out a four-figure digital advertising effort this week across 18 competitive House districts, attacking Trump and Republicans on tariff policies and immigration enforcement ahead of Tuesday’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
A timely message: Three cartoon-style ads will appear on Facebook and Instagram, with two centered on economic concerns and one on immigration. The first spot depicts relatives handing red envelopes to a child for the Lunar New Year, with an adult saying Trump’s tariffs have strained the family budget. In the second, a mother tells her daughter they must skip buying dumplings and rice cakes because bills have strained their budget. Finally, the immigration ad shows two people seated at a table set for eight, viewing television coverage about hundreds of Asian ICE detainees, captioned “Family reunions don’t look the same this year.”
In a statement, DCCC National AANHPI Engagement Director Sarah Lin said, “AAPI communities across the country deserve much better than reckless tariffs, skyrocketing prices and GOP-backed policies that make it harder for families to thrive.”
Driving the news: The advertising push comes as Democrats work to win back Asian American voters who shifted toward Republicans in 2024, narrowing the party’s advantage from Biden’s 40-point margin in 2020 to Harris’ 17-point edge. Political conditions have turned increasingly unfavorable for Trump, with his overall job approval sitting at 37% one year into his second term and support among Asian Americans collapsing from 57% last July to just 26% by September.
More specifically, opposition to the president’s immigration approach among Asian Americans jumped from 58% in March 2025 to roughly 70% by fall. That shift coincides with intensified enforcement as federal arrests of Asian individuals more than tripled between 2024 and 2025. Door-to-door operations in Minnesota, for instance, have employed racial profiling, with agents requesting residents identify neighbors by ethnicity.
The big picture: The ads highlight genuine economic pressures in Asian American communities, where businesses often rely heavily on imported specialty goods. In the past year, tariff policies have driven average price increases of 50% at Chinatown businesses, with certain importers now paying levies reaching 30% on Chinese goods. Grace Meng, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said “costs have skyrocketed due to his tariffs,” putting small business owners in an “impossible choice” between raising prices or shuttering operations.
Beyond tariffs, the president’s decision to end the de minimis exemption could add $10.9 billion in expenses for American households, hitting minority and lower-income families hardest. These compounding policies create particular vulnerabilities for Asian American voters, a demographic Democrats are actively courting.
Steven Cheung uses slur against Ro Khanna in fight over unredacted Epstein files
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung used a disability slur on X to attack Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) during a dispute over the release of FBI files tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
Cheung also targeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) writing that the two were “some of the dumbest retards ever to be in Congress” and accusing them of having “ruined the lives of innocent people.” The post came after Khanna and Massie pushed for the full, unredacted release of Epstein-related records that had previously been partially withheld.
