Rush Hour 4!?
Martial arts icon Jackie Chan has confirmed his enthusiasm for returning to the “Rush Hour” (1998) and “Shanghai Noon” (2000) franchises.
The Rebel Yellow - Issue #76
A Chinese immigrant mother’s arrest in Missouri has galvanized a conservative town in her defense, raising broader questions about the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. ICE leadership is facing shakeups amid White House pressure to triple daily arrests, while Asian American groups in Ohio are fighting back against proposed property bans they call discriminatory. In other headlines: the U.S. names its first Vietnamese American bishop, China launches a historic asteroid mission, and Jackie Chan wants “Rush Hour 4” to happen — before he’s too old.
Chinese woman facing deportation has her Missouri community rallying behind her
A Chinese immigrant and mother of three has become the center of a grassroots support campaign after federal agents arrested her during what she expected to be a routine immigration appointment in April.
“She never came back”
Ming Li Hui, known to her community as Carol Mayorga, made the trip from Kennett to St. Louis on April 29 following an urgent call from immigration officials. With a pre-arranged date to renew her work visa in August, she anticipated routine paperwork for authorization that remains valid through January 2026.
What followed, however, was a seven-hour ordeal that reportedly ended with ICE agents restraining her and moving her to rural Missouri detention facilities alongside male detainees. “She went in for the appointment,” a family member told the Delta Dunklin Democrat. “And she never came back.”
Community response
Court documents reveal Mayorga left Hong Kong two decades ago fleeing maternal abuse. Although she received a deportation order in 2008, the 45-year-old has maintained legal compliance for over 15 years through supervised status and regular official contact.
Kennett residents have since mobilized around Mayorga, whom they characterize as an exemplary community member juggling several jobs while raising three U.S.-born children ages 14, 12 and 7. “She is a person like no other you will ever meet,” her employer, Liridona Ramadani of John’s Waffle & Pancake House, told the Springfield Daily Citizen. “She is the nicest, hardest working, most devoted mother that I’ve ever met.” As of May 20, the restaurant had raised over $19,000 in proceeds from its own sales and donations from community members for Mayorga and her children.
The big picture
Mayorga’s detainment and possible deportation comes amid the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on immigration. Interestingly, her case has even sparked unusual political tensions in the conservative Bootheel region, where even Trump voters are now questioning the administration’s approach. “Ninety-five percent of the people in here support Trump — I do, too — but this is wrong,” Bud Garrison, a patron at John’s, told the St. Louis Public Radio.
Lisa Dry, a Kennett City councilmember who has known Mayorga for years, stressed the latter’s valid work visa and clean criminal record. “She works hard, she takes care of her kids, she makes sure they have everything they need,” she added. “I mean, to me, that’s the kind of citizen we want here.”
ICE officials ousted amid White House order to triple number of daily arrests
Two senior ICE officials are being removed from their positions amid White House pressure for dramatically higher arrest numbers of undocumented migrants.
Pressure to arrest
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that agents arrest 3,000 people daily during a heated meeting at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 21, sources told Axios. Some attendees reportedly worried about their jobs if targets were not met.
The aggressive push, which would triple the current rate of arrests, comes despite detention facilities already exceeding capacity, with nearly 49,000 people in ICE custody while Congress has funded only around 47,000 beds. Additionally, Miller and Noem threatened to dismiss the bottom 10% of regional ICE officials based on their arrest numbers, sources told Reuters.
The pressure reflects a major enforcement shift as May data reportedly showed 11,367 migrants were arrested by ICE compared to 2,415 from border patrol — a reversal from May 2024 when border arrests far exceeded interior enforcement.
Who’s out?
Kenneth Genalo, who heads ICE’s enforcement and removal division, will retire, while Robert Hammer, who heads the agency’s investigative arm, will be reassigned, ICE announced on Thursday, among other changes. These follow earlier shakeups in February and come as deportation numbers have remained roughly equivalent to the Biden administration’s final year despite Trump’s mass deportation promises.
The White House and Congress are now working to provide $147 billion in additional immigration funding over the next decade to support expanded operations.
Asian Americans push back against “racist” Ohio property bills
Asian American advocates rallied at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday to denounce proposed legislation they describe as discriminatory targeting of immigrants disguised as national security measures.
About the bills
State legislators are weighing House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88, both known as the Ohio Property Protection Act, which would bar foreign nationals and businesses from countries designated as “foreign adversaries” from buying property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure sites. The legislation would expand existing farmland restrictions to include military bases, airports, power stations, water treatment facilities, railroads and telecommunications infrastructure — coverage so broad it would “effectively blanket the entirety of the state of Ohio,” according to Senate sponsor Terry Johnson (R-McDermott).
The U.S. currently designates China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro as foreign adversaries. While House Bill 1 would not apply retroactively to existing property owners, Senate Bill 88 originally required current owners to sell their property within two years, though that forced-sale provision was removed at Tuesday’s committee hearing.
What critics are saying
Opponents of the bill reportedly filled the committee hearing room, with more than 100 people attending in person and over 230 submitting written testimony. “This bill is racist,” said Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), a first-generation immigrant from India, arguing it “does nothing to protect Ohioans or improve Ohio.” Vincent Wang, who chairs the Asian American Coalition of Ohio, told 10 WBNS that the bills “will push immigrants out and cause fear, hatred and destroy the Ohio economy.”
Critics say the legislation violates constitutional protections, and that existing federal laws already address legitimate security threats without resorting to racial profiling. “Allowing someone to rent indefinitely but not own is legally inconsistent,” Hongmei Li of the Ohio Chinese American Council told WTVG, calling it an attempt to “codify racial profiling in law.”
The big picture
The bills, parallel to others advancing across the country, stem from Gov. Mike DeWine’s 2023 veto of similar legislation over concerns about “unintended economic development consequences.” Asian immigrant-owned businesses in Ohio employed 97,600 people with an annual payroll of $3.3 billion in 2022, according to census data.
Understandably, opponents have drawn parallels to historic discrimination, including Chinese exclusion laws and Japanese incarceration camps during World War II. A comparable Florida bill with a smaller 10-mile restriction zone is currently under federal constitutional challenge, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promising swift litigation if Ohio’s version passes.
Lawmakers have yet to schedule votes on either chamber’s version of the legislation.
JD Vance accuses universities of racial bias against whites and Asians
Vice President JD Vance accused U.S. universities of racially discriminating against white and Asian students and alleged widespread scientific failures, obstructive bureaucracies and political bias among faculty in a post on X on Saturday.
Allegations of racial bias: “There is an extraordinary 'reproducibility crisis' in the sciences, particularly in biology, where most published papers fail to replicate,” Vance wrote. “And on top of all of this, many universities explicitly engage in racial discrimination (mostly against whites and Asians) that violates the civil rights laws of this country.” He argued that institutions could either cooperate with the Trump administration on reforms or “yell 'fascism' at basic democratic accountability and drift further into irrelevance.”
Institutional and ideological claims: Vance also claimed, “Most universities have massive bureaucracies that inhibit the translation of basic research into commercial adoption. The voting patterns of university professors are so one-sided that they look like the election results of North Korea.” He did not provide specific examples or data to support the claims.
Legal and political backdrop: The post comes amid ongoing national debate over affirmative action and the role of race in college admissions. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that race-based admissions policies were unconstitutional, prompting many institutions to revise their diversity strategies.
Counterpoint: Some Asian American students and leaders have pushed back against anti-affirmative action lawsuits, arguing that such efforts exploit Asian identities to challenge diversity policies. Rep. Grace Meng has said Asian Americans have been “used as a pawn” in legal battles over affirmative action.
Former DEI supporter selected as University of Florida’s new president
The University of Florida Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday to select Dr. Santa J. Ono as the university’s 14th president, despite intense scrutiny from conservative activists who questioned his previous support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Who is Santa J. Ono?
Ono previously served as president of the University of Michigan, the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. A world-renowned vision researcher, he has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among other prestigious organizations.
However, his appointment faces significant opposition due to his past advocacy for DEI initiatives. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who serves on New College of Florida’s board of trustees, found prior statements by Ono supporting DEI programs and reposted them online. U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube also expressed opposition, with Steube writing about “grave concerns” regarding Ono’s “woke politics.”
Despite the criticism, Ono received the support of anti-woke Gov. Ron DeSantis, who reportedly expressed trust in school officials. Board Chair Mori Hosseini, who has focused on improving the university’s national standing, also endorsed Ono, saying he is “precisely the right person” to be president at this time and that his values “align perfectly with ours here in the great state of Florida.”
What he’s saying
Ono has since renounced his previous DEI positions. “Over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,” he wrote in a widely circulated op-ed. “That’s why, as president of the University of Michigan, I made the decision to eliminate centralized DEI offices and redirect resources toward academic support and merit-based achievement. It wasn’t universally popular, but it was necessary. I stood by it — and I’ll bring that same clarity of purpose to UF.”
Ono’s appointment follows the search to replace Ben Sasse, the former Nebraska senator who resigned abruptly in July 2024 after serving little more than a year. Under the proposed contract, Ono would receive a $1.5 million annual base salary plus potential bonuses and $500,000 from UF Health, with duties including preventing money from being spent on DEI or activism.
The Florida Board of Governors is expected to vote on his appointment next week.
South Korean students warned to clean up their socials amid U.S. visa crackdown
South Korean students, the third-largest group of international students in the U.S., are being urged to carefully manage their online presence amid heightened visa scrutiny by the Trump administration.
An internal State Department cable, obtained by Reuters, instructed U.S. embassies to pause new student and exchange visa appointments to allow for expanded digital vetting. The directive is part of a broader immigration crackdown that has raised concerns among students and their families.
Call for transparency
In response, the South Korean government has asked the U.S. to provide timely and detailed information about the reported suspension of new visa interviews. “
Our government is closely monitoring the situation while continuing necessary communication with the U.S. side,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong during a press briefing. “The government is currently asking the U.S. to provide necessary information and timely notifications to South Koreans.”
Agencies urge caution
Educational agencies in Seoul report a surge in inquiries from worried parents and students following the announcement. Park Hyuntae, head of Worldnet U.S. Overseas Edu Center, said both current and prospective applicants are anxious about the policy shift.
“Those who already scheduled those interviews and will apply for interviews both are worried, nervous,” Park told Reuters. “But cancellations of existing interviews haven’t happened yet as far as I know.”
Park said the pause could delay students’ ability to start the school year and that his agency is advising caution about online activity. “I am telling them, especially male students, do not post anything extreme or disgusting on social media, like pictures of grenades or weapons,” he said.
Chinese spacecraft to collect materials from asteroid in historic mission
China launched its Tianwen-2 spacecraft on May 28 to collect samples from an asteroid and later survey a comet — marking the country's first asteroid sample-return mission.
The big picture: Tianwen-2 is targeting near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, a quasi-satellite of Earth that may be a fragment from the Moon. The probe is scheduled to arrive in July 2026, collect at least 100 grams of surface material using touch-and-go and anchor-based methods, and return the samples to Earth in November 2027.
After dropping off the return capsule, the spacecraft will continue to main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, known for its multiple dust tails, with arrival expected in January 2035 for remote sensing.
Why it matters: Studying Kamoʻoalewa could reveal information about lunar geology and early solar system processes. The mission will also test new technologies, including autonomous navigation, precision landing on small bodies, and dual-target interplanetary flight.
What’s next: Tianwen-2 builds on China’s earlier deep-space missions, including Tianwen-1 to Mars and the Chang’e lunar landings. China plans to launch Tianwen-3 for Mars sample return and Tianwen-4 to explore Jupiter and Uranus.
Tencent invests $177 million in K-pop amid thawing China-Korea relations
Tencent Music Entertainment is buying nearly 10% of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment in a $177 million deal that would make the Chinese streaming giant the agency’s second-biggest investor as bilateral relations between Beijing and Seoul show improvement.
By the numbers: Tencent’s music arm is purchasing 2.2 million SM Entertainment shares from Hybe — the company behind BTS — for 243 billion won ($177 million) in a transaction set for today, filings show. Once completed, the deal will give Tencent Music a 9.7% ownership position, trailing only South Korean internet conglomerate Kakao and its entertainment unit, which control a combined 41.5% stake. The transaction marks Tencent’s biggest move into South Korea’s entertainment industry in years, building on existing minority stakes in rival agency YG Entertainment and Kakao Corp itself.
Why this matters: The deal unfolds as China considers ending nearly a decade of restrictions on Korean pop culture, originally triggered by Seoul’s 2016 agreement to host American THAAD defense systems. Recent developments, however, underscore continued complications — K-pop group Epex recently postponed a concert in Fuzhou citing local complications, scrapping what industry watchers had hoped would mark China’s first major Korean pop performance since 2016. Greater Chinese market access could deliver significant financial benefits to Korean entertainment companies, with SM Entertainment recording 39 billion won ($28.5 million) in concert revenues during the first quarter, up 58% from the previous year.
Lee Soo-man’s K-pop kingdom unveiled in groundbreaking documentary from Ting Poo
A full, Q&A version of this interview is available here.
A pioneering architect of K-pop’s global domination and an award-winning director who captured his journey have come together in “Lee Soo-man: King of K-Pop,” which began streaming on Amazon Prime on May 13, National K-Pop Day.
The 107-minute feature documentary, helmed by Chinese American filmmaker Ting Poo, delves into the enthralling life of the bold visionary who founded SM Entertainment in 1989 and spent over three decades building it into a K-pop powerhouse before his departure in March 2023. Today, SM is known for birthing artists like H.O.T., BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, Shinee, Exo, Red Velvet and NCT, and honing more recent acts such Aespa, Riize, Dear Alice and Hearts2Hearts.
“A story of stories”
For Poo, Lee’s narrative represents “a story of stories,” drawing from music, culture, technology and Korean history. “It was a way to not only discover the genesis of a singular global phenomenon from its founding father,” Poo tells The Rebel Yellow, “but to also delve into the cultural context that gave birth to it, and see the future of entertainment through the eyes of someone who continues to shape it.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Rebel Yellow to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.