Immigration in Focus: Policy, Community & Journalism
Immigration policy is changing quickly. What does that mean for AAPI communities, and how should journalists cover it?
Join AAJA New York and The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) on Oct. 22 for a timely conversation bringing together journalists and a civil rights attorney working directly on these issues.
Deepti Hajela of The Associated Press recently reported on how shifting immigration policies are affecting even naturalized U.S. citizens. Bethany Li, attorney and Executive Director of AALDEF, has been leading the organization’s response to major court decisions involving birthright citizenship and Temporary Protected Status. Taylor Jung, Senior Editor at Epicenter NYC, covers local government and issues affecting New Yorkers through community-centered reporting and social video, including recent interviews with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Moderated by independent reporter Mythili Sampathkumar, the conversation will explore:
Immigration rights & policy
AAPI community impact
Responsible immigration reporting
📅 Thursday, Oct. 22 | 6–8 p.m.
☕️ Refreshments will be served
Whether you cover immigration every day or want to better understand how these policies are affecting the communities we report on, we hope you’ll join us.
Agenda
5:30-6:00 PM Check-in
6:00-6:05 PM Welcoming Remarks
6:05-6:40 PM Panel
6:40-7:00 PM Q&A
7:00-8:00 PM Networking/Refreshment
About Speakers
Deepti Hajela has spent more than 30 years in daily journalism and is a writer on the Trends + Culture team at The Associated Press. Her reporting has long focused on race, ethnicity, and the ways America’s increasingly diverse communities shape the country.
Bethany Li is the executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), where she leads a national civil rights organization advocating for justice for Asian American and other communities of color. Li brings more than two decades of experience using law, organizing, storytelling, and other creative tools to drive social change. She began her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney at AALDEF and then served as the Robert M. Cover Fellow in Yale Law School's Veterans Legal Services Clinic and the Director of the Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services. Since returning to AALDEF as the legal director and now as executive director, she has helped secure landmark voting rights settlements, challenge discriminatory laws targeting Asian immigrants, and protect historic Asian American neighborhoods from displacement. Throughout her career, Li has embraced advocacy that extends beyond the courtroom—including producing documentaries and building coalitions that bring together lawyers, community organizers, artists, and other partners. She is committed to reimagining what legal leadership can look like and to using the full range of tools available to create meaningful, lasting change.
Taylor Jung is the senior editor of Epicenter NYC, covering how government can work for New Yorkers and issues that help them. Her reporting illuminates critical socioeconomic issues and fosters connections with the communities she interviews. She was previously the social justice reporter for NJ Spotlight News, where she covered the intersections of immigration, police reform, and political accountability. Taylor is a Columbia Journalism School graduate and a proud member of the Asian American Journalists Association.
Mythili Sampathkumar (moderator) is an independent politics reporter whose work has appeared in The New York Times, L.A. Times, Fortune, Teen Vogue, Forbes, NBC News, and other outlets. She has also worked on news teams at Twitter and Facebook and writes the Export Quality newsletter on the South Asian diaspora.