Adam Smith, Author at Sampan

Adam Smith

Boston December 20, 2024 0

MIT Suspends Student ‘Banned’ Over Essay

The South Asian American doctoral student at MIT who was effectively banned from the university’s campus over an essay he wrote related to Palestinian activism has been suspended until January 2026, according to the student. But Prahlad Iyengar, a second-year electrical engineering PhD. student, was not suspended for his essay that drew media attention over the past month. Instead, he told the Sampan in an interview this week, that while he is still “banned” from the university because of his […]

Immigration December 6, 2024 0

Korematsu’s Daughter Says Battle for Justice Now More Relevant Than Ever

At just 23 years old, Fred Korematsu would face the fight of his life: He stood up for his rights as an American citizen, refusing to report to incarceration camps for Japanese Americans during the second world war. He was then arrested and convicted for his defiance. He appealed in the following years, and his case went before the Supreme Court in 1944. The court ruled against him, calling his incarceration a military necessity. Today, his family members say, Korematsu’s […]

Features November 22, 2024 0

Immigration Attorney: Trump’s Plans Dire, But Not Unstoppable

The incoming administration of Donald Trump has vowed to purge the nation of undocumented immigrants and others, using unprecedented strategies. It’s promised to implement mass deportations, threatened a little-known concept of “remigration,” and even called for expanded efforts to denaturalize some groups of U.S. citizens. Trump’s pick for “Border Czar,” Thomas Homan, for example, recently said in a “60 Minutes” interview that one way to carry out mass deportations without separating families is to have families of mixed immigration and […]

Boston October 25, 2024 0

We Must Guard Our Rights to Free Speech and Dissent

This election has been portrayed as critical for the future of our democracy. But a key part of that democracy, our First Amendment rights, will no doubt remain under attack – no matter who wins. Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump, openly threatens those who do not agree with him. At the same time, vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris – and Pres. Joe Biden – are guilty of doing little to protect the rights of those who […]

Boston September 13, 2024 0

Bias Against Muslims, Palestinians Permeate Press: Rights Advocate

The contrasts in the headlines were striking. Projected on a screen were copies of online stories from The New York Times and the BBC News, both covering killings in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli bombings of Palestinians in Gaza.Pointing out the differences in the treatments, Hena Zuberi of the nonprofit human rights group, Justice For All, noted how in one set of headlines, the group carrying out deadly attacks, Israel, goes unnamed, and in the other, the […]

Boston August 9, 2024 0

Undocumented Immigrants Pay Billions in U.S. Taxes Annually

The nearly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. who lack the paperwork needed to stay here legally are often the target of politicians who decry the ills of “illegal” immigration. Yet, this group actually makes a massive contribution to the federal, state and local governments – paying billions to social programs they will never benefit from – according to a recent study. In fact, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in total taxes to all levels of government in 2022, through […]

Boston July 26, 2024 0

Survey Sheds Light on Asian American Voters’ Preferences, High Involvement

If there is one commonality among the nation’s Asian American voters it’s not a favored party or stance on any particular issue, it’s that the diverse group wants to participate in politics. And, that their key votes might be taken for granted by major political parties. Those are key takeaways from a survey of 2,479 registered Asian American voters presented by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, just months away from a key presidential election. Ninety-percent of Asian American voters […]

Boston July 12, 2024 0

Supreme Court Ruling Has Links to U.S.’ ‘Racist’ Past, Say Advocates

A recent Supreme Court ruling that could influence the lives of thousands of people seeking immigration to the U.S. via consular offices gives renewed life to legal precedents built on anti-Asian discrimination of the 1800s, say advocates and legal experts. The case, decided late last month, was “Department of State v. Muñoz.” It centers on a U.S. citizen’s years’ long attempts to sponsor her husband from El Salvador to live with her and their child. A consular official denied their […]

Arts July 12, 2024 0

Attempts to Ban Books Hit ‘Record Number’

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has a heat map of the United States that at first glance appears like the state-by-state map Americans grew so accustomed to during the Covid pandemic. Texas and Florida are dark maroon, while many other states are hot orange. Massachusetts is a tad lighter, but still fiery. The map, however, is not warning of the danger of disease spread. It’s warning of something just as perilous to Democracy: attempts to curb free […]

Archives June 21, 2024 0

Report: When It Comes to Tapping Into Foreign-Educated Talent, Here’s What the State Can Do

When it comes to tapping into a large number of educated workers, many of whom are bilingual, Massachusetts appears to be missing out. Big time. That’s a takeaway from a new report on the some 240,000 foreign-educated immigrants in the state – 106,000 of whom hold a bachelor’s degree and 134,000 of whom have completed at least some grad school. Many of these immigrants earn less than their U.S.-educated peers and work in jobs that fail to fully use their […]

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