Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

AALDEF has also supported New York State’s rules that required redistricting efforts to include districts providing representation for ethnic minorities. ²

It has also filed lawsuits opposing restrictions on foreign nationals from buying real estate, including around military installations. ³

History

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund was founded in 1974 in New York City to offer legal services, advocacy, and representative intervention on civil rights cases affecting Asian Americans. It has represented Asian American employees in wage disputes, Asian American protestors who were arrested, and organized campaigns addressing racism against Asian Americans following the September 11th terrorist attacks. ⁴

In 1974, AALDEF campaigned in opposition to the deportation of Filipino doctors, and in 1977 it won a lawsuit to allow immigrant fathers to be granted permanent residency to be with their children. ¹

In 1979, AALDEF represented Asian American Law Students Association in Doherty v. Rutgers Law School to defend the inclusion of Asian Americans in minority admissions programs. It also filed an amicus brief in Fullilove v. Kreps, advocating for the inclusion of Asian American businesses in publicly funded programs for minority businesses. ¹

In 1983, AALDEF filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe, arguing that illegal immigrants have the right to attend public schools, and an amicus brief in Sure-Tan v. NLRB, arguing that illegal immigrants should have the power to form unions under the National Labor Relations Act. ¹

In Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association v. City of New York, AALDEF won a lawsuit against the New York City in 1986 that resulted in new developments having to conduct an environmental review to determine if the development would displace low-income tenants or small businesses. The lawsuit resulted in the construction of a high-rise condominium tower being blocked and a precedent being set that directed new developments to be denied permitting if they caused what would was perceived to be gentrification. ⁵

Advocacy

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund has voiced support for New York State’s 2014 redistricting results test, which required the representation of ethnic minorities to be considered during redistricting. In June 2026, after the New York State Legislature passed a bill to overturn the results test, AALDEF co-issued a statement alongside LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund that criticized the bill for preventing ethnic minorities from being able to control redistricting, arguing they need exclusive protections. ²

AALDEF advocates for land use restrictions based on the assumption that real estate developments displace lower-income residents and small businesses. It claims that the introduction of “large institutions,” sports complexes, and “luxury developments” destroy neighborhoods. It has also advocated for “community control of land,” and has filed lawsuits against real estate development permits to oppose increases in real estate value. ⁶

Litigation

In May 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and AALDEF filed a lawsuit challenging legislation that restricted Chinese nationals from buying real estate in Florida unless they were U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. It also prohibited the purchase of real estate within 10 miles of military installations by citizens of China, Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. The lawsuit alleged that the bill violated the Fair Housing Act and was unconstitutional. ³

Leadership

Margaret Fung is a co-founder and former executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. ⁷ She was formerly a law clerk with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She has previously served in several administrative positions within New York City including the New York State Temporary Commission on Constitutional Revision, the NYC Mayor’s Task Force on Police-Community Relations, the New York State Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Implementation Task Force, and Community Board Number One. ⁸

Bethany Li worked as the executive director of AALDEF as of July 2026 and from 2022 to 2024, as its legal director. Prior to AALDEF, Li worked as a senior staff attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, clinical lecturer and fellow for the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School, and as a research associate for the William J. Brennan Center for Justice. ⁹