Months after IU fired them and the FBI searched their homes, former professor XiaoFeng Wang and his wife Nianli Ma are asking a federal court to unseal the search warrants.
Wang’s firing has generated national attention considering his sudden termination, his prominence in the field of cybersecurity and his status as a Chinese immigrant.
Read more: IU department chair says Wang didn't know about undisclosed Chinese research grant
While the government argues the search warrants should remain sealed to protect its investigation, Wang and Ma said their reputations have been “irreparably damaged” by the government raids and the university’s silence.
In a motion to the court filed Monday, the couple also said the lack of information surrounding their case has led to wild speculation and “instilled fear and concern in the Chinese and Chinese-American community regarding a potential revival of the China Initiative” — a program during the first Trump administration that led to hundreds of Chinese-American academics losing their jobs over alleged espionage.
While it’s unknown whether the investigation is related to espionage claims, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised to “aggressively” revoke visas from Chinese students in America.
Read more: Wang's wife asks 'What have we done to deserve this treatment?'
Wang and Ma are asking permission to file a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a motion to unseal by Rianna Pfefferkorn, a Stanford University legal scholar.
Neither Wang nor Ma has been charged with a crime.
