It's a complicated issue, but this is a crucial aspect of the argument.

"Admissions officers “often treat Asian-American applicants as a monolithic block rather than as individuals, and denigrate these applicants as lacking in creativity/critical thinking and leadership skills/risk taking.”"

There are different power dynamics between SE Asians and East Asians, and within these groups themselves there are complicated and strained relationships/power dynamics. And within those individual countries, there is a complicated entanglement of class, colorism, ethnic minority status etc.

So let's say universities look at AAPI as a monolithic group. If you're from the Philipinnes or you're Mongolian American you might not have the same advantages as say a Japanese-American. In fact the make up of your community might be delegated to a much lower socio economic status. Is it right for you to be clumped together in a bracket where you are assumed to have more privilege?

That's a bit problematic to lump these groups together when their communities may have zero ties, their cultures are vastly different, and their economic/political power is non-existent.

Also let's take a closer look at America's favorite frenemy, China. The middle class is growing, and gaining enough power to have the mobility to immigrate anywhere and immediately insert themselves in the middle class of the US. However, this is a relatively recent trend. In previous decades Chinese immigrants were refugees fleeing from communism or less educated than the current group of immigrants. And furthermore, China has a huge ethnic minority population.

I'm not sure where I stand on it so far, but I personally think affirmative action should also recognize the SES and cultural division within groups. Otherwise the more "integrated" or economically stable people within a group benefit more while those who aren't still don't have as good enough chance.