US Justice Dept urged to treat ethnic attacks as hate crimes

Sixty-seven US lawmakers have urged the Department of Justice to treat the attacks against ethnic minorities like Indian-Americans as hate crimes and called on President Donald Trump to end his “inflammatory rhetoric”.
The lawmakers, led by senior Democratic leader Joe Crowley and Indian-American Pramila Jayapal, introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives on Friday pointing out instances of racially-motivated violence in the country in the recent past.
Expressing sympathy for the victims of these attacks, the resolution asks the Department of Justice to carry out thorough hate crime investigations, and urges Mr. Trump to end his policies “which have created a climate of fear in communities across the country”.
“This resolution is an act of resistance to Donald Trump’s hateful vilification and ‘otherizing’ of immigrants and communities of color,” Ms. Jayapal said.
“Acts of violence rooted in racism have spiked since his campaign. From day one, Trump has used fringe extremist rhetoric to paint immigrant communities as criminals and terrorists, spurring senseless acts of violence that have no place in America. The DOJ must act, because no one should have to live in fear of racism-fueled violence,” the Congresswoman asserted.
“What we see today is violence against those perceived to be foreign and a slew of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies coming out of the White House. That toxic mix is causing a palpable level of fear in the Indian—American and broader South Asian community,” said Crowley, who is the House Democratic Caucus Chairman.
On February 22, Indian nationals Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani were shot at a bar in Olathe, Kansas, by a man shouting “get out of my country”. Kuchibhotla (32), later died at a hospital.
On March 3, a Sikh American was shot and injured in Kent, Washington by a gunman who reportedly told him to “go back to your own country.”
The resolution notes that attacks and threats have increased against minority communities like Hindus, Muslims, Arabs, South Asians, Sikhs, and Jewish Americans.
Later in the day, Ms. Jayapal and Mr. Crowley were joined by two other Indian American lawmakers —— Ami Bera and Ro Khanna —— in a vigil on the steps of the Capitol to honour the victims of hate violence in minority communities nationwide.

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