US House of Representatives passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill to address the growing hate crimes against Asian-Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.
The legislation, approved by a 364-62 vote, was supported by Representative Grace Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono, arguing that it will expedite the Justice Department’s review of these crimes and expand the channels to report them.
The Democrats basically attribute the rising hate crimes against Asian-American communities to former US President Donald Trump's branding of COVID-19 as the "China virus."
"Those of Asian descent have been blamed and scapegoated for the outbreak of COVID-19," Meng told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. "And as a result, Asian Americans have been beaten, slashed, spat on, and even set on fire and killed.
The Asian American community is exhausted from being forced to endure this rise in bigotry and racist attacks. Asian Americans are tired of living in fear."
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the reporters that she had expected the legislation would pass by a bipartisan support.
"What I hope is that the unity that's springing from this legislation will further engender more unity on other challenges that we face," Pelosi said.
Violent attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US have seen an alarming surge in recent years, mainly attributed to the former US president for employing racist language against them.
According to the New York police department, there were at least 62 anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police between January 1 and April 18, compared to 12 reported during the same time period in 2020.
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