Durbin Calls on Senate Colleagues to Support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to support the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).  This legislation will improve the Justice Department’s response to the appalling rise in hate incidents targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and provide state and local law enforcement with guidance and tools to track and address hate crimes and hate incidents.

Between March 2020 and February 2021, the Stop AAPI Hate Initiative documented nearly 3,800 hate incidents targeting AAPI Americans.  And a recent analysis by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that while hate crimes in 16 of America’s largest cities decreased overall by seven percent in 2020, those targeting Asian Americans increased by nearly 150 percent.

“Today we have an opportunity to come together, Democrats and Republicans… and support our friends… our fellow Americans in the AAPI community.  Millions of Americans are counting on us to do that,” Durbin said.

Video of Durbin’s floor remarks is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s floor remarks is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s floor remarks is available here for TV Stations.

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