Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Leads Key Roundtable On Rising Hate Crimes In US

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi led a roundtable at the US Capitol on Wednesday with federal, state and local elected officials to address rising hate, harassment and discrimination targeting South Asian Americans across the United States.

The meeting, convened with Indian American Impact and Stop AAPI Hate, brought together Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Suhas Subramanyam and Shri Thanedar, along with South Asian-origin state and local officials from North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Michigan, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Participants discussed experiences of South Asian communities, factors driving hate and ways to strengthen prevention, reporting and response to hate crimes. Civil society organisations also shared concerns about incidents affecting communities and officials who have faced targeting themselves.

“This is about protecting South Asian Americans, but it is also about making clear that no American should be made to feel they do not belong because of where they were born, how they worship, or what their name sounds like,” Krishnamoorthi said.

The Illinois Democrat pointed to his Hate Crimes Commission Act, which he reintroduced earlier this year with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representatives Grace Meng and Nydia Velázquez. The bipartisan bill seeks to create a commission to examine the causes of hate crimes, including the role of social media and technology, barriers to comprehensive reporting, and effective prevention and response strategies.

It would also require a Government Accountability Office audit of federal hate-crime data to improve its accuracy and reliability nationwide.

The roundtable comes amid heightened debate over racism, immigration and discrimination in the US during President Donald Trump's second term. Krishnamoorthi has previously joined lawmakers in condemning racist rhetoric targeting Indians and immigrants.

Earlier, lawmakers introduced a congressional resolution rejecting rhetoric based on racial and ethnic stereotypes, stating that attacks based on national origin or ethnicity are un-American and reaffirming the contribution of immigrants to American society.

Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact, said leaders had discussed incidents in their districts and communities and stressed that the roundtable would be followed by similar conversations across the country in the coming months.

Krishnamoorthi said the meeting was one of several efforts needed to confront the rise in hate and violence and work towards preventing such incidents before they occur.