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 yesterday 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 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," 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.
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Bera said the "disturbing" acts of violence are an assault on all Americans and urged people to stand up to the hateful attacks. This means "doubling down on our commitments to safety, equality, and the American values of liberty and justice for all," he said.

"Attacking someone based on where they come from or what they look like insults the very core of everything that we stand for as a nation of immigrants," Bera added.
Khanna said the country must stand together against hateful words and actions, and hate crimes should be prosectuted to the full extent of the law.
Crowley said, "The attack in Kansas did send a shiver down my spine, because I know that this is something that unfortunately has developed because of hate rhetoric and hate speech that developed during the (President's) campaign and has continued afterwards," Crowley said.
The vigil was joined by prominent minority rights organisations.

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), a national South Asian civil rights organisation, lashed out at Trump for his late response to the Kansas shooting and his second immigration ban.
"Waiting nearly a week before commenting on a deadly shooting in Kansas won't do it. Issuing a second toxic Muslim Ban won't do it. We need direct action from this administration to forge inclusion, justice, and hope in this quintessential nation of immigrants," said SAALT executive director Suman Raghunathan.
Rights group Sikh Coalition demanded that the White House create a federal task force to prevent hate violence. "Words are not enough. We need accountability and action," said Rajdeep Singh Jolly, interim managing director of programs, Sikh Coalition.