Story at a glance
- President Biden is expected to sign an executive order Friday addressing the surge in violence against Asian Americans.
- The executive action will establish the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders that will aim to increase security and economic access within the community.
- The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that hate crimes against Asians rose by nearly 150 percent in 2020.
President Biden is expected to sign an executive order Friday addressing the surge in violence against Asian Americans.
The executive action will establish the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders that will aim to increase security and economic access within the community.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, and the xenophobic rhetoric used by certain political leaders during this crisis, have led to a tragic spike in acts of anti-Asian bias, violence, and xenophobia,” a White House Fact Sheet said.
“At the same time, the pandemic has disproportionately burdened many AA and NHPI communities, and exposed the significant health inequities faced by many Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in particular,” the White House added.
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Biden previously signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to address in part the shortcomings law enforcement entities face identifying hate crimes and “language and cultural barriers that many communities of color face in reporting hate crimes.”
The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would also instill a Justice Department official to “facilitate the expedited review of hate crimes related to COVID-19.”
The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that hate crimes against Asians rose by nearly 150 percent in 2020, while hate crimes overall dropped by 7 percent.
Additionally, recent public opinion polling from the Pew Research Center shows a majority of Asian Americans believe that violence against their community is increasing — 32 percent fear physical attacks. A separate Pew survey found that 71 percent of all U.S. adults see “a lot or some discrimination against Asian people.”
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