Anti-Asian hate crimes bill heads to the House after overwhelming approval in the U.S. Senate

Senator Mazie Hirono, left, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a press conference prior
to the Senate's vote on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

The overwhelming passage of the hate crime bill that seeks protections in the U.S. Senate sets the stage for the House of Representatives and President Biden to take the final steps to turn it into law during May, AAPI Heritage Month.

The measure, passed in the Senate Thursday by a near-unanimous vote, 94-1, would direct a US Justice Department review of hate crimes and provide support for local law enforcement responding to violent incidents.

Advocates for Asian Americans link this past year's rise in hate incidents against AAPIs to the racist rhetoric of Donald Trump and his GOP supporters who heaped the blame on the coronavirus pandemic to China.

The attacks are “a predictable and foreseeable consequence” of racist and inflammatory language that has been used against Asians during the pandemic, including slurs used by Trump, said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-HI, who introduced the bill in the Senate.

“Today’s historic, bipartisan vote on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act sends a powerful message of solidarity to the AAPI community—that the United States Senate rejects anti-Asian hate. Now, I urge the House to swiftly pass this legislation so the bill can go to President Biden to sign into law,” Hirono said.

The lone "nay" vote was cast by Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley. The conservative lawmaker who raised his fist in support of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists that stormed the Capitol, said he opposed the bill because of the possibility of infringing on free speech.

President Joe Biden praised the bill's passage in the Senate, saying: "For more than a year, far too many Asian Americans have woken up each morning increasingly fearful for their safety and the safety of their loved ones, They have been scapegoated, harassed, and assaulted; some have even been killed. It has been over a year of living in fear for their lives, as acts of anti-Asian bias and violence have accelerated from coast to coast — an unconscionable burden our fellow Americans have been forced to bear, even as so many Asian Americans serve their communities and our nation tirelessly on the front lines of the pandemic.

"Too often throughout our history, acts of hate and violence directed at Asian Americans have been met with silence," Biden continued. "Our nation must stand together to speak out against hate, and declare unequivocally: These acts are wrong. They are un-American. And they must stop." 

The bill should have no trouble passing the Democratic-majority in the House and Biden has already expressed his support.

"We’ve all heard the sickening stories and seen the horrifying videos of Asian Americans being beaten, slashed and spat on. Today, the Senate said enough is enough, and underscored loud and clear that there is no place for hate anywhere in our society," said Rep. Grace Meng, who sponsored the House version of the bill.

The Hate Crimes Act would appoint a Department of Justice employee to monitor and keep a record of potential hate crimes and expedite any legal actions against individuals who may fall under the new law's parameters.

Stop AAPI Hate, a community-based organization, has compiled over 3,800 acts of hate against AAPI over the course of a year when the pandemic became apparent in the U.S. In the first two months of 2021 alone, over 500 incidents have been reported to the group.

The hate incidents range from verbal harassment, bullying and vandalism to physical assaults, some of which resulted in the death of the victims.

"More reporting of hate crimes will provide us with increased data and a more accurate picture of the attacks that have been occurring against those of Asian descent, and a more centralized and unified way of reviewing these crimes would help to address the problem in a more effective manner," said Meng. 

"I have heard from so many Asian Americans who tell me that they are scared to walk outside. Families won’t let their kids go to the park or play outdoors. People are urging their parents and grandparents to stay inside, telling them that they’ll run their errands and deliver groceries to them. Being forced to endure this terror and fear is unconscionable and unacceptable. Everybody in our country deserves to feel safe, and that includes the Asian American community."