WASHINGTON, Sept. 27,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the United States Commission on Civil Rights
releases the report, The Federal Response to Anti-Asian
Racism in the United
States. Based on extensive research, expert
and public testimony, the report assesses the rise in anti-Asian
hate crimes in the U.S. from 2019 through 2021, and the federal
role in preventing and enforcing federal hate crime laws.
This report examines three main areas: 1) national trends and
data regarding the rise of hate incidents and hate crimes
against members of Asian communities; 2) local and state law
enforcement's prevention and reporting practices regarding hate
crimes; and 3) federal efforts and policies that encourage
greater participation in reporting hate crime incidents, as well as
prosecution and enforcement efforts to prevent hate
crimes.
"The report indicates that language barriers are impeding the
reporting of incidents and that many incidents that do not meet the
legal criteria for hate crimes, such as racial slurs or being spat
on, still evoke fear but go unaccounted for in official
statistics," said Commission Chair, Rochelle Mercedes Garza. "Ultimately, the
absence of adequate performance metrics poses a significant
challenge in assessing the federal government's effectiveness in
combating the surge in hate crimes against the Asian community.
While these barriers continue to exist, the Commission has outlined
a holistic strategy to combat anti-Asian hate incidents, ranging
from data collection improvements and legal enforcement to
community support and education initiatives."
"I am proud to have worked on the
United States of America's official, congressionally
authorized, report on what's been happening to our community since
the dubbing of COVID-19 as the 'China Virus' inflicting people with
the 'Kung Flu'. Words matter, as this report shows," said
Commissioner Glenn
Magpantay.
Agreed upon by a bi-partisan majority of Commissioners, the
report contains the following Commission specific findings and
recommendations - a first since 2019:
Findings
Data collection & reporting:
- A major impediment to understanding the severity and magnitude
of hate crimes against persons of Asian descent is the lack of
comprehensive data.
- The transition to the NIBRS data collection has been slow for
some agencies: for 2021, the number of participating agencies
within the FBI hate crime database was 11,834, compared to the
15,138 participating agencies for 2020 data, and many of the
agencies that have not submitted 2021 data are the largest
jurisdictions.
Recommendations
Training & Partnerships:
- Prosecutors and law enforcement should vigorously investigate
and prosecute hate crimes and harassment against Asian
Americans.
- First responders should be provided with training aimed at
teaching a clear understanding of what constitutes a hate crime in
their jurisdiction.
Language access:
- Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and victim
services need to identify critical deficiencies in Limited English
Proficient (LEP) programs for individuals who need language
assistance.
As part of the examination, the Commission held a public
briefing on March 24, 2023, where
Commissioners and Commission staff heard from subject matter
experts such as government officials, academics, policy experts,
law enforcement professionals, advocates, and impacted persons. The
Commission also accepted written materials from the public for
consideration in the final report.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is the only independent,
bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress
on civil rights and reporting annually on federal civil rights
enforcement. Our 56 state and territory Advisory Committees offer a
broad perspective on civil rights concerns at state and local
levels. For more information about the Commission, please visit
www.usccr.gov and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Contact: Angelia Rorison
publicaffairs@usccr.gov
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SOURCE U.S. Commission on Civil Rights