Center for Social Innovation
A dozen Senate Democrats on Friday called on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to take "robust" action against the uptick in anti-Asian sentiment and attacks since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
In a letter shared exclusively with NBC Asian America, the lawmakers urged the chair of the commission, Catherine E. Lhamon, to issue guidance to federal agencies, like the Citizenship and Immigration Services or the State Department, on preventing and addressing anti-Asian racism and xenophobia.
Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy and political science professor at the University of California, Riverside, said that the letter carries symbolic weight coming from Congress.
“For communities that are affected, it makes the difference in knowing that there are members of the U.S. Senate that are willing to fight for not just their interest, but their right to exist without harassment,” he said.