Peters, Stabenow Help Senate Pass Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) today voted in support of legislation to address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The legislation, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, will expedite the review of violent hate crimes against Asian Americans that have risen with the spread of COVID-19 and seek to prevent such incidents from occurring. The legislation would not only appoint a point person at the Department of Justice to review these hate crimes but also create grants for state and local law enforcement agencies to respond to these heinous acts of violence and discrimination.

“We need to do everything we can to come together and stop the alarming uptick in violence against Asian Americans in our country and to show the world that this kind of hate has no place here,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation is an important step to address the surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans and provide resources to communities to prevent this violence.”

“The disturbing rise in violent attacks against our Asian American neighbors has no place in Michigan or in America,” said Senator Stabenow. “This bill is an important first step in helping to identify and stop these hate crimes.”

"I applaud the Senate's passage of the Anti-Asian hate bill that was pushed by Senator Hirono and co-sponsored by Senator Peters and Senator Stabenow,” said Roland Hwang, President of American Citizens for Justice. “It is encouraging for the U.S. Senate to take a stand against anti-Asian hate amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the wave of xenophobic anti-Asian violence afflicting the country.”

Stop AAPI Hate, an advocacy group tracking hate incidents, said they had received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents across the country since March 2020, compared to roughly 100 incidents annually in previous years.

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