Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi leads a coalition of South Asian American lawmakers in a national roundtable to address rising hate crimes against their community.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A coalition of South Asian American lawmakers and elected officials has called for stronger measures to combat hate, harassment, and violence targeting their community. This initiative was highlighted during a national roundtable led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The meeting convened federal, state, and local elected officials to discuss the discrimination faced by South Asian Americans and explore ways to enhance the prevention, reporting, and response to hate crimes.
Among those attending were U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Suhas Subramanyam, and Shri Thanedar, who joined Krishnamoorthi in addressing these pressing issues. State and local officials from various regions, including North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Michigan, Texas, and Pennsylvania, also participated. Representatives from Indian American Impact and Stop AAPI Hate were present as well.
“Today’s roundtable brought together South Asian leaders from across the country to confront the rise in hate, harassment, and violence our communities are experiencing and to focus on actionable solutions,” Krishnamoorthi stated.
He emphasized the importance of protecting South Asian Americans while also advocating for the broader principle that no American should feel unwelcome due to their birthplace, religious practices, or name. “That is why I have been working to strengthen our response to hate crimes, including through the Hate Crimes Commission Act, so we can better understand what is driving this hate and prevent violence before it occurs,” he added.
During the discussions, participants examined the factors contributing to hate and proposed measures to enhance protections for South Asian communities, according to Krishnamoorthi’s office.
The gathering comes at a time of heightened concern among South Asian American organizations and elected representatives regarding the discrimination directed at individuals based on their ethnicity, religion, or national origin.
Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, has been advocating for a comprehensive federal examination of the causes of hate crimes and the deficiencies in their reporting.
In May, he reintroduced the Hate Crimes Commission Act, partnering with Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and House co-leads Grace Meng and Nydia Velázquez. This legislation aims to establish a bipartisan U.S. Commission on Hate Crimes to investigate the factors contributing to such crimes, including the influence of social media and technology, barriers to accurate reporting, and strategies for prevention. Additionally, it would mandate the Government Accountability Office to audit federal hate-crime data collection systems.
Federal data referenced during the reintroduction of the legislation revealed that over 11,000 single-bias hate-crime incidents, affecting nearly 14,000 victims, were reported to the FBI in 2024. These incidents targeted individuals based on various grounds, including race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability.
This roundtable marks a significant step in addressing the urgent need for action against hate crimes affecting the South Asian American community, as lawmakers and advocates unite to foster a safer and more inclusive environment.
According to IANS, the coalition’s efforts reflect a growing recognition of the challenges faced by South Asian Americans and the necessity for legislative measures to combat hate and discrimination.