National Immigration Law Center and NILC Immigrant Justice Fund Condemn Violence Against AAPI Communities, Call for National Leadership to Address Increase in Hate Crimes

WASHINGTON — Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center and the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, issued the following statement in response to the increasing acts of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities:

“We at the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF) are horrified by and condemn the increasing acts of violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the country and, most recently, yesterday in Georgia. We mourn with the families of everyone impacted by these murders, including the six AAPI women killed by a white supremacist and misogynist who felt entitled to exotify and destroy their lives.

“For over a century, AAPI communities have been afflicted by both being made invisible and yet also racially targeted. Many AAPI community members make a living in low-wage, high-risk workplaces to financially support their families. Regardless of where we are from, how much money we have, or what we look like, all of us deserve to have our humanity respected and the freedom to thrive.

“This latest act of violence is rooted in the same white supremacist and mysoginist culture that has led to countless Black and brown community members being killed, from George Floyd to Breonna Taylor to the El Paso shooting. We must all commit to doing our part to build a society in which everyone feels safe regardless of the color of our skin, the language we speak, or where we were born, and to ensure that everyone can feel they belong in this country we call home.

“NILC and IJF condemn these acts of violence, and we call upon our nation’s leaders to do their part to end these destructive and senseless acts. We call for stronger actions by policymakers, both nationally and in the states, to protect AAPI community members from racist violence at home, work, and in public. We call on law enforcement to move swiftly in condemning and prosecuting these hate crimes. All Americans must play a role in shattering the racism and acts of violence, and in stepping up to advance racial justice for AAPIs and communities of color.”

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