AAPI Civil Rights Groups Ask Biden to Pause DOJ’s China Initiative, Redouble Efforts to Combat Anti-Asian Violence Ahead of U.S. COVID-19 Origins Report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2021

Media Contact:
Andrew Peng, Communications Associate
andrew.peng@ocanational.org

Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates and more than 20 other Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups signed a joint letter urging the Biden administration to pause the U.S. Department of Justice’s “China Initiative” and launch an independent review to determine whether the Trump-era program unfairly targeted individuals based on their race, ethnicity, or ancestry.

Nearly 100 members of Congress, led by Rep. Ted Lieu, previously asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to probe the DOJ’s targeting of individuals of Asian descent in July, citing claims that researchers and professors have been racially profiled and falsely accused of providing intelligence to China.

The letter, spearheaded by Stop AAPI Hate and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), also called on the Biden administration to redouble its efforts to protect the AAPI community ahead of this month’s expected release of the U.S. intelligence community’s 90-day investigation on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic—warning that it could be used to legitimize racist language and scapegoating of those of AAPI descent.

“The sad but undeniable truth is that the simple existence of that report will put our communities at risk,” the groups wrote to Biden. “Despite the good intentions of your Administration’s forthcoming report, its release will require you to redouble your efforts to combat anti-AAPI hate and violence — to speak out and to act.”

Thursday’s letter was sent two weeks after dozens of AAPI community leaders met with Biden and Vice President Harris at the White House to discuss the rise in anti-Asian attacks. Meanwhile, Stop AAPI Hate said it had received a total of 9,081 reports of hate incidents between March 19, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

A copy of the letter is available here.

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Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven civil rights organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.