Sign Anti-Asian Racial Crimes Act, President Biden: We Must Act

Presiden Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, Thursday, May 20. The law was introduced to combat anti-Asian racial crimes, after a series of violence against citizens of Asian-American descent.

The signing was made after the U.S. Congress approved it by a vote of 94-1 and the U.S. House of Representatives also approved it by a ratio of 364-62. That is, it has absolute support in Congress and the U.S. House of Representatives.

'Silence is an engagement and we can't get involved. We need to talk up. We have to act," President Joe Biden told lawmakers, speaking to Reuters Friday, July 21.

"That's what you've done. And I can't thank you enough. I'm proud today," Biden continued.

Reports of violence against Americans of Asian descent have soared since the start of last year's pandemic. Activists and police say Asian-hate sentiment was fueled by comments from former President Donald Trump blaming the pandemic on China, using terms such as 'kung flu'.

The bill would provide guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to deal with hate crimes, expand public education campaigns and issue guidelines to combat discriminatory language in describing pandemics.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman, the first African-american and the first person of Asian descent to hold the post, opened the ceremony by thanking lawmakers for their work.

"To our members of the United States Congress on both sides (the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives) who helped pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, thank you. Because of you, history will remember today and today when our nation took action to combat hate," Vice President Harris said.