Today, co-chairs of the Jewish Latino Congressional Caucus, Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Will Hurd, Eliot Engel, and Mario Diaz Balart released the following statement in support of the No Hate Act.
Key excerpts from the joint statement:
“Hate crimes do not just affect victims. Because the victim is targeted solely because of his or her race, religion, gender, or ethnicity, when an attack occurs, entire communities are put on notice. The most recent FBI report on hate crimes shows an 11.7% rise last year in the number of violent hate crimes. The number of victims in anti-Latino or Hispanic hate crimes rose over 21% in 2018. Jews were the target of a stunning 57.8 percent of all religious bias crimes in 2018, despite making up less than 2 percent of the U.S. population,” said the members.
“The coronavirus pandemic has brought out both the best and worst of our society. First responders, healthcare professionals, and so many frontline essential workers have indeed shown bravery in the face of fear. They have saved lives and ensured that we all have access to food, pharmaceuticals, and other necessities. Human solidarity has been on display as we face this unprecedented challenge together. However, as uncertainty rises, we have seen hatred unleashed. Conspiracy theories about the role of Jews in creating or spreading the virus swarm. Misinformation abounds.
“For this reason, we affirm our support for H.R.3545, the National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act. The bipartisan bill will improve hate crime reporting through law enforcement training, allow for the creation of reporting hotlines, call for the increase in resources to liaise with affected communities, and promote public educational forums on hate crimes,” the members concluded.
Read the full statement from the Co-chairs of the Latino Jewish Congressional Caucus here.
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