WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick Garland directed Justices Department employees to give priority to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes and incidents, especially a recent outbreak of violence against Asian Americans.
In a memo Tuesday to all department employees, Garland ordered a review to be completed in a month to determine specific steps that can be taken to better combat hate crimes, including prioritizing criminal investigations and prosecutions and tracking and reporting incidents that might violate federal laws.
Garland cited in particular “the disturbing trend in reports of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Former President Donald Trump often blamed China for what he derisively called the “China virus” and “Kung Flu.”
The attorney general’s directive comes amid an outbreak of violence against Asian Americans. A series of mass shootings on March 16 in the Atlanta metropolitan area left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women.
