Washington: A group of Democratic lawmakers has introduced a House resolution condemning what they described as racist rhetoric targeting Indian Americans and Chinese Americans after President Donald Trump amplified a controversial social media post questioning birthright citizenship and immigrants’ loyalty to the United States.
The resolution, introduced by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi alongside Congressman Ted Lieu and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, says such rhetoric fuels discrimination and violence at a time of rising ‘anti-Asian’ hate in the United States.
The measure follows Trump’s April 22 amplification on Truth Social of a post by radio host Michael Savage that used derogatory language about India and China and questioned immigrants’ loyalty to America.
“When President Trump amplifies racist rhetoric targeting Indian Americans and Chinese Americans, it sends a dangerous message at a time when both communities already face hate and discrimination. The President of the United States should be condemning racism, not fueling it,” Krishnamoorthi alleged.
He said Indian Americans and Chinese Americans had “strengthened our communities, grown our economy, served our nation in uniform, and helped carry forward the promise of America”.
Lieu, who immigrated to the United States as a child, said Asian Americans had long been treated as “perpetual foreigners”.
“Racist, xenophobic rhetoric has no place in America. Immigrants strengthen this nation every single day, and no amount of hateful rhetoric from a racist President will ever change that,” he added.
Jayapal accused Trump and the Republicans of turning to “racism and xenophobia as a distraction”.
“Disgusting, hateful rhetoric like this being promoted by the President of the United States will only add fuel to the fire as ‘anti-Asian’ hate is already on the rise,” she said.
The resolution condemns “racist language propagated by the President against individuals of Indian and Chinese origin” and calls on elected officials to avoid language promoting “racial or ethnic division or stereotypes”.
It also reaffirms that immigrants, including Indian Americans and Chinese Americans, are “vital to the fabric of the United States”.
The text of the resolution refers to an “alarming surge in anti-Asian hate online” since the 2024 Presidential election and says anti-South Asian rhetoric increased sharply across social media platforms.
The resolution specifically cites a Truth Social post amplified by Trump that referred to immigrants from India and China in “sweeping and derogatory terms”.
Civil rights groups and advocacy organisations endorsed the measure.
Vincent Pan of Chinese for Affirmative Action said language targeting entire communities “fuels prejudice, discrimination, and violence”.
Shakeel Syed of South Asian Network said Trump’s “ongoing racist tirade against Indian and Chinese Americans must stop now before more innocent people lose their lives”.
The resolution is also backed by “STOP AAPI Hate” and “Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)”.
Indian Americans are among the fastest-growing immigrant communities in the United States and have emerged as a major political and economic force over the past two decades.
Several Indian Americans currently serve in Congress, state governments, technology firms, academia, and the US military.
(IANS)
