LOS ANGELES -- The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the largest immigrant rights organization in California, denounced the most recent acts of terror against Asian Americans and labeled them as callous and heinous though not surprising considering the racist foundations of this country. From the earliest anti-immigrant laws like the Page Act specifically excluding Chinese women to this country, to most recently President Trump and others, the poisoning of the well with anti-immigrant, anti-Asian rhetoric has been going on for years, especially now during the Covid-19 world pandemic. Please attribute the following statements to Angelica Salas, CHIRLA executive director: "We lament the loss of life, including six Asian American women, in the heinous and callous acts of terror committed against Asian Americans in Atlanta yesterday These racist and misogynist acts of violence are sadly not out of context following a history of ongoing xenophobic and racist verbal attacks against people of color and women and little national action to prevent them. " Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate , an organization keeping track of hate crimes against Asian Americans since March 2020, has received reports of 3,795 of anti-Asian hate incidents, in all 50 dates and Washington DC. This violent trend, although not a new phenomenon must stop. It can only stop when all of us condemn these atrocities and commit to learning, healing, and preventing. "CHIRLA stands with the Asian American community and denounces the hate, ignorance, and sickness behind these baseless attacks. Racial justice is inherently and inextricably a part of the immigrant justice/immigrant rights movement and as such our work continues until everyone can live in a safe, fair, and just society." | 
