US President Joe Biden called on Congress to “swiftly pass” a new hate crime legislation following the increasing reports of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. The call came just days after the eight people – including six Asian women – were gunned down by a man in Atlanta, Georgia.

Biden wants Congress to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act – a law that would further empower the Justice Department to fight against hate crimes. Under the law, additional support will be given to state and local law enforcement agencies. The law also aims to make hare crime information more accessible to all Americans.

“While we do not yet know the motive, as I said last week, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing crisis of gender-based and anti-Asian violence that has long plagued our nation,” Biden said.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Asian American leaders in Atlanta Friday. Discussion on the rising violence and discrimination against Asian Americans reemerged after 21-year-old Robert Aaron shot and killed eight people inside three metro Atlanta spas earlier in the week.

Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate published a study this week showing that it had recorded a total of 3,795 cases of hate crime against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders between March 2020 and Feb 2021.

The study said that most of the cases involved verbal slurs, workplace discrimination, online harassment, and physical attacks. Stop AAPI Hate said that the reports are only a small fraction of the number of hate crime incidents experienced by Asian Americans.