Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement in light of the House Appropriations Committee markup of the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017.
During the Full Committee markup, the Committee adopted a manager’s amendment on voice vote to include report language requested by Congressman Lieu and Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus for an investigation by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General into allegations of profiling based on race and national origin. These allegations were recently covered by 60 Minutes.
The next step for the CJS Appropriations Bill will be consideration on the House Floor.
“I am pleased that language to address racial profiling that I have been pushing for has been included in today’s markup. I commend Ranking Member Mike Honda, an iconic champion of Asian American and Pacific Islander civil rights, for his tireless work in addressing a deeply troubling issue impacting the AAPI community. Allegations of racial profiling should never be dismissed without investigation, and I support the Committee’s call for the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General to provide a detailed assessment to Congress of recent cases involving the unjust targeting of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.”
Report Language included in the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017
The Committee has heard concerns that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been profiled by Department of Justice investigators and prosecutors on the basis of race and national origin, including in espionage and trade secret cases. The Committee expects the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General to assess whether there exists a pattern or practice of using race, national origin, and other civil rights classifications to target Federal employees and other Americans; report on any allegations of civil rights or civil liberties violations committed by DOJ employees in its semiannual reports to Congress as required by Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Public Law 107–56); and if such patterns or practices are found to exist, to describe steps the Department has taken to address them.
Link to Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus letter to the Inspector General on
