Senator Duckworth Speaks At Judiciary Hearing Regarding Ongoing Discrimination And Violence Against Asian Communities

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Congress is taking a closer look at the discrimination Asian Americans have faced in the last year.

A judiciary committee heard testimony Thursday on the violence and hate speech that has recently increased against the Asian community during the pandemic.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, and the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, said the Asian community in the United States has been the target of racist vitriol; and said, understandably, the Asian American community is justifiably outraged.

"Families have had rocks thrown at them. Nurses have been spit on. Heroes, front line workers, hospital staff have been blamed for COVID-19," Duckworth said.

Just in the first two months of 2021, STOP AAPI HATE said Asian Americans reported being targeted at least 500 times.