Republican Senator Jerry Moran also expressed his solidarity to the Indian Americans.
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA 16th district) on Tuesday condemned the recent hate crimes against Indian American community and said that such incidents in the United States will not be tolerated.
“We, as Americans, should never forget that our country was founded in part on the principles of religious freedom,” Costa said in a statement.
“The recent hate crimes against Indian Americans in Washington and Kansas cannot and will not be tolerated. Our Constitution protects the freedom of religion. Attacks on the Indian community are rooted in hatred, bigotry and a complete lack of understanding of the faith and culture.”
Costa said that America is a nation of immigrants, and hate has no place in the country. He expressed condolences to the families of hate crime victims.
“As a nation of immigrants, we must treat every American citizen with the same level of respect and acceptance into our communities. Hate crimes, especially those that are based on intolerance for a certain race, creed or gender, have no place in our country,” Costa said.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and all the Indian communities across the country. Justice must be served, and I commend the agencies that are working together to prosecute the individuals who are responsible for the horrific and hateful attacks,” he added.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran also expressed his solidarity to the Indian American community. The Kansas representative visited Indian Embassy on Monday and assured Ambassador Navtej Sarna that hatred is not the norm in Kansas.
“The (Kansas) shooting has caused widespread concern in India over the safety of sons and daughters who have come here to study and work in pursuit of the American dream. I expressed my condolences to Ambassador Navtej Sarna and assured him and his country that such hatred is not the norm in Kansas, and I delivered a letter from Olathe Mayor Mike Copeland expressing the community’s shock and sadness over the violence,” Moran told PTI.