Civil Rights and Social Justice
Congressman Lieu joins civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis and House Democrats during the House Democrats Sit-In on Gun Control
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"I am fully committed to ensuring and protecting the civil rights of all Americans. I vehemently stand against any sort of racial, cultural, or religious intolerance that threatens to divide the melting pot our country has become. If we want to uphold the principle of equality that this country prides itself on, we must not let fear tear us apart."
"As an immigrant from Taiwan, I am proud to be a strong advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in Congress. As an executive board member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I am dedicated to promoting the well-being of the AAPI community."
More information on Congressman Lieu's work on AAPI issues can be found here.
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More on Civil Rights and Social Justice
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the house passed the Heroes Act, which is urgently needed legislation to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It includes critical support for frontline workers, along with additional direct payments to families who are struggling, and investments in testing, small businesses and more.
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sent a letter to inspector General Mike Horowitz calling for an investigation into the Justice Department and BOP’s inadequate and discriminatory response to the Covid-19 outbreaks at our prisons. This letter comes after former Trump campaign staffer Paul Manafort was put allowed to be moved to home confinement while countless inmates have not been allowed similar precautions in light of the pandemic.
In the letter, the Members write:
Donald Trump abruptly halted a press conference on Monday after being challenged by an Asian American reporter whom he told: “Don’t ask me. Ask China.”
With the stars and stripes at his back, Trump held his first press briefing since 27 April in the White House rose garden, flanked by testing equipment and swabs and signs that proclaimed: “America leads the world in testing.”
US elected officials and civil rights leaders are encouraging the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities to speak out against acts of racism happening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, an online site that tracks coronavirus-related racist acts, more than 1,600 incidents have been reported across the country in the last two and a half months. Among the cases, two-thirds were verbal attacks, and more than 10 percent were physical attacks.
A 58-year-old man became the sixth Terminal Island inmate to test positive for COVID-19 and then die as the prison continues to get pummled by the virus.
Eduardo Robles-Holguin originally had been convicted of illegally reentering the United States and died in a hospital on Monday, May 4.
He reported symptoms to the medical staff, tested positive for the disease and, on April 25, was placed on a ventilator at a hospital, officials said.
WASHINGTON — Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) on April 30 sent a letter to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons calling for the release or home confinement of all inmates at Terminal Island, a federal prison facility in San Pedro.
The letter to Michael Carvajal, which was copied to Attorney General William Barr, comes following reports that more than half of all inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. It reads as follows:
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congresswoman Nanette Barragan (D-CA-44) sent a letter to the Director of the Bureau of Federal prisons calling for the release or home confinement of all inmates at Terminal Island, a federal prison facility in San Pedro, California. Their letter comes following reports that more than half of all inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.
In the letter, the Members write:
Dear Director Carvajal:
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., fired back on Twitter Friday after a social media user accused him of being an “agent of China.”
Lieu, who served in the Air Force and is currently in the reserve, had a sharp response after being accused of spreading Chinese propaganda. The Twitter user also called for Lieu to be charged with treason.
“I served on active duty in the United States military to defend your right to say stupid, racist s--t about me,” he tweeted.
At a time when most people are staying inside fearing the same thing – coronavirus – one group is fearing for their safety in the outside world because of something else: Racism.
One group in California documenting hate crimes and discrimination targeting Asian-Americans said it had received reports of 550 instances in the week after it launched the effort.