US-Indian academicians pledge to collaborate to usher in atmosphere of peace

US President Joe Biden has promised to work in partnership with vibrant communities of Indian Americans; celebrate their extraordinary contributions to America’s success, prosperity and safety; listen to the needs of Indian Americans and put in place policies that address their priorities.

Indian Americans, like all Americans, are deeply invested in the core elements of our future education, access to high-quality, affordable health care, addressing the climate crisis, and reforming and modernizing our immigration system in a way that aligns with our values.

Biden will ensure that South Asian Americans are represented in his administration starting with his Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Our government will reflect the diversity of the United States, and Indian American voices will be included in shaping the policies that impact their communities. From fighting COVID-19 to building our economy back better to reforming our system of immigration, a Biden-Harris Administration will be one that Indian Americans can count on.  

Since Donald Trump took office, the number of hate crimes that took place across the US had greatly increased, according to the FBI’s hate crime statistics. 

We have a President who, in clear language and in code, encourages and emboldens prejudice and hatred — and that’s dangerous.  

Indian Americans of all backgrounds — Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jain, and others — have been subjected to bullying and xenophobic attacks and need now, more than ever, a reassurance that our leaders in Washington will have their backs.

During the Obama-Biden Administration, the FBI had expanded its hate crime statistics programme to include Sikhs, Hindus, and Buddhists. As President, Biden will directly address the rise in hateful attacks and enact legislation prohibiting someone convicted of a hate crime from purchasing or possessing a firearm. He will appoint leaders at the Department of Justice who will prioritize the prosecution of hate crimes, and will order his Justice Department to focus additional resources to combat hate crimes including religion-based hate crimes and to confront white nationalist terrorism.

Biden will also seek legislation that increases the potential sentence for certain hate crimes that occur in houses of worship and other religious community sites, such as gurudwaras, mandirs, temples, and mosques. And, he will use his executive power to ensure that the Department of Justice pursues such heinous acts of violence against houses of worship to the fullest extent of the law. 

Looking back, we find that as Senator, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Vice President, Biden has supported Indian Americans and a strong friendship between India and the United States.