Attorney General Merrick Garland urges hate crime enforcement strategy, calls for 30-day review

Citing an "urgent" need to reset hate crime enforcement strategy, Attorney General Merrick Garland launched a 30-day review Tuesday to assess the government's tracking capabilities and prosecution of hate offenses that are surging across the country.

"The recent rise in hate crime and hate incidents, particularly the disturbing trend in reports of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community since the start of the pandemic, requires renewed energy...," Garland said in a memo to all Justice Department staffers.