FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reacts onstage at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024. / REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

 Recently, the Kamla Harris Campaign formed an Asian community outreach initiative, presenting her as a daughter of South Asian immigrants who cares about Asians. However, her records suggest otherwise.

 On crime, Asians in California have firsthand experience with Kamala Harris’ “soft on crime” policies that have transformed cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Once considered crown jewels of Western civilization with decent public safety, these cities now face rampant crime, homelessness, and drug abuse. 

This shift began in 2014 when California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris championed Proposition 47. This legislation reclassified many nonviolent offenses valued at $950 or less, such as shoplifting and grand theft, as misdemeanors. Although similar laws exist in other states, the failure to prosecute these “nonviolent” crimes in California has led to widespread shoplifting and robbery. Public safety further deteriorated after the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement in 2020, exacerbated by defunding police and the early release of violent criminals, policies which Kamala Harris supported.

 Because majority of Asians are not physically big and strong, they become the most vulnerable targets for criminals. Since 2020, a number of anti-Asian violent crimes have been reported. In December 2021, six members of a violent robbery were arrested and charged for over 70 incidents of robbery, burglary, and theft targeting Asian Americans in the South Bay. In November 2023, Jasper Wu, a 23-month-old boy was struck by a stray bullet from a rolling gunfire exchange between rival gangs while his mother was driving on Interstate 880 in Oakland, California. 

On education, the Biden-Harris administration openly supports the anti-Asian discrimination in college admissions. In February 2021, one month after President Biden took office, its Department of Justice dropped the racial discrimination lawsuit against Yale University, which was launched by the Trump administration on behalf of Asian American students. On June 29, 2023, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action and eliminated decades-long discrimination against Asian American students, Vice-President Harris opposed the ruling, calling it as “a step backward for our nation”. As she openly advocates racial equity, which demands equal results among racial groups regardless of their efforts, many Asian Americans are concerned such racial quotas will limit their opportunities in employment as well.        

Asian Americans also feel wrongfully assaulted by Biden-Harris/Democrats’ identity politics. When many Asian students earn admissions to America’s selective colleges, they are labeled as “over-represented” and “having white privilege,” even though none of America’s public policies favor Asian Americans. The Biden-Harris administration pasy lip service to help Asians fight against “Asian Hate”. In reality, they incite jealousy and hate against Asians and discriminate against us in education and employment in the name of diversity and equity. 

On economy, Asian Americans also suffer from reckless economic policies of Biden-Harris administration. Within four years, mortgage and interest rates almost tripled, hurting many Asian homeowners and small business owners. When the inflation spiked under this regime, many low-income Asian families struggled to put food on their tables. Out of 24 million Asian Americans, about 2.3 million live in poverty. Other Asian Americans, especially seniors, sadly see the purchasing power their lifelong savings shrink. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, inflation is the number one concern for Asian American voters. 

On immigration, Biden-Harris’ open border policies have allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into America, leading to a spike in crime and welfare spending. Meanwhile, disproportionate quotas are still imposed on legal immigrants from Asia. According to the Immigration Act of 1990, each country has a maximum of 44,100 family-based immigrants and 14,700 employment-based immigrants per fiscal year. This causes a huge backlog, preventing many highly educated Indian and Chinese high-tech workers in America from obtaining green cards. Every year, tens of thousands of American-educated Asian talents are unable to get a working visa in America.

Contrary to claims, Kamala Harris’ record shows that she has done more to harm Asian Americans than to protect our core interests. Her policies often fail to reflect the Asian American cultural values of self-reliance, pro-education, and pro-family, instead leaning towards a progressive ideology focused on racial equity and a socialist utopia. This is why she was ranked as “the most liberal senator” in 2019.

Fortunately, most Asian Americans are smart and well-educated. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, “97% of Asian American voters believe a candidate’s policy positions are more Important than their race or ethnicity when deciding whom to vote for.” In the 2024 presidential election, I am confident that most Asian voters will realize that we are worse off than four years ago, and elect President Trump back to the White House.

 

The author is an Asian American leader advocating equal education rights, President of Asians Making America Great Again.

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad)