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Congressional Hispanic Caucus Statement on President Biden's Racial Equity Executive Actions

January 26, 2021

WASHINGTON—Today, President Joe Biden signed four executive actions to confront systemic racism and advance racial equity. The executive actions will direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take necessary steps to redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies that have contributed to wealth inequality for generations. The executive actions will also end the Justice Department's use of private prisons, recommit the federal government to Tribal sovereignty, and will take steps to combat discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) released the following statement in reaction to the issuance:

"Achieving racial equity in our government is one of the most important issues we can tackle to set up future generations for success," said Chairman Ruiz. "For far too long, communities of color have suffered from systemic racism and inequities in many sectors that have led to large wealth gaps and the hinderance of opportunities.

"Hispanic families have faced discriminatory housing practices, resulting in concentrations of poverty in communities of color. Private prisons are disproportionately filled with people of color, reaping lucrative rewards for the private prison industry, while imposing a huge cost on our communities. I applaud President Biden's commitment to advancing racial justice for Native communities and for working to combat the disturbing epidemic of hate and discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community that has significantly risen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We must do our part to combat hate and institutionalized discrimination.

"Today's executive actions are a step in the right direction in rectifying systemic inequalities and protecting our core values of equality and diversity. We are eager to see similar executive actions to end privately operated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, where human rights abuses are rampant due to little to no government oversight or accountability. Congress and President Biden must continue to work together to enact legislation to compliment today's executive actions and to deliver progress for Hispanic communities."

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.