Statement by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri, FBI, Miami Field Office

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri, FBI, Miami Field Office, issued the following statement:

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) offer their diverse student body a unique academic and cultural experience built on pride, resilience, and unity.  HBCUs and their students strengthen our communities.  We are incredibly fortunate to have HBCUs throughout the country, including here in South Florida.

HBCUs were created in the 1800s to provide educational opportunities for Black students who were excluded and unwelcome from attending existing colleges and universities.  HBCUs across our great nation are venerable institutions where students thrive and should always be safe from harm.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the FBI stand ready to investigate and prosecute allegations of a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.  We are united in our efforts to protect the safety and security of our South Florida students, visitors, and residents.  As Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated last month, “The Justice Department will never stop working to protect everyone in our country from unlawful acts of hate.”

We encourage the community to report all suspected hate crimes to the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (1-800-225-5324) and tips.fbi.gov.

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