Asian American lawmakers warned the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that the U.S. has reached a "crisis point” amid a sharp increase in discrimination and violence targeting the Asian community, in the first congressional hearing on the issue in over three decades.

The hearing, which was scheduled weeks ago, came on the heels of a shooting in which a white gunman killed eight people at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Six of the victims were of Asian descent.

Lawmakers described the fear and trauma rippling through the Asian American community, and they argued that the uptick in attacks on Asian Americans was a direct result of the rise of anti-China messaging stoked during the coronavirus pandemic. At times, the hearing turned heated, as visibly frustrated Democratic lawmakers confronted Republicans on the panel for using language they said endangered Asian Americans.