An attack on a pro-life pregnancy crisis center in Western New York has prompted an area congressman to request “fairness” from the Department of Justice when it comes to investigating these types of crimes.

U.S. Rep. Joe Sempolinski sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding the vandalism and arson attack this summer at CompassCare Pregnancy Services Center in North Buffalo, saying there has been “a disturbing lack of action” in any arrests or prosecutions in the incident.

“The DOJ has shown a disturbing lack of interest regarding violent attacks against pro-life centers around the country. How they have responded to these attacks as opposed to attacks on abortion providers is frankly out of line for an organization that should be a nonpartisan branch of the government,” Sempolinski said. “All violent attacks must be condemned, and perpetrators charged to the fullest extent of the law. With this letter, my colleagues and I hope that the DOJ addresses this bias and proves to us that no one is above the law. This partisanship must end now.”

Sempolinski was joined in the letter by Rep. Chris Jacobs (NY-27), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-2), Rep. Garret Graves (LA-6), Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), and Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14). All six members of Congress are Republicans.

During a conference call Wednesday with members of the media from the 23rd Congressional District, which includes Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, Sempolinski said he has had area pro-life centers “broadly reach out to the office and express concern” but there has not been any specific attacks at this time.

Sempolinski said he wanted to send the letter because he wants to see pro-life centers receive the same protection and investigations of attacks on abortion provider sites.

“If there’s an attack on anybody, it should be investigated but it appears when a pro-life pregnancy center is attacked, like in Western New York, it doesn’t get the same prioritization as when other things happen,” he said.

In his letter to Garland, Sempolinski noted that on the Department of Justice has been at the helm of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers, yet there is no dedicated task force or organization that seeks to protect pro-life pregnancy crisis centers.

“The DOJ has no reason to have a web page titled ‘Recent Cases on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers’ yet there is virtually no information on the considerable damages against pro-life centers over the last several years,” Sempolinski wrote.

In November, the Buffalo office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations announced it was offering a $25,000 reward for information in connection with the arson at CompassCare in Amherst.

According to the FBI, around 2:45 a.m. on June 7, Amherst Police received a 911 call regarding a fire at the CompassCare Center. They say individuals had thrown Molotov cocktails at the center, starting a fire that caused significant damage. One of the individuals also spray-painted “Jane was here” on the building.

Anyone with information, in this case, is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/home