Murder on Vincent Chin

Vincent was murdered by two white persons who thought he was a Japanese American.
Before they killed him they discriminated him and then they finally attacked him with a baseball-bat. When his murders got on trial they only got a fine of 3.700 dollars and 2 years probation time. Can this be the case that a human life is only worth of 3.700 dollars because he comes from another country? If they had killed a white American person they would stay in prison for their whole life. I think the most annoying thing on the murder is that the government also thinks that the life of an immigrant isn't as important as a life of a white person.