Online anti-South Asian hate in the US spikes dramatically, study links it to politics and economics
A new report finds that hateful posts targeting Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis on X surged by 240 % between early 2024 and mid-2026, driven by immigration rhetoric, job anxieties and increased South Asian visibility.
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate released a report showing a sharp increase in anti-South Asian hate speech on the social platform X, with monthly hateful posts climbing from 12,904 in January 2024 to 43,843 by June 2026 - a 240 % rise. Between January 2025 and June 2026 the researchers identified more than 542,000 hostile messages aimed at Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, many of which used the slur “pajeet” and accused the groups of invading the United States, stealing jobs or threatening demographics.
The report links the surge to Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, including a September 2025 $100,000 H-1B fee, and his July 2025 AI-summit speech blaming Indian outsourcing for job loss, each followed by spikes in online abuse. It also highlights recent government posts that singled out Sikh and South Asian individuals, reinforcing a narrative of outsiders. Economic resentment, the “model minority” backlash, and the visibility of South Asian politicians such as Kamala Harris and Zohran Mamdani further fuel the hostility. Offline violence, such as a July stabbing of an Indian Muslim worker in Utah and a September stabbing of a Sikh truck driver in Wyoming, demonstrates how digital hate can translate into real-world attacks.
Why it matters
The surge shows how political rhetoric and economic fears can amplify online hate, potentially spilling into real-world violence against South Asian communities.
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