WASHINGTON, September 29 — A new report from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate documents a sharp rise in anti-South Asian hate speech on social media, linking the surge to political rhetoric and policy actions under the Trump administration. The report, published September 28, 2026, found that monthly hate speech targeting South Asians on the platform X increased by 240 percent between January 2024 and June 2026, rising from 12,904 posts to 43,843 posts.
Over 542,000 hateful posts on X were directed at people from South Asia living in the US between January 2025 and June 2026, with five of the six highest-volume months occurring at the end of that period. Nearly half of the hate posts accused South Asians of invading the US, stealing jobs, or threatening the country demographically, according to researchers using the United Nations definition of hate speech.
The derogatory slur ‘pajeet’ and its variants appeared in 30 percent of hateful posts on X and 45 percent on fringe platforms. Posts depicting South Asians as dirty or unhygienic grew by 171 percent on X, the fastest-growing narrative identified in the study. Researchers tied the surge to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and rhetoric, economic anxiety, and the growing visibility of South Asians in US life, citing the H-1B visa programme as a major flashpoint.
Indians account for over 70 percent of H-1B visa holders, the report noted. Specific policy actions linked to spikes in hate include Trump’s September 2025 imposition of a $100,000 payment requirement on certain new H-1B petitions and his July 2025 speech at an AI summit criticizing US tech companies for outsourcing jobs to India.
The report also cites a since-deleted September 2026 Department of Homeland Security post titled ‘Transformers: Age of Deportations’ featuring a Sikh man identified as ‘Mr Singh’ and telling him to ‘get off our roads.’ A Department of Education post ‘Make College Football Great Again’ followed complaints by Texas Republican Bo French about South Asians at a University of Texas football game.
Researchers documented doxxing of South Asians by X accounts and harassment by influencers, including right-wing influencer Sara Gonzalez, who posted a video to over half a million followers harassing a South Asian individual. The hate frequently conflated Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, as well as Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians, into monolithic groups.
Researchers noted that the success of some South Asians is being weaponized against them, with the ‘model minority’ stereotype shifting to portrayals as ‘opportunists and cheats,’ and linked the trend to anxieties about loss of status and the ‘Great Replacement Theory’ conspiracy. Looking ahead, experts warn that without intervention, online hate could translate into increased real-world harassment and discrimination against South Asian communities across the United States.
