BY VEENA RAO
Atlanta, GA: Online hate targeting Indian-Americans in the United States has surged dramatically over the past two years, with racist and xenophobic posts on X increasing by 240% between January 2024 and June 2026, according to a new study.
The 56-page report, The Rising Tide of Anti-South Asian Hate in the United States, published recently by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), found approximately 542,360 hateful posts on X between January 2025 and June 2026. Monthly volumes rose from 12,904 posts in January 2024 to 43,843 in June 2026, the highest level recorded during the study period.
The research also identified 397,522 hateful mentions across the fringe platforms 4chan, 8chan and Gab during 2025.
The findings have particular relevance for Indian Americans, who account for the majority of H-1B visa holders. According to the study, posts portraying South Asians as invaders, job thieves or a demographic threat accounted for 45% of the anti-South Asian hate identified on X.
The H-1B visa program emerged as a significant flashpoint, with Indian immigrants accused of taking American jobs, suppressing wages and committing visa fraud. The report notes that Indian nationals accounted for approximately 71% of H-1B visa workers in 2024.
The researchers use the term “South Asian” broadly to include Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Bangladeshi Americans and other communities with overlapping ethnic and cultural identities. The definition covers U.S. citizens, green card holders, temporary visa holders and undocumented immigrants. It also includes people targeted because of their actual or perceived Hindu, Muslim or Sikh identity. According to the study, perpetrators often make little distinction between these nationalities and religious identities, sometimes assuming that all South Asians are Indian.
Georgia Political Rhetoric Cited
The study specifically mentions former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene among political figures whose statements contributed to anti-Indian sentiment surrounding immigration.
In August 2025, Greene posted on X: “End Indian H-1B visas replacing American jobs.”
The researchers cited her statement as an example of political rhetoric explicitly linking Indian visa holders to the displacement of American workers.
The report also connects increases in hateful online content to immigration-related policy announcements, including the Trump administration’s September 2025 decision to impose an additional $100,000 fee on certain H-1B petitions and subsequent proposals to restrict the visa program.
The Georgia reference is particularly relevant to metro Atlanta’s large Indian American population, which includes technology professionals, entrepreneurs, students and families with longstanding ties to the region. However, the report does not provide a state-by-state breakdown of online hate.
Hindu Temples and Religious Practices Targeted
Beyond immigration, the study documents hostility toward Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities, including attacks on religious practices, places of worship and cultural celebrations.
The researchers identified posts calling for Hindu temples to be destroyed and others portraying temples, religious statues and festivals as evidence of a supposed cultural takeover.
The report cites Frisco, Texas, where Hindu temples, statues of deities and religious celebrations have attracted racist hostility.
The findings come amid heightened concerns about the safety of Hindu places of worship following the recently reported alleged mass-shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois.
Sikhs have also faced targeted harassment, particularly in connection with trucking-related controversies. The report describes how fatal accidents involving Sikh truck drivers generated waves of anti-Sikh rhetoric that extended beyond the individuals involved to the wider community.
Indian American Political Figures Face Attacks Across Party Lines
The report identifies racist and xenophobic attacks against prominent figures across the political spectrum, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Lady Usha Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Democratic Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna.
According to the researchers, the political success and public prominence of South Asians have increasingly been framed by extremist online communities as evidence of a demographic or political takeover.
The report points to the backlash against Ramaswamy and former White House AI adviser Sriram Krishnan in late 2024 and early 2025 as a major catalyst for anti-Indian sentiment on X.
It also documents racist attacks directed at Usha Vance, demonstrating that South Asians associated with conservative political figures are not immune to such hostility.
Some of these narratives draw on the so-called Great Replacement conspiracy theory, which falsely claims that immigration is part of a coordinated effort to replace white populations in Western countries.
Online Harassment Moves Beyond Social Media
The study identifies a pattern of targeted harassment and exposure of South Asians’ personal information, commonly known as doxxing.
According to the report, some X accounts have focused on identifying people believed to be H-1B visa holders, publicly accusing them of immigration fraud or taking American jobs. In some cases, influencers have confronted South Asians at their homes or workplaces, filmed the encounters and circulated the videos online.
Racist slurs remain widespread. One derogatory term targeting Indians and its variations appeared in approximately 30% of hateful posts on X and 45% of mentions on the fringe platforms examined.
Content portraying South Asians as unhygienic or unclean showed particularly rapid growth, increasing by 171% on X during the study period.
The report also documents AI-generated images and videos portraying South Asians through racist caricatures, depicting them as scammers, criminals, sexual predators or threats to American society.
Researchers Link Hate to Political and Digital Changes
The study identifies six interconnected drivers of anti-South Asian hate: government policies and political rhetoric, xenophobic nationalism, racial hostility, growing South Asian political visibility, economic resentment and digital amplification.
It places particular emphasis on the role of the Trump administration, MAGA-aligned influencers and changes in social media moderation policies.
The authors argue that rhetoric once largely confined to fringe online communities has increasingly entered mainstream political discourse, while platforms such as X have enabled hateful narratives to reach wider audiences.
The study also cites economic resentment toward successful Indian American professionals, including their visibility in technology and corporate leadership. However, the researchers caution that aggregate income figures conceal significant socioeconomic differences within South Asian communities.
The findings are based on keyword searches, automated classification and qualitative reviews of online content. The researchers acknowledge limitations in collecting data from some fringe platforms, particularly Gab and 8chan.
The study measures online expressions of hate rather than actual hate-crime incidents and does not establish that particular political statements or online posts directly caused acts of physical violence.
The researchers nevertheless warn that online and offline hostility can reinforce one another, as racist stereotypes and conspiracy theories circulate between social media, political discourse and everyday life.
