Washington, October 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has urged political leaders from both parties to speak out against racism and xenophobia after a new study reported a sharp increase in online hate targeting South Asians in the United States.
The Illinois Democrat responded to a report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), which documented a 240 per cent rise in the monthly volume of anti-South Asian hate posts on X between January 2024 and June 2026. The study, titled “The Rising Tide of Anti-South Asian Hate in the United States”, was published on September 28.
The CSOH study identified approximately 542,360 posts expressing anti-South Asian hate on X between January 2025 and June 2026. Posts portraying South Asians as “invaders”, job thieves or a demographic threat accounted for about 45 per cent of the material identified during that period.
The report’s 240 per cent figure compares monthly volumes from January 2024 and June 2026, when the number of identified posts increased from 12,904 to 43,843. During the narrower January 2025-June 2026 study period, the monthly volume increased by 75 per cent.
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Responding to the findings, Krishnamoorthi said the increase required political leaders to confront discriminatory rhetoric.
“The 240 per cent surge in monthly anti-South Asian hate on X did not come out of nowhere,” he said in a statement.
Krishnamoorthi also criticised political rhetoric surrounding South Asians, saying politicians had “demonise[d] South Asians” and accusing the Trump administration of using what he described as racist stereotypes targeting people named Singh. Those remarks were part of the congressman’s response to the report and were separate from the study’s numerical findings.
“Americans of every background, and leaders of both parties, need to speak out against racism and xenophobia wherever they appear,” he said.
The CSOH report examined anti-South Asian content across X and other online platforms, including 4chan, 8chan and Gab. Researchers linked the rise to factors including immigration politics, economic resentment, political rhetoric and the digital amplification of hateful content.
The report also noted that anti-South Asian rhetoric encompasses multiple communities, including people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other South Asian backgrounds. Its findings therefore cannot be treated as figures relating exclusively to Indian-Americans.
Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, also defended the place of South Asian Americans in US society.
“South Asian Americans are as much a part of the fabric of America as anyone else, and no amount of hate can erase the contributions we have made to this country,” he said.
The congressman’s statement comes amid continuing US debates over immigration, employment and the H-1B visa programme, issues that the CSOH report identified among the themes associated with anti-South Asian rhetoric online.
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