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Why is anti-Indian hate rising - and what should we do about it?
Reports document a rise in physical violence, online harassment and vandalism of religious spaces.
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Ashini Jagtiani-Williams -
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Sital Kalantry - Sat, 14, Feb 2026
- 01:40 EST
- 19
The Hyphen: Indian American Dialogues / Roundglass India Center
Demographic change, economic success and anti-immigration political rhetoric have reshaped how Indian Americans are perceived. Persevering through this climate requires sustained civic participation and coalition building.
Incidents of anti-Indian hate in the United States have increased in recent years. Reports document a rise in physical violence, online harassment and vandalism of religious spaces. In the most tragic cases, individuals have lost their lives. These incidents raise urgent questions: Why is this happening, and what can we do about it?
In a recent episode of The Hyphen: Indian American Dialogues, one of the authors and podcast host Sital Kalantry spoke with Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance, to unpack these issues.
The rise in anti-Indian hate has coincided with the rapid growth of Indians in the United States, national job and wage anxiety, and a broader political climate in which hostility toward immigrants has become more explicit and normalized.
Over the past two decades, the Indian American population has grown significantly — more than doubling from roughly 2 million in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2023. Within this group, the share of foreign-born Indian Americans has increased from about 38 percent in 2000 to more than 50 percent today. Much of this growth has been driven by highly skilled workers who arrived under the H-1B visa program established in 1990. As a result, Indian Americans have become increasingly visible in workplaces, neighborhoods and public life. At the same time, immigration has become more contested in American political discourse.
That visibility is also economic. Many highly skilled Indian immigrants, particularly in the technology sector, earn high salaries. Indian Americans report the highest median earnings of all immigrant groups in the United States, and their household income significantly exceeds the national median. During periods of economic anxiety, such success can shape public perception, especially in debates about jobs in a volatile labor market.
Economic anxiety today is real. In 2025, U.S. employers announced more than one million layoffs — the largest number since 2020. October 2025 recorded the highest monthly job losses in more than 20 years. In metropolitan areas with large Indian American populations, housing affordability is also a challenge. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence have added fears of job displacement, further deepening economic concerns.
When these pressures combine, public frustration can shift toward visible immigrant communities, particularly when political rhetoric portrays them as perpetual outsiders rather than full participants in civic life. Online platforms amplify these narratives, and algorithms often elevate the most inflammatory voices.
There is an urgent need for Indian Americans to counter these narratives and claim their place in American society. While Indian Americans have achieved leadership across sectors, broad-based civic engagement remains essential. Participation in local institutions — schools, city councils and community boards — strengthens belonging, builds coalitions and counters exclusionary narratives.
Indian Americans donate generously to causes in India, but continued investment in communities within the United States is equally important. Philanthropic work here should deepen through partnerships that build solidarity across communities.
Sital Kalantry is a professor of law and associate dean at Seattle University School of Law and founding director of the Roundglass India Center.
Ashini Jagtiani-Williams is assistant director of the Roundglass India Center at Seattle University.
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of New India Abroad.)
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