Washington, Oct 1 (IANS) Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged political leaders from both parties to confront racism after a research organisation reported a sharp increase in hateful online posts targeting South Asians in the United States.
The Illinois Democrat responded to a study by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate that reported a 240 per cent increase in monthly anti-South Asian hate posts on X.
According to a summary released by his office, the study identified approximately 542,360 hateful posts targeting South Asians between January 2025 and June 2026.
Posts portraying South Asians as invaders, job thieves or a demographic threat accounted for 45 per cent of the material identified, the congressional release said.
The figures concern online posts during an 18-month research period. They do not represent a count of physical attacks, reported crimes or individual victims.
“The 240 per cent surge in monthly anti-South Asian hate on X did not come out of nowhere,” Krishnamoorthi said in the statement on Wednesday (local time).
He accused politicians and the Trump administration of contributing to hostility towards the community.
“We have watched politicians demonise South Asians over something as ordinary as attending a college football game and the Trump Administration traffic in racist stereotypes targeting people named Singh.”
The Congressman’s office did not provide further details about those incidents in the release. His remarks were political criticism, separate from the study’s numerical findings.
Krishnamoorthi called for a response that crossed party lines.
“Americans of every background, and leaders of both parties, need to speak out against racism and xenophobia wherever they appear.”
He also defended South Asian Americans’ place in the country.
“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.”
The study, titled The Rising Tide of Anti-South Asian Hate in the United States, identified immigration politics, economic resentment, political rhetoric and the digital amplification of hate among factors driving the increase, according to his office.
The fresh development Wednesday was Krishnamoorthi’s response and his appeal for political leaders to challenge racism.
South Asian Americans include people with family origins across the Indian subcontinent. The category encompasses several national, linguistic and religious communities, so findings concerning South Asians as a group cannot automatically be treated as figures concerning Indian-Americans alone.
Krishnamoorthi represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives. A Democrat of Indian origin, he is among the Indian-American lawmakers serving in Congress, where members can raise community concerns through public statements, legislation and oversight.
–IANS
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