Overview:
Incidents of hate crimes are grossly underreported, even though data show a significant spike in anti-Asian hate
Hate crimes surge
On October 14, 2023, landlord Joseph Czuba violently attacked a Muslim-Palestinian American family on the outskirts of Chicago. He attacked Hanan Shaheen and yelled: “You Muslims must die, while expressing anger about the Oct 7 attack on Israel. Using a knife, he seriously injured Shaheen, who hid in the bathroom and called 911. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she found her 6-year-old boy gravely wounded, whose last words to his mother were: “Mom, I’m fine. He was pronounced dead shortly after at the hospital, and Czuba was sentenced to 53 years for murder and hate crimes.
In another incident, a Korean woman in California said that she was at a fast-food restaurant when a woman got into her face and screamed, “I can’t wait until Trump deports you like he promised,” and then physically shoved her.
Many such incidents of hate crimes against Asians and people from minority communities were cited by experts at a May 1 panel hosted by American Community Media.
Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Act
It should be noted that in May 2021, former President Joe Biden signed the Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Act, which aimed to make hate crime reporting more accessible at the local and state levels. This act was in response to the rising hate crimes, including the one that had occurred in Atlanta in March 2021, where six Asian American women were murdered, and the one in which four Sikh Americans were murdered during the FedEx shootings in Indianapolis.
“That law helped to create, among other things, non-law enforcement measures and avenues to report hate and to get help. It strengthened our infrastructure to respond to hate, including reporting access. It also supported providing grants to community organizations to prevent hate and talk about how we could respond to these incidents,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).
An all-time high
However, five years on, anti-Asian hate incidents remain high— nearly three times pre-pandemic levels.
Of the 5,810 race and ethnicity hate crimes reported by the FBI Uniform Crime Reports Data in 2025, 291 targeted Asians Americans, 243 targeted Sikhs, 214 targeted Muslims, 34 targeted Buddhists, 31 targeted Hindus, and 20 targeted Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Yang noted that the anti-immigrant rhetoric is at an all-time high. “And unfortunately, we currently have a president who is adding fuel to that fire.”
He was referring to the letter that President Trump reposted on his Truth Social page in April this year. It was a letter from conservative American political commentator and radio host, Michael Savage, who called China and India “hellhole” places. Savage also said that the recent immigrants from those countries had not “integrated” into America as European Americans have.
Trends
Yang added that the federal government canceled hate crime grants that are actively working to prevent hate crimes and incidents, and is pressuring social media companies to reduce their efforts to moderate hate content.
Another concerning trend was cited by Stephanie Chan, director of data and research at Stop AAPI Hate, which pointed to a surge in South Asian hate crimes, particularly during moments of South Asian visibility. “For example, when Kamala Harris, Usha Vance, and Zohran Mamdani entered the political spotlight. And when there were debates among politicians and influencers on the right about H-1B visas.”
Regarding anti-Muslim sentiments in America, Sameer Hossain, Managing Director, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), highlighted that there has been an 11-fold increase in attacks against Muslims and their institutions in March of this year in comparison to all previous months. This has been documented in the MPAC policy paper titled ‘The Pitfalls of Operation Epic Fury.’
“And what we’re trying to do is identify why that’s the case, hold our elected officials accountable, work with law enforcement, and we’ve created a community guide, which explains what people can do to stay safe and to advocate for their constitutionally protected rights,” explained Hossain.
Driven by conflict
The ongoing conflict in Palestine has also seen a sharp rise in harassment and threats targeting Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian Americans.
“There’s also increasing pressure on speech. So, a lot of people are either being disciplined or facing problems in the workplace, or they’re self-censoring. And I think that that’s a huge concern for us. There is just this growing sense of fear and isolation in communities, causing them to step back from political and social life, which I think is grossly unappreciated,” said Hossain.
Responding to the hate crimes against the Sikh community, Mannirmal Kaur, Senior Federal Policy Manager at Sikh Coalition, said that the anti-Sikh crimes are not new, and there has been a sharp increase in anti-Sikh language, while referring to the data released by Stop AAPI Hate.
“Anti-South Asian hate had surged online after the 2024 presidential election, and May and June of 2025 were the third and fifth-highest months for violent threats against South Asians since 2023. It is important for us to keep track of and respond to it so that we can identify the best ways to address it in all of the new and different forms that it can take.”
Data grossly underreported
While hate crimes against Asians and other members of the minority community are alarmingly high, the experts agreed that these figures are still severely underreported. There are many reasons for it, and one of them is that organizations and government agencies are not incentivized to report hate crimes and hate incidents.
Yang remarked that the notion of ‘who is an American’ is under attack as the administration attempts to eliminate birthright citizenship.
“They have directed this notion that somehow the white majorities are the people being discriminated against, and that’s where the effort should be, rather than on inclusion, rather than on equity, rather than on diversity.”
Lack of awareness
Hossain noted that there is also a lack of awareness in the communities about reporting hate crimes. Limited access to information due to language barriers and insufficient community outreach by relevant law enforcement agencies has led to this problem. Meanwhile, those who do report such crimes are deterred from doing so in the future due to a lack of responsiveness.
Another reason that deters people from reporting hate crimes is the fear of being caught in the immigration dragnet, noted Chan. “We have seen that half of AAPI said they or an AAPI person they know personally has been impacted by the anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. This includes being fearful of deportation, arrest, and detention, being fearful that their status will be questioned.”
Addressing bias in schools
Talking about hate incidents in schools, Kaur mentioned that the Sikh Coalition’s legal team frequently gets intakes from the families of Sikh students who have faced bullying and harassment, not only from their peers but also from teachers and principals. Therefore, the coalition has dedicated an entire team to ensure that Sikhs are integrated into the social studies curriculum in states across the country. This step has resulted in students reporting fewer instances of bullying.
“So, I think it is so important to recognize education and schools as the forefront of where anti-hate work can be done.”
Supporting victims of hate crimes
To those who have been victims of hate crimes, the speakers strongly urged them to report such incidents to agencies, such as the Stop the AAPI hate, that can educate them and support them. One can also go to faith-based institutions and report hate crimes.
“No matter your background, please reach out to MPAC. We have a broad coalition of faith-based partners and civil rights organizations, and we work directly with the government at all levels and with law enforcement of every type to press upon them, to hold them accountable and make sure they’re doing their part,” said Hossain.
“Part of it is just very empathetic listening. If any of you hear of someone who has experienced hate, please just take a moment to affirm, yes, that was racism, and that was a terrible thing that happened to you,” Chan said.
