Anti-Indian racism is rising across every front — online, in politics, and in everyday life — and the data shows things are getting worse. It’s no coincidence. White supremacists have been increasingly emboldened over the past couple of years, and Indian Americans are now the latest group to be put in their crosshairs as a means of driving their anti-immigrant, anti-democratic vision for the US.
There have been a number of inflection points that have helped snowball this phenomenon. Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ run for president, Vivek Ramaswamy criticizing what he called “American mediocrity,” political tensions between India and Pakistan, national discourse on the H-1B visa program, a fatal accident in Florida involving a Sikh truck driver, and now Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign to become New York City’s next mayor.
Additionally, the financial and political success of Indian Americans has driven the dangerous narrative that Indians “are in control.” Concurrently, much of the dialogue directed against Indians also attempts to paint them as uncivilized. These two narratives being pushed about Indians are conflicting, but share the same goal: to turn public opinion against a group of people from all corners to advance an anti-immigrant and anti-democratic agenda.
It’s not just fringe online chatter. The anti-Indian rhetoric has translated into real-world harms, ranging from an elected official calling for the execution of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Andrew Cuomo publishing an AI-generated ad of Mamdani “eating rice with his hands,” and white supremacist groups harassing Hindu temples. In Irving, Texas, a city councilmember in Palm Bay, Florida, is calling for the mass deportations of Indians, and three masked men staged a protest carrying signs that read “Don’t India My Texas,” “Deport H-1B Visa Scammers,” and “Reject Foreign Demons.”
To be clear, despite the hyperfocus on the Indian community, what’s happening isn’t just about attacking Indians. It is part of a broader effort by white supremacists to decide who “belongs” in America, reviving old narratives about invasions, job theft, and foreignness. These trends are dangerous. They endanger not only immigrant communities but the fabric of our multi-racial democracy.
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