Hate speech and hostile rhetoric targeting Indians and other South Asians in the United States rose sharply between 2023 and 2025, according to civil rights and extremism monitoring groups, as immigration and visa policies became flashpoints in national political debate. Researchers say online discourse increasingly shifted from policy-focused criticism to racialised attacks, with anti-Indian slurs, stereotypes and conspiracy narratives spreading widely on social media. The surge coincided with renewed attention on skilled worker immigration, particularly the H-1B visa programme, and the growing visibility of Indian-origin communities and public figures in the US.
