Anti-immigrant rhetoric is driving a new wave of anti-AA+PI hate

In June, nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate released its latest findings that show more than half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults in the United States—53 percent—reported experiencing some form of hate in 2024. Among young adults aged 18-29, that number rose sharply to 74 percent.

Conducted in partnership with nonpartisan research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, the report, titled “The State of Anti-AAPI Hate in 2024,” goes beyond statistics. It captures the everyday wear of being Asian in the United States today: the stares, the slurs, the quiet calculations of when to speak, where to walk, and how to respond.

While the percentage increase from 2023 (49 percent) is slight, the findings reveal a troubling trend: more than 40 percent of those who experienced hate never told anyone—not friends, not family. More than three-quarters never reported the incident formally. And among those who sought help, the majority found the support lacking.

“From the cruel deportation of Bhutanese refugees to the revocation of Chinese student visas, Trump’s inhumane anti-immigrant political agenda continues to devastate AA/PI immigrant communities,” Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, writes in a statement to JoySauce. “But our latest report confirms that his racism and xenophobia fan the flames of anti-AA/PI hate against not just immigrants but also U.S. citizens alike—with over half of AA/PI adults having reported experiencing some form of hate in 2024.”

This wasn’t the first alarm bell. Back in February, following the 2024 presidential election, Stop AAPI Hate issued a post-election update showing a 66 percent spike in anti-Asian slurs online. By April, the anxiety had deepened. In its Bracing for Impact report, the organization surveyed 1,600 AA+PI adults and found that nearly 62 percent expected anti-immigrant hostility to get worse under the new administration. The report included first-person accounts of harassment: being told to “go back where you came from,” being mocked for speaking a native language in public, or being assumed to be a foreigner despite living in the United States for generations.

“It’s a critical reminder that anti-AAPI hate and anti-immigrant hate are intertwined,” Choi added in her statement, “and that protecting our communities means protecting all immigrant communities.”

Across all three reports, one thing becomes clear: From proposed travel bans targeting Asian-majority countries, to the revocation of student visas and cuts to violence-prevention funding, anti-AA+PI hate in 2025 isn’t just rising because of individual prejudice—it’s being fueled by political rhetoric. Still, the June report ends with a sign of resilience. Despite the pain and underreporting, 76 percent of AA+PI respondents said they believe their communities have the power to drive change. The challenge now is whether institutions—and the rest of the country—are willing to act on that belief.

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Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know has experienced anti-AA+PI hate, visit StopAAPIHate.org to report it confidentially and access multilingual support services.

While the State of Anti-AAPI Hate report reflects a slight increase in reported incidents, the organization cautions against reading it as a definitive rise in hate overall. Reporting trends can be shaped by many factors, including visibility, access, and willingness to come forward. The data offers important insight, but it doesn’t capture the full story.