Advocates say new FBI figures likely represent only ‘tip of the iceberg’ as Asian immigrants targeted in Trump’s new immigration measures
3-MIN READ3-MINHan Liin Washington, DCPublished: 5:32am, 20 Aug 2026Almost five years after the pandemic-era surge in anti-Asian hate in the US, new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data shows a downward trend nationally.But advocates say concerns persist amid immigration crackdowns and heightened US-China geopolitical tension. A survey from Stop AAPI Hate, a self-reporting platform formed during the pandemic, paints an even more worrying picture, with almost half of individuals indicating they have been targeted but many decline to report it to authorities for fear of repercussions.According to FBI data released in mid-August, reported anti-Asian hate crime incidents fell 10 per cent nationwide, from 379 in 2024 to 339 in 2025.
08:08Widespread anti-immigrant operations spark fear in Asian communities across the US“Even with the decline in 2025, reported incidents remain elevated more than two and a half-times the historical baseline,” said Sim J. Singh Attariwala, director of the anti-Hate programme at Asian-Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).
