Hate crimes against Latinos and Sikhs hit record high in 2025
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Anti-Latino and anti-Sikh hate crimes in the U.S. soared to new records in 2025, even as overall hate crimes declined, according to preliminary FBI data reviewed by Axios.
The big picture: Anti-Latino bias entered the top three most targeted categories for the first time in 34 years of hate crime data tracking.
- "Whoever is the target of a particular sticky type of stereotype, particularly a fear-inducing one, you'll see that particular group spike," hate crime expert Brian Levin tells Axios.
By the numbers: Overall hate-crime incidents fell 11% in 2025 from the previous year, according to Levin, who conducted the analysis for the California Association of Human Relations Organizations.
- However, anti-Latino hate crimes rose 18% to a record 1,014 incidents in 2025.
- Anti-Sikh hate crimes shot up from 6 in 2015 to 228 last year — a 3,700% increase. But Levin cautioned that anti-Sikh hate crimes had just been introduced as a category at that time.
Between the lines: Anti-Jewish hate crimes dropped 29%, a sharp annual drop as increases post-Oct. 7 appear to moderate.
- Despite a 6% dip, anti-trans hate crimes have remained on a sustained plateau — 98% above its 13-year average — amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
- "The story is, yes, we had a moderate decline, but it's coming off record and near-record years," Levin said.
Zoom out: 2025 ranked as the 5th-highest year for hate crime in the 34-year history of FBI-collected police data, Levin said.
- Overall hate crimes last year were still up 88% since 2015 and have skyrocketed in almost every category. The final numbers will likely be higher as more agencies submit their new numbers, Levin said.
- Anti-trans hate crimes have surged 395% while anti-Latino cases jumped 239%.
- The surge in anti-Latino hate crimes came as the Trump administration stepped up immigration enforcement and President Trump kept using racist and inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants.
Yes, but: These 2025 numbers are still preliminary, and Levin said they could change when the FBI finalizes its annual release.
- The FBI's Crime Data Explorer notes that monthly updates were paused in April 2026 while the bureau prepares its annual "Reported Crimes in the Nation" release, underscoring that the 2025 figures are best treated as an early read.
The bottom line: The data suggest that hate crime spikes driven by catalyzing events— such as elections, geo-political conflicts or terror attacks— do not return to previous lows once the event recedes.
- Instead, they settle at historically elevated baselines, leaving the country more vulnerable to the next cycle of aggression.
