Indian American Impact is convening a roundtable September 2, 2026, on Capitol Hill, bringing together Indian American members of Congress alongside state and local South Asian elected officials to address what it sees as a “surge in hate and discrimination targeting South Asian American communities across the country.”
The convening will be followed by a press availability where participants along with Impact leadership will announce commitments and next steps.
South Asian Americans are experiencing a dramatic rise in hate, according to Indian American Impact which quoted its source as Stop AAPI Hate.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, 48% of South Asian adults in the U.S. experienced race-based harassment in 2024, a number which Impact contends, has only grown “as anti-immigrant rhetoric has escalated from online spaces into mainstream politics.”
“The incidents are impossible to ignore,” Impact asserts in its press release, citing examples – 1. On June 3, 2026, a man tore an Indian flag outside Frisco, Texas City Hall while chanting “F*** India” at a far-right anti-immigration rally.
- A Florida city councilmembercalled for the deportation of “every Indian”and later called Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi a “foreign occupier.”
- An Arizona state representativecalled for Rep. Pramila Jayapal to be “tried, convicted, and hanged.”
- In Dallas,an Indian American man was beheadedand users in extremist online spaces called him an “H-1B scammer.”
- In Utah, a man was federally indicted this month for stabbing a Muslim mall employeeafter asking staff whether they were Muslim.
The rise in candidates and elected officials from the community has made them targets, too, as Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and South Asian candidates across the country have endured slander and harassment simply for running for office, Impact said.
South Asian elected leaders from across the country are coming together to shape a collective response and to fight back, organizers said.
WHO:
- S. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Suhas Subramanyam, and Shri Thanedar
- South Asian state and local elected officials from across the country:
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- Jay Chaudhuri, North Carolina State Senator
- Vin Gopal, New Jersey State Senator
- Kannan Srinivasan, Virginia State Senator
- Darshana Patel, California State Assemblymember
- JJ Singh, Virginia House of Delegates
- Ranjeev Puri, Michigan House of Representatives Minority Leader
- Suleman Lalani, Texas House of Representatives
- Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Councilmember
- Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Fairfax County Braddock District Supervisor
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- Chintan Patel, Executive Director, Indian American Impact
- Manju Kulkarni, Co-Founder, Stop AAPI Hate
WHEN: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026
Roundtable (closed press): 9:00–10:00 AM
Press Availability: 10:00 AM
WHERE:
U.S. Capitol
Room H.C. 06
Washington, DC
Roundtable is closed press. Press availability is open immediately following.
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