August 18, 2026 (Washington, DC) — Late on Friday, August 14, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released their 2025 hate crimes data. As a reminder, this data reflects all of the hate crimes known to the FBI across the nation for the previous calendar year.

The FBI shared in their press release that hate crimes saw a slight decrease of 7 percent since the previous year’s data was published. According to analysis from our colleagues at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, however, anti-Sikh hate crime incidents specifically increased by 25 percent, from 142 in 2024 to 177 in 2025. As ever, it is also important to recognize that this is an undercount: The data reflects only the information that the FBI has, and many law enforcement organizations across the country either report zero hate crimes or do not provide any data at all.

“While this hate crime data remains imprecise, we are deeply concerned about its implications,” said Mannirmal Kaur, Sikh Coalition Senior Federal Policy Manager. “Any increase in hate crimes is, of course, discouraging. But minority and immigrant populations have faced an even more openly hostile political and social climate since this data was collected. Sikhs specifically have been one of many groups in the spotlight, from discrimination against and targeting of Sikh truck drivers to fear-mongering around Sikh articles of faith from the highest levels of our government.”

Notably, in our own analysis of the data, the Sikh Coalition found that anti-Sikh hate crimes peaked in September of 2025—26 incidents, nearly one per day on average—which was the month following the high-profile roadway accident involving truck driver Harjinder Singh in Florida. 

In light of all these concerns,we recommend the following advocacy actions:

  • At the federal level, and in this political environment, the policy step at the intersection of most achievable and most important is to pass the bipartisan and bicameral Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act. You can use our free tool to contact your senators and representative in the U.S. Congress about this bill now.
  • States have a wide variety of hate crime laws, ranging from requiring robust policies in every law enforcement agency to no statute whatsoever. If you are interested, research what laws your legislature has passed and read more about our state-level recommendations here.
  • And finally, at the local level, sangats and gurdwarae that feel comfortable leveraging their relationships with local law enforcement (including police departments and district attorney’s offices) should continue to seek conversations and ask questions about how potential hate crimes are investigated and prosecuted in their area. If you would like support in such engagement, please email advocacy@sikhcoalition.org. 

As we approach the anniversary of 9/11 next month and national elections in November—both of which have been correlated with spikes in hate violence in the past—the Sikh Coalition urges vigilance from sangats and gurdwarae across the nation. Be sure to share our essential hate crimes ‘know your rights’ information with your local community, and contact our team if you experience hate or bias related to your Sikh identity.

As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.