Asian American caucus blames Trump administration for fuelling anti-South Asian hate

• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus leaders blamed Trump administration rhetoric and policies for fuelling anti-South Asian hatred

• The statement followed a foiled plot targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois; the FBI announced the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect

• Democrats and Republicans condemned the plot and called for stronger protection of communities and places of worship

Leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) have blamed the Trump administration’s rhetoric, appointments and policies for encouraging anti-South Asian hatred, following a foiled mass shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois.

The caucus said the planned attack demonstrated the danger posed by white supremacist extremism and should be understood against a wider backdrop of racist messaging and threats to minority communities.

Its statement was signed by Chair Grace Meng, First Vice Chair Mark Takano, Second Vice Chair Jill Tokuda, Whip Ami Bera, Freshman Representative Suhas Subramanyam and Chair Emerita Judy Chu.

“We also cannot ignore the Trump administration’s role in peddling anti-South Asian hate,” the lawmakers said.

They criticised the appointment of an individual they said had made racist remarks about Chinese and Indian people, as well as what they described as white supremacist messaging on official government accounts. The statement did not identify the appointee or specify the accounts.

The lawmakers also criticised the promotion of the Great Replacement Theory, a far-right conspiracy narrative they said extremists had invoked to justify mass shootings and racial violence.

They further claimed that cuts to FBI personnel monitoring white supremacist and militia threats had weakened the government’s response to domestic terrorism.

Citing a September 2026 report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, the caucus said anti-South Asian hate speech on X had risen by 240 per cent over two years. It linked the increase partly to influential figures amplifying racist rhetoric and scapegoating immigrant communities.

The statement followed the arrest of Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine. According to the FBI’s Chicago field office, he was taken into custody after local law enforcement received information about a potential mass shooting. FBI Chicago announced the arrest on Wednesday.

CAPAC leaders described the suspect as a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who allegedly expressed a desire to kill Indian people, marked a fuel canister with an anti-South Asian slur and used dehumanising language about Indian, Jewish and African American people.

The targeted temple is attended by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and his family, the caucus said. It thanked the suspect’s co-workers for alerting authorities and praised the law enforcement response.

The plot drew condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that anti-Indian and anti-Hindu rhetoric was reaching alarming levels. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Andy Kim also called for action against white supremacist threats and anti-Indian violence.

Republican Representative Rich McCormick, co-chair of the House India Caucus, condemned the planned attack and violence motivated by religion, race or political orientation. Fellow Republican Darin LaHood called for those responsible to face the full force of the law.

Democratic Representative Bill Foster, whose district includes Aurora, stressed the right to worship safely. Representatives Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera and Shri Thanedar also urged stronger action against hate directed at Hindu and South Asian communities.

Aurora’s city government condemned the plot, saying residents should be able to live and worship without fear. India’s Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Israel’s Consul General in Chicago, Elad Strohmayer, also denounced it.

The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund expressed solidarity with Hindu Americans. Its executive director, Kiran Kaur Gill, said targeting a temple threatened both the community and the country’s commitment to religious freedom.

With IANS inputs