Hate crimes, immigration enforcement fuel a public health crisis for Pacific Islanders

A sharp rise in hate crimes alongside the Trump Administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies are fueling chronic anxiety and social withdrawal in immigrant and immigrant-descended communities of color.

A new national survey of Pacific Islander communities finds that sense of fear is widening the health gap in what experts are calling a public health crisis.

“What Pacific Islanders are experiencing is not just emotional harm. It directly affects their overall health,” said Connie Chung, research director at Stop AAPI Hate. The organization conducted the national survey in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago.

According to the survey, 47 percent of Pacific Islander adults experienced harassment, discrimination, or violence in 2024 because of their race, ethnicity, or nationality.

“The anxiety and stress we are seeing across immigrant communities are showing up in Pacific Islander communities in the same ways, or in even more severe forms,” said Chung.

Hate crimes are increasing across the board, with over 11,600 incidents reported to the FBI in 2024. Data for 2025 is not currently available, though indications suggest the upward trend has continued. Attacks targeting the LGBTQ community, alongside Black, Jewish and other racial and religious minorities continue to top the list.

The rise in hate crimes coincides with high profile immigration enforcement operations in cities nationwide. That is adding to the sense of vulnerability particularly among communities of color.

The survey’s findings were unveiled at a Jan. 28 press conference in Los Angeles.

Hate and individual health

Fifty-eight percent of respondents who experienced hate reported negative impacts on their mental or physical health, the survey found. Common symptoms included anxiety, depression, chronic stress, sleep disruption, and social isolation.

The share of respondents exhibiting moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression was more than twice as high among those who experienced hate (41 percent) compared with those who did not (29 percent).

Chung added that longstanding gaps—including the lack of disaggregated health data on Pacific Islanders, unequal access to health care, and a shortage of culturally appropriate services—have compounded these harms over time.

She noted that recent travel restrictions targeting certain Pacific Island nations—including Tonga, Fiji, and Tuvalua and Vanuatu—have further widened health disparities.

Verbal harassment, such as racial slurs, was the most frequently reported form of abuse, experienced by 41 percent of respondents. Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported having experienced institutional discrimination—including unfair treatment by employers or businesses.

Hate incidents most commonly occurred online, in public spaces such as streets and parks, at workplaces, and in commercial settings.

More than two-thirds of those who experienced hate said the abuse was intersectional. They described attacks targeting not only race or ethnicity but also other aspects of identity, including age, class, or gender. This further intensified psychological distress.

Young adults hit hardest

Young adults were disproportionately affected. Sixty-two percent of Pacific Islanders ages 18 to 29 reported experiencing hate. That compared with 43 percent of those ages 30 to 44 and 35 percent of those ages 45 to 59. The report suggests younger adults may face greater exposure through online spaces, public-facing environments, and heightened awareness of racial bias.

Estella Owoimaha-Church, an educator, said exclusion often begins early in life.

“In educational areas, many Pacific Islander students and parents feel unwelcome,” she said. “Even when support exists, it’s often limited to athletics, leaving academic and cultural needs unmet.”

Significant gaps

More than half of Pacific Islanders who experienced hate said they needed help but did not receive it. Among those who did access support, 72 percent said it failed to meet their needs. Mental health services, financial assistance, and protective environments at work or school were cited as the most significant gaps.

Stigma around mental health, unfamiliar or culturally mismatched medical systems, and deep mistrust of institutions contributed to widespread underreporting. Sixty-one percent of Pacific Islanders who experienced hate did not report it to police, civil rights agencies, or workplace authorities. One in four did not share the experience with anyone, including family or friends.

Respondents said they believed reporting would not lead to change. Others feared retaliation or unwanted attention, or did not consider the incident serious enough to report. The report warns that this silence can delay care and prolong harm.

Conversations on hate just beginning

Michelle Pedro is policy and communications director at the Arkansas Coalition of the Marshallese. She said conversations about mental health are only beginning in many communities. “For many people, the U.S. health care system feels unfamiliar and inaccessible, which leads them to avoid seeking help,” she said.

Issa Whalen, executive director of API Advocates, added that fear of government contact remains pervasive. “Many Pacific Islanders believe that engaging with authorities could put them at risk of detention, deportation, or loss of rights,” he said.

Jamaica Kēhaulani Osorio, an associate professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, said contemporary hate cannot be separated from history. “What we are seeing today is inseparable from the long history of colonization, militarization, and nuclear testing that Pacific Islander communities have endured,” she said. “This is not a past reality—it is ongoing.”

Beyond mental health, the report found that hate incidents disrupted relationships and economic stability. Some respondents said they altered daily routines, avoided certain places, or changed jobs or schools. In communities already facing high poverty rates and low incomes, rising medical costs and caregiving responsibilities have intensified financial strain.

Growing civic participation

Despite the challenges, the survey’s findings show notable levels of civic engagement. Sixty-seven percent of Pacific Islander adults participated in efforts to confront racism in 2024. Looking ahead to 2025, respondents expressed strong optimism about cross-racial solidarity and motivation to pursue equity and justice.

The report recommends prioritizing mental health and healing, expanding culturally responsive health and counseling services, improving data disaggregation for Pacific Islanders, and strengthening rights education and civic participation.

Without targeted interventions, experts warn, the health impacts of anti-Pacific Islander hate will continue to accumulate.

“In communities already burdened by historical injustice,” the report concludes, “health disparities are likely to deepen rather than recede.”

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The above article by Nancy Chang is reprinted here with the permission of American Community Media, a partner of East Palo Alto Today.

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