Threats and violence against Latino Americans
Reported anti-Hispanic and anti-Latino hate crime rose while most categories fell. Agencies reported 1,002 incidents in 2025, which advocacy groups tracking the data call the highest count in the 35-year history of FBI hate crime reporting.
What you need to know
- 1,002 anti-Hispanic or Latino incidents were reported to the FBI in 2025, up from 862 in 2024 as updated by the FBI.
- Against the FBI's original 2024 release the rise is about 26 percent, according to the Arab American Institute and NCJW.
- The deadliest attack on Latinos in modern U.S. history, El Paso in 2019, was preceded by an online manifesto.
- NCTIC takes no position on immigration. What it watches is the point where talk about a group becomes a plan to hurt people in it.
The official count
| Bias type | Category | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Hispanic or Latino | Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 1,002 | 862 | +140 |
Counts are incidents reported by agencies that file with the FBI. A lower number can mean fewer agencies reported, not less hate. See every bias type.
Attacks that define the threat
- Aug. 3, 2019 · El Paso, Texas
A gunman who drove hundreds of miles to target Hispanics killed 23 people at a Walmart. He posted a manifesto describing a "Hispanic invasion" minutes before.
- 2025 · Nationwide
Agencies reported 1,002 anti-Latino incidents, a count advocacy groups analyzing the release call the highest on record, rising while most other categories fell.
Terms and signals
Analysts and officers see these in posts, comments and channels. Knowing them lets you read a threat for what it is.
- "Invasion" joined to a place or people
- The word appears in ordinary policy debate. It becomes a warning when tied to a named store, church, neighborhood or calls to "take action."
- Great Replacement
- The conspiracy theory cited in the El Paso manifesto.
- Praise for the El Paso shooter
- Calling him a hero or a "saint," or sharing his manifesto.
- Dehumanizing labels
- Animal, vermin or disease language aimed at Latinos as people, rather than at a policy.
A term alone is not a threat. Hateful speech is often legal. NCTIC scores escalation: a specific target, a means, a time, and signs of planning or goodbye messages.
From talk to attack
Policy speech is not a threat. NCTIC does not monitor opinions on immigration. It scores posts that name a target, describe means or set a time.
Travel to target. The El Paso attacker chose a city far from home because of its Hispanic population. Posts about where Latinos gather and how to get there are planning.
Stores and gathering places. The El Paso attack hit a store where families shop. Threats that name a business deserve fast review.
Report a threat
- Call 911 for anything imminent. Report threats to local police and the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
- Victims and witnesses can report whatever their immigration status. Hate crime law protects people, whoever they are.
- Keep screenshots with the link, account name and time.
- Send threats you find to NCTIC at pesach@lattin.us or 505-932-9060. We route each one to the agency with jurisdiction.
Frequently asked
Did anti-Latino hate crimes increase in 2025?
Yes. Agencies reported 1,002 anti-Hispanic or Latino incidents to the FBI for 2025, up from 862 as updated for 2024. Advocacy groups analyzing the release say it is the highest count in the history of FBI hate crime reporting.
Is anti-immigration speech a hate crime?
No. Opinions on immigration are protected speech, and NCTIC takes no position on them. A hate crime is a criminal act motivated by bias. Threats against people are what NCTIC watches.
What happened in El Paso in 2019?
A gunman killed 23 people at a Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019, after posting a manifesto targeting Hispanics. He pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes.
Who studies this
NCTIC's analysis draws on official data and the work of these organizations. Listing them does not mean they endorse NCTIC.
Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.
League of United Latin American Citizens.
Analysis of the 2025 FBI release.
How we put this together. Hate crime counts are incidents reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2025, released Aug. 14, 2026, as tabulated by the Arab American Institute; 2024 comparisons use the FBI's updated Crime Data Explorer figures. These counts cover only agencies that report and only incidents that reach police, so they understate the problem, and year-to-year changes partly reflect which agencies filed. Attack summaries draw on court records and news reporting cited below. Watch terms come from NCTIC analysis and public research such as the ADL Hate Symbols database. NCTIC products are analysis and can be wrong.
NCTIC is an independent nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is not a government agency, does not act under government authority, and does not make or enforce laws.
We take no position on immigration or other policy questions and do not blame threats on any group. Our anchor is simple: the law says no violence against people, whoever they are.