Trump crackdown on protests and immigration led to Islamophobia, says Muslim group

WASHINGTON – Record high Islamophobia in the US in 2025 was driven in part by US President Donald Trump’s crackdown against pro-Palestinian protests and immigration, a Muslim advocacy group said on March 10.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it recorded 8,683 anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints in 2025, the highest since it began publishing data in 1996, compared with 8,658 in 2024.

Most complaints were about employment discrimination (12.7 per cent), immigration and asylum (6.5 per cent), hate incidents (6.4 per cent) and travel discrimination such as government watchlists and screenings (5.6 per cent), CAIR’s report noted.

Over the years, advocates have attributed Islamophobia to the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and more recently to anti-immigration sentiment, white supremacy and the fallout of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Immigration crackdown

Mr Trump denies being discriminatory and says his administration aims to curb illegal immigration and improve domestic security. Advocates say the immigration crackdown is unsafe and violates due process.

CAIR noted the US leader’s targeting of Somali Americans in Minnesota, a majority-Muslim community, who he accused of fraud and called “garbage”.

The government used isolated cases for collective targeting and dismissed Mr Trump’s ability to tackle fraud, citing pardons to those with past fraud convictions, CAIR said.

CAIR’s Minnesota chapter reported 693 complaints, up from 353 in 2024.

The council also noted the targeting of Afghan immigrants after two National Guard soldiers were shot in Washington in November 2025, for which an Afghan was indicted.

Protest crackdown

Mr Trump alleges pro-Palestinian protesters are anti-Semitic and sympathise with extremists.

His administration has attempted to deport foreign protesters, threatened freezing funds for universities where protests were held and ordered aggressive screening of immigrants’ online comments.

Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say he wrongly conflates criticising Israel’s assault on Gaza and occupation of Palestinian territories with anti-Semitism, and advocating for Palestinian rights with supporting extremism.

“The Trump administration framed anyone who holds pro-Palestinian views as inherently threatening,” CAIR said.

Notable deportation attempts were against Mr Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained for months while his wife was pregnant, and Ms Leqaa Kordia, who lost more than 170 family members in Gaza and was briefly hospitalised following a seizure in detention.

CAIR raised free speech, due process and academic freedom concerns. Mr Trump’s crackdown has faced judicial roadblocks.

Republican governors in Florida and Texas have signed orders designating CAIR as a “terrorist” group.

CAIR sued over the designations. A judge has blocked Florida’s order. REUTERS