Resources:
- UPDATED Demographic Snapshot of South Asians in the United States (2019)
- Community Guide to Advocacy for Legal Immigration Reform (2018)
- Community Guide on H‑4 EAD Rescission (2018)
- Community Guide on South Asian Poverty and Public Charge (2018)
- Fact Sheet on Proposed Changes to Immigration Policy (2017) (prepared by Mira Scarnecchia)
- TPS Bill Comparison Chart (2017) (prepared by UndocuBlack network)
- Understanding the Muslim Ban
- Muslim Ban 3.0 Fact Sheet, prepared by Muslim Advocates, ADC, and Penn State Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic
- Muslim Ban 3.0 Fact Sheet, prepared by Muslim Advocates, ADC, and Penn State Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (URDU)
- Community Guide on Hate Crimes (2017)
- Communities Against Hate Palm Card
- Know Your Rights powerpoint presentation prepared by the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
- A pocket guide from the Council on American-Islamic Relations on “Knowing Your Rights and Responsibilities as an American Muslim”
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Know Your Rights pocket cards (prepared by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, Sikh Family Center, and Maitri) in Bengali, Burmese, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, and Urdu languages
- Power, Pain, Potential: South Asian Americans at the Forefront of Growth and Hate in the 2016 Election Cycle (2017)
- Current Status of Immigration Policy (2016)
- A Demographic Snapshot of South Asians in The United States (2015)
- Affordable Care Act Fact Sheet for South Asians (October 2013)
- In the Face of Xenophobia:Lessons to address the bullying of South Asian American youth (2013)
- A Demographic Snapshot of South Asians in The United States: Based Primarily on Census 2010 Data (2012)
- Demographic Characteristics of South Asians in The United States: Emphasis on Poverty, Gender, Language Ability, and Immigration Status’ (2000)
Quick Facts
About South Asians in the US
- There are over 5.4 million South Asians in the US.
- The South Asian American community grew roughly 40% between 2010 and 2017.
- The four largest South Asian groups in America are the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali communities.
Where do South Asians in the US live?
- South Asians live primarily in metropolitan areas on the East and West coasts. The metropolitan areas with the largest South Asian population are: New York/New Jersey, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Los Angeles and the Washington DC Metro Area.
- In New York City, the Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi communities are among the six largest Asian American groups.
- South Asians were also the fastest growing Asian group in California in 2000.
- There are sizable emerging populations in various parts of the United States, including Houston, Atlanta, and Seattle.
Immigration Status, Poverty, Naturalization, English Proficiency
- Over 9.5% of green card recipients in FY 2017 were from South Asian countries.
- As of 2017, there are 630,000 undocumented Indians alone in the United States, marking a 72% increase in undocumented Indians since 2010.
- As of 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained 3,013 South Asians comprising 2,376 Indians, 257 Bangladeshis, 211 Nepalis, 160 Pakistanis, 92 Sri Lankans, 9 Bhutanese.
- Among South Asian Americans, Pakistanis (15.8%), Nepalis (23.9%), Bangladeshis (24.2%), and Bhutanese (33.3%) had the highest poverty rates.
- Read more in the Demographic Snapshot of South Asians in the United States (2019)