The number of active hate groups in the United States has risen 54% since 2000 due to continual increases in immigration, the economic recession, and the election of the first African-American president, said the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in the annual "Year in Hate" issue of its magazine, Intelligence Report. FBI statistics reported that hate crimes against Hispanics have risen 40% from 2003 to 2007.
According to the SPLC, bigoted extremists begin to emerge in greater numbers when economic times are tough, because they can breed more propaganda that blames the tough times on certain groups of people. The SPLC mentioned a case in which illegal immigrants were blamed for the subprime mortgage meltdown.
Perhaps less surprising, but certainly disturbing, is that President Barack Obama received the most threats of any president, ever, and several white supremacists have already been arrested for plotting to kill him. Following the 2008 election results, the SPLC reports that there were numerous cases of beatings, graffiti, and threats towards the president and other African-American citizens.
Of the now 926 hate groups--up from 888 in 2007 and 602 in 2000--84 reside in California, followed by 66 in Texas and 56 in Florida. These numbers are most likely due to these states' high illegal immigration populations, which is historically a cause for a rise in hate groups. The SPLC reported no hate groups in Alaska or Hawaii.
