Indian Americans

Indian-origin Nithya Raman to face Karen Bass in Los Angeles mayoral runoff

Progressive city council member Nithya Raman has advanced to a November runoff against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, setting up an unexpected matchup between two Democrats and former political allies to run the struggling city of nearly 4 million. The outcome means Spencer Pratt, a Republican and former reality television personality from "The Hills", is out of the running. His candidacy had drawn national attention because of his celebrity and willingness to challenge liberal governance in a city dominated by Democrats, but the buzz did not translate into enough votes to make the runoff. Raman made a last-minute entry into the race, after she had endorsed Bass for re-election. She was elected to the council with the support of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the election will test whether voters in the heavily Democratic city want to move further to the political left to address long-running problems of homelessness, buckled streets and sidewalks and climbing rent and home

India-born founders behind 96 US unicorns, highest among immigrants: Study

Indian-born entrepreneurs account for the largest group of immigrant founders of billion-dollar companies, or unicorns, in the US, according to a new study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The US-based non-profit organisation found that 96 American unicorns were founded or co-founded by entrepreneurs of Indian origin. Among them is Perplexity AI, co-founded by Aravind Srinivas, which ranks 12th with a valuation of USD 20 billion. According to the study, India tops the list of countries of origin for immigrant founders of US unicorns with 96 companies, followed by Israel (60 unicorns), the United Kingdom (47), China (41), Canada (30), Russia (23), France (21), Germany (18), Ukraine (16), Australia (14), Pakistan (10), and Romania (10). The NFAP study, titled "Immigrants and US Billion-dollar Companies" and authored by Stuart Anderson, found that immigrants have founded or co-founded 59 per cent (455 of 775) of America's privately held startup unicorns. The ...

Indian-American Shrey Parikh wins Scripps National Spelling Bee competition

Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old Indian-American student from California, on Friday won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after he spelt 32 words correctly in 90 seconds. Parikh won after beating Ishan Gupta of New Jersey. Parikh, who was also a finalist in the 2024 edition of the competition, takes home a slew of prizes, including "USD 50,000, a commemorative medal, the Scripps Cup, as well as USD 2,500 from Merriam-Webster, USD 1,000 in flight credits from Delta and USD 400 of reference works from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The three-day competition began Monday at D.A.R. Constitution Hall here with 247 contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Defence Department schools in Europe and five other countries: the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Nine contestants advanced to the finals that were held on Thursday evening. Shrey and Ishaan each had 90 seconds to correctly spell as many words as they co

“People say stupid stuff...”: Marco Rubio on racist remarks against Indians in US

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to concerns over racist remarks targeting Indians in the United States, saying, “People say stupid stuff online.” Watch the full statement by Rubio.

American Hindu Coalition backs Rini Sampath in Washington DC mayoral poll

The American Hindu Coalition (AHC) has extended support for Rini Sampath, a Tamil Nadu-born cybersecurity expert, who is contesting the Washington DC mayoral elections. The AHC organised a meeting of well-wishers at the 'ISKCON of DC' temple here in support of Sampath, who is contesting in the Democratic primary on June 16, on the agenda of 'Fix the Basics' and the promise of 'A new DC'. "We are no longer just observers; we are an organised, united front ensuring that our values and our families are represented at the highest levels of local government. Rini's candidacy is a historic first, but our unity is what will make it a lasting movement," Ankur Misra, Executive Director of AHC Maryland, said in a statement. Among those present at the reception were community leaders Srinivas Tatipamula, Laxmi Thalanki, Mahendra Sapa, and Chitranjan Nath. Born in Theni, Tamil Nadu, Sampath came to the US as a seven-year-old and has been a resident of Washington DC for more than a decade. Jan

Who is Neal Katyal, the Indian-origin lawyer behind Trump tariffs verdict

The US Supreme Court's 6-3 decision striking down Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs has put Indian-origin lawyer Neal Katyal in focus, after he successfully argued that only Congress can impose tariff

55% Indian Americans disapprove of Trump's India policies: Survey

A majority now disapprove Trump's policies, citing crises in trade, technology transfers, and strategic cooperation that have strained the Quad alliance and broader Indo-Pacific goals

Why Trump's immigrant welfare list names Pak, China but not India: Decoded

Donald Trump shared welfare data on immigrants from 120 countries, but India was missing. Income and education data explain why

Silent stars: Why Indian-Americans won't defend India on visa curbs in DC

New Delhi has long overestimated the influence and attachment of the Indian-American community, whose connection to India often fades over generations and is mostly limited to family or religious ties

Indian-Americans donate more to Democrats than Republicans: Study

Indian-Americans overwhelmingly favour Democratic candidates, contributing nearly three times more to their campaigns than to Republicans, a new study shows. The research, titled An Emerging Lobby: An Analysis of Campaign Contributions from Indian-Americans (19982022),was conducted by Karnav Popat and Vishnu Prakash of Ashoka University, along with Joyojeet Pal of the University of Michigan. Study, released in September 2025, analyzed two decades of political donations using Federal Election Commission data compiled by OpenSecrets. During the 2020 presidential election cycle, Indian-Americans donated USD 46.6 million to Democratic candidates compared to USD 16.3 million to Republican candidates. In 2016, only 0.6 per cent of Indian-American contributions went to then-President Donald Trump's campaign. The study found that Indian-Americans' contributions are concentrated in sectors such as technology, finance, healthcare, and academia, enhancing their political ...

Indian-American lawmakers criticise Trump's tariffs, call them 'reckless'

Indian-American members of the US Congress and the diaspora community criticised the reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, calling them "reckless and self-destructive, urging leaders in both countries to engage in dialogue to address these challenges. On Wednesday, Trump imposed a 26 per cent discounted reciprocal tariff on India. While making the announcement, he said "India charges us 52 per cent so we will charge them half of that - 26 per cent." President Trump, in a historic measure to counter higher duties on American products imposed globally, announced reciprocal tariffs on about 60 countries. The lawmakers also said that Trump's tariffs will likely make Indian goods less competitive. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said Trump's blanket tariffs are a tax on working families so that he can cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans. These latest so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs are reckless and self-destructive, inflicting financial pain on Illinois at a time

As Sunita Williams returns safely to Earth, world remembers Kalpana Chawla

Sunita Williams' successful return to the Earth comes just two days after Kalpana Chawla's birth anniversary

Gujaratis in US earn 20.8% more, but Punjabis hold political edge: Report

Between 2001 and 2022, Punjabi speakers accounted for 66% of all Indian asylum cases in US immigration courts, while Gujaratis made up just 7%

Indian Americans favour Joe Biden's India policy over Donald Trump's

Compared to 2020, Indian Americans are more bullish on India's trajectory, reveals an analysis based on a recent survey. Archis Mohan writes

Over 7,000 student exchange visitors from India overstayed in US in 2023

Over 7,000 student and exchange visitors from India overstayed in the US in 2023, an expert told US lawmakers and suggested several reforms in the country's immigration policies, including those related to H-1B visas. As many as 32 countries have student/exchange visitor overstay rates of higher than 20 per cent, Jessica M Vaughan from the Center for Immigration Studies told the US House Committee on the Judiciary during a hearing on Restoring Immigration Enforcement in America. The F and M visa categories have the highest overstay rates of any of the broad categories of temporary admission. The F-1 Visa allows a person to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training programme. The M-1 visa category includes students in vocational or other nonacademic programmes, other than language training. Four countries -- Brazil, Chin

JD Vance gets a message from wife Usha's grandaunt ahead of inauguration

Ahead of his inauguration, US Vice President-elect JD Vance got a message from the 96-year-old grandaunt of his wife Usha, who congratulated the couple on their new role

Tulsi Gabbard, US lawmakers attend Indian American Business Titans meet

Tulsi Gabbard, who has been picked by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the US intelligence community, along with influential lawmakers has attended a reception of a newly-created Indian American Business Titans organised in the US capital on the eve of the historic presidential inauguration. Gabbard, influential Republican Senator Rick Scott and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp were seen interacting with Indian-American businessmen and entrepreneurs representing Indian American Business Titans, whose members have a net worth of at least between USD 500 million and USD 1 billion and are mostly from Florida, Georgia and Missouri. Our purpose is to do fundraising for good candidates. That's why we said it in our thing that empowering leadership policy means prosperity. We are prosperous. Most of my group members are in a billion and more. We created billions of dollars in the US and Canada, successful hotelier and entrepreneur from Florida Danny Gaekwad, who is the brain behind such

Look forward to more Indian American members in US Congress: Lawmakers

Celebrating the largest representation of the community in the history of the US Congress, Indian American lawmakers on Friday said that they are looking forward to welcoming more Indian American members of Congress in the future. When I first took office in 2013, I was the only Indian American member of Congress and the third ever in our nation's history, said Congressman Dr Ami Bera, the senior-most Indian American lawmaker in the House of Representatives. Since that day, I have been committed to ensuring we grow our representation in Congress. In the past decade, I am proud to be joined by incredible Indian American colleagues from around the country -- Representatives Jayapal, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi and Thanedar, he said. With the swearing-in of the 119th Congress, our cohort has grown to a record six members with the election of Representative Subramanyam in Virginia. I look forward to welcoming even more Indian American Members of Congress in the future! Bera said, days after

Licence of Indian American doctor revoked for illegally harbouring 2 women

The medical license of an Indian American physician has been permanently revoked for illegally recruiting and harbouring two Indian women to be household servants for low pay. Dr Harsha Sahni, who maintained a rheumatology practice in Colonia, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to conceal and harbour aliens and filing a false tax return last February. She is scheduled to begin serving a 27-month prison sentence handed down by a federal court judge in October 2024, Attorney General Matthew J Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs announced on Wednesday. Sahni had been temporarily suspended from the practice of medicine since September 2023, as the State pursued an administrative action to revoke her license in the wake of her criminal plea. The revocation announced today brings closure to a disturbing case in which a physician sworn to uphold the highest standards of care and compassion exploited and abused vulnerable victims for her own financial gain

Six Indian Americans sworn-in as members of US House of Representatives

In a momentous occasion for Indian Americans, six of their leaders on Friday were sworn-in as the members of the US House of Representatives, the largest so far for this minority ethnic community in the United States. When I was first sworn in twelve years ago, I was the sole Indian American Member of Congress and only the third in US history. Now, our coalition is six strong! I am excited to welcome even more Indian Americans to the halls of Congress in the years to come! Congressman Dr Ami Bera said in a post on X. Bera, the senior most of them, who has been sworn-in for the seventh consecutive term as a representative of the seventh Congressional District of California, also posted a picture of all the six Indian American Congressman from the floor of the House. Suhash Subramanian, who represents the 10th Congressional District of Virginia is the newest Indian American to be a member of the House of Representatives. First day of work! Honoured to be sworn into the #119th Congress