New Delhi: Indian-origin television host and author Padma Lakshmi was among the 27 people of Indian origin featured in Forbes’ list of the 250 greatest living immigrants in America.
The list was rolled out ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations and at a time when immigration continues to be a deeply debated political issue in the country. President Donald Trump’s administration has pushed for stricter immigration measures, including tighter Green Card regulations, increased deportation efforts, and expanded border enforcement.
On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives approved a $70 billion immigration enforcement package aimed at strengthening border security and funding deportation agencies through the remainder of Trump’s term.
Through the list, Forbes made a statement recognising individuals who have made significant contributions to the US’ economy, society, science, culture and public life.
The cover with Lakshmi featured her in a white sleeveless dress against a red backdrop, with the text “Padma Lakshmi. Celebrating the American dream.”
In the caption, they mentioned how Lakshmi’s journey started in the US as a child in 1974.
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A varied list
The list highlights the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in the US.
It includes Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, cybersecurity entrepreneur Jay Chaudhry, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, investor Naval Ravikant and economist Abhijit Banerjee, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019.
Former PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi, philanthropist Neerja Sethi, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, cybersecurity executive Nikesh Arora, Confluent cofounder Neha Narkhede and investor Kavitark Ram Shriram, an early backer of Google, were among the other prominent Indian-origin names recognised by Forbes.
According to Forbes, immigrants have played a major role in building the United States and continue to drive innovation, economic growth and cultural development. The publication selected individuals from a wide range of fields, including technology, science, politics, economics, media, arts and philanthropy.
The top five immigrants on the list were former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Google cofounder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)