Trump’s visit: Two Indian-Americans part of US President’s 16-member delegation

The number of Indians and Indian-Americans in the US is estimated at around 4 million, which accounts for almost 1 per cent of the country’s total population.

Ajit Varadaraj Pai is an American lawyer who serves as the chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – the first Indian-American to hold the office. He has served in various positions at the FCC since being appointed to the Commission by then US President Barack Obama in May 2012.

Born in Buffalo, New York, his parents are doctors from India: Varadaraj Pai, a urologist, and Radha Pai, an anesthesiologist. Pai was born in the US after his parents moved there from India in 1971. His mother grew up in Bengaluru (then Bangalore), and his father was raised in Hyderabad, according to local media reports.

Kash Patel, special assistant to the President and senior director for Counterterrorism, is a lawyer who has in the past worked for the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee when California Republican David Nunes was its chair.

Patel has also worked as a counter-terrorism prosecutor for the Justice Department.

Born and raised in New York, Patel’s parents are originally from Gujarat. The family immigrated to the US from East Africa by way of Canada during the 1970s.

According to the list of delegates, the visiting delegation comprises several top US officials. They are US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Others are Stephen Miller (assistant to the president and senior advisor for Policy), Dan Scavino (assistant to the President and senior advisor for Digital Strategy), Lindsay Reynolds (assistant to the President and chief of staff to the First Lady), Robert Blair (assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Telecommunication Policy and senior advisor to the chief of staff), Stephanie Grisham (assistant to the President and press secretary and director of Communications for the President and First Lady).

Others, who will be part of the delegation during the bilateral meeting, will be Adam Boehler (chief executive officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation), Lisa Curtis (deputy assistant to the President for South and Central Asian Affairs) and Mike Passey, director for India, National Security Council.