America at 250: Caught between hope and doubt

Published 3 July 2026 · us

Across business, medicine, academia, technology, and public life, Indian Americans are one of America’s most visible immigrant success stories. But today, there’s unease. Indian festivals

Across business, medicine, academia, technology, and public life, Indian Americans are one of America’s most visible immigrant success stories. But today, there’s unease. Indian festivals have recently been facing hostility. Long green card backlogs, uncertainty over the H-1B visa, and a rise in anti-Indian hate have deepened anxieties. The Carnegie Endowment’s 2026 survey describes the community as going through a period of “turbulence”, with roughly 40% saying they have considered leaving the United States. As America marks 250 years of independence, anxiety coexists with an enduring faith in American opportunity. Six prominent members of the community weigh in Vivek Wadhwa CEO, Vionix Biosciences For the first time, Indian Americans have become the target of hatred and resentment. This is coming from both extreme left and extreme right, so I would not say the situation is great. Moreover, America is closing its doors to the people who have helped it maintain its global lead. Regardless, the country will reinvent itself as it always does. Jagdish N. Sheth Padma Bhushan Awardee and Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business, Goizueta Business School, Emory University America has huge potential, and it is a very merit-based economy that gives opportunities to everybody. I think the best part of America is its ability to attract and retain top scientists, educators, and management leaders. Despite the negative news you may hear, people experience a great deal of personal freedom here. They feel empowered to pursue their goals and celebrate their cultural traditions while still being part of American society. America is a land of immigrants, and that is what fuels new ideas, new technologies, and continued innovation. The one expectation is that you work hard. Across professions — whether you are an educator, scientist, medical doctor, lawyer, or in any other occupation — hard work and education are highly valued. The community is well integrated rather than isolated. Sundal Ali Executive Director, SOAR (Survivors, Organizations, and Allies - Rising) As someone who works to end gender-based violence in our communities, I know that a sense of belonging isn’t just symbolic for survivors of violence.

It has real consequences for people’s safety. When communities feel unwelcome or afraid, survivors are often less likely to seek help, trust institutions, or access the support they need. There is a paradox in loving a country while knowing it has not fully embraced you. We love this country not because it has always lived up to its ideals, but because we believe it can. And because we know her complexity. There are immigrant enclaves where community leaders are cultivating joy, creativity, and safety in resistance to our current climate. And that’s the America we love — one where every community can live with dignity, safety, and the opportunity to thrive. Moni Basu Director of Narrative Nonfiction, University of Georgia, and e CNN I’m certain my parents imagined a different America. My father, a renowned statistician, accepted a job at Florida State University in the 1970s. Like many Indian immigrants of his generation, he saw America as a place where hard work and merit would matter. In many ways, that promise was fulfilled. But America has always been more complicated than the ideal they embraced. I don’t think my parents ever imagined an America that did not welcome immigrants. Or an America that did not embrace multiculturalism and diversity. Politics [today] has most definitely changed everyday life, though perhaps less in dramatic ways than in subtle ones. As a journalist and educator, I’ve watched trust erode, conversations become more polarised, and facts become contested. As America turns 250, the question that looms for me is: can a nation truly celebrate its history if it isn’t willing to confront all of it? Because it seems that the current administration is not willing to embrace the stories of people who have been marginalised or forgotten or erased. Or the stories of immigrants like me. But I believe the pendulum will swing the other way again one day. I have to remain optimistic. Otherwise, the dreams that my family carried with them to America don’t have a chance of surviving.