U.S. envoy’s family displaced by Los Angeles wildfires

US Ambassador Eric Garcetti reflects on his tenure in India, discusses wildfires, US visas, and strengthening US-India ties.

NEW DELHI

U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti said on Monday (January 13, 2024) that the wildfires in Los Angeles had displaced his immediate family. Delivering a moving speech at the U.S. Education Foundation (USEFI), Mr. Garcetti announced that his term as the U.S. ambassador to India has come to an end with the advent of a new administration under President Donald Trump, who will be sworn in on 20 January.

“I want to thank so many of you who have reached out to me in this past week as my beloved city suffers from the most brutal wildfires we have ever seen,” said Ambassador Garcetti.

He said that his father and a few other members of his family were displaced by the wildfires. Ambassador Garcetti looked back at his 21-month tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to India fondly and described his stint as the “most extraordinary job” of his life.

Mr. Garcetti said the fires are being spread by winds and prevalent weather conditions.

Mr. Garcetti spoke about the debate around U.S. visas triggered by the views of core supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. “Deeper than the Pacific Ocean, wider than this entire globe, is the demand of Indians to come to America. Some see this as a problem. I see this as an incredible opportunity, an expression of the closeness that we have and the desire for us to get even closer,” Mr. Garcetti said, welcoming the interest among Indian professionals to migrate to the U.S.

“Indian students and immigrants are there helping run the world’s most important universities, our companies, and research entities. They’re providing innovation and a record strong tax base… This makes America, in my opinion, a better and a stronger country. We never know what the future holds, but I’ll say this to my fellow Americans: the more ties that we have to more Indians and the more ways we can find to grow our economic and educational exchanges, the stronger America and India will be.”