• Kash Patel took oath as the ninth director of the FBI and spoke about how a first-generation Indian kid is living the American dream, reflecting on his heritage.

• The US Senate voted 51 to 49 to confirm Patel.  

• The oath ceremony was administered by US Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Indian Treaty Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) on the White House campus on February 21. 

• New York-born Patel has his roots in Gujarat. However, his parents are from East Africa. His mother is from Tanzania and his father is from Uganda. They came to the US from Canada in 1970. 

• The family moved to Queens in New York in the late 70s. Patel was born and grew up there.

• Patel’s parents are retired now and spend their time in both the US and Gujarat. 

What is the FBI?

• The FBI is an intelligence-driven and threat-focused national security organisation with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities. 

• It is the principal investigative arm of the US Department of Justice and a full member of the US Intelligence Community. 

• The FBI has the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes assigned to it and to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations, and training. 

• The FBI also gathers, shares, and analyses intelligence, both to support its own investigations and those of its partners and to better understand and combat the security threats facing the United States.

• The FBI is headed by a Director who is appointed by the US President, confirmed by the Senate and serves for a 10-year term. 

• The FBI has over 37,100 employees, including approximately 13,700 special agents and 20,100 professionals, who serve as intelligence analysts, linguists, surveillance specialists, engineers, computer scientists, financial analysts, and other professionals. These employees are stationed in 55 field offices and 351 satellite offices throughout the US.

• The FBI’s international presence includes offices in 81 nations worldwide and personnel assigned to US military commands on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at international training centers from Budapest to Bangkok.

Genesis of FBI

• On June 29, 1908, Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte ordered the creation of a special agent force in the Department of Justice. His order reassigned 23 investigators already employed by the department and permanently hired eight more agents from the Treasury Department.

• On July 26, 1908, Bonaparte ordered the special agent force to report to Chief Examiner Stanley W. Finch. This order is considered the formal beginning of the agency. 

• In March 1909, Attorney General George W. Wickersham named this force the Bureau of Investigation (BOI).

• On July 1, 1935, the Division of Investigation officially became the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

• The FBI has a dual and complementary mission: enforcing federal law and protecting national security. Throughout its history, the FBI has adapted to address the changing threat environment, shifting from focusing on building cases for prosecution to using prosecution as one tool, among many, to dismantle national security threats and criminal activity.

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