Indian-American Ro Khanna is a key figure in immigration reform. He stressed the economic benefits of removing pre-country green card limits and highlighted the urgent need for changes in the immigration system. Khanna expressed his disappointment on social media after his amendment to include the EAGLE Act in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDA) was not considered.
Khanna had pointed out that removing per-country green card caps would help reduce the long waiting times faced by immigrants, especially those from India. His amendment faced opposition from the Republican majority on the committee, leading to its exclusion from the NDA.
The EAGLE Act will benefit our economy by lifting the arbitrary per-country green card caps to bring down our decades-long backlog for immigrants. I am deeply disappointed that my amendment to include it in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act was not given a vote.
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) June 20, 2024
A recent summit at the US Capitol, hosted by the Foundation for India and Indian diaspora (FIIDS), emphasized the negative impact of the 7 per cent country quota on the green card issuance, leading to over 20-year wait times for many Indian immigrants. This has increased calls for legislative reform. Although the Biden administration supports the EAGLE Act, it has not made significant efforts to speed up the passage through Congress.
The EAGLE Act aims to eliminate the per-country limit on employment-based green cards and raise the limit on family-sponsored green cards from 7 per cent to 15 per cent, which could help reduce the backlog affecting many immigrants, especially from India and China.
Khanna argues that the current system’s caps create unnecessary backlogs and do not reflect workforce needs. He calls for an end to H-1B visa abuse by foreign outsourcing companies, which he believes lowers wages and harms American workers. Supporters of the EAGLE Act argue that reforming the immigration system is essential for the economic growth of the United States and maintaining competitiveness in the global workforce.
