Indian-American Lawmaker Pushes For EAGLE Act Amid Green Card Backlog Struggles For Indians

Prominent Indian-American lawmaker Ro Khanna took to social media on Friday to express his disappointment over the omission of his key amendment to the EAGLE Act in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDA).

Khanna underlined the economic benefits of lifting per-country green card caps, stressing its potential to alleviate the decades-long backlog faced by immigrants, especially those from India, seeking permanent residency in the US. His amendment to include the EAGLE Act in this year’s US National Defense Authorization Act (NDA) faced opposition from the Republican supermajority on the committee, leaving him disappointed with the House’s decision not to advance the bill for a vote.

“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,” Khanna posted on X. “Per-country green card caps cause unproductive backlogs and ignore the realities of our workforce. We must end H1B abuse by foreign outsourcing companies. This abuse decreases wages and harms workers.”

A summit earlier this year at the US Capitol, hosted by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora (FIIDS), highlighted the critical impact of the seven percent country quota on green card issuance. This quota has led to staggering wait times exceeding 20 years for many Indian immigrants, amplifying calls for legislative reform. The Biden administration, while supportive of the EAGLE Act, has not taken significant steps to help accelerate its passage through the US Congress.

The bill aims to eliminate the per-country limit on employment-based green cards and increase the limit on family-sponsored green cards from 7% to 15%, potentially easing the backlog that ensnares hundreds of thousands of immigrants, predominantly from India and China.

Khanna argues that the current system’s per-country green card caps create unproductive backlogs that fail to align with the realities of the workforce. He urges an end to H-1B visa abuse by foreign outsourcing companies, which he believes depresses wages and harms American workers. As the debate intensifies on Capitol Hill, proponents of the EAGLE Act argue that reforming the immigration system is crucial not only for the economic growth of the United States but also for maintaining competitiveness in the global workforce.