WASHINGTON — As bipartisan negotiations continue in the House of Representatives over a new immigration bill to be introduced in the 119th Congress, one group that remains conspicuously absent from the negotiating table over relief proposals are the thousands family- and employment-based visa migrants stuck in decades-long backlogs for green cards.

Last week, Migrant Insider caught up with Rep. Ro Khanna, a Bay Area Democrat whose constituency includes many backlogged migrants working in STEM fields, to ask about the possibility of securing green cards for these migrants next Congress.

“It seems reasonable,” said Khanna. “Obviously we’ve gotta balance all the considerations, like getting these people into the green cards, making sure it doesn’t hurt the diversity visas, and that we’re not reshuffling and contracting one group at the expense of another. But I’m open to any ideas.”

Many green card backlog advocates have long tethered themselves to the Eagle Act, a controversial bill that creates no new green cards but redistributes the inordinately long wait times faced by migrants from India and China across applicants from other countries.

Migrants from India, in particular, can face decades-long waits for family- and employment-based green cards due to high application volumes. Under the Eagle Act, these migrants could still face decades of waiting, prompting critics to question the bill’s effectiveness and intent.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) agreed with Khanna about the possibility of an actual green card bill under Donald Trump, telling Migrant Insider in an exclusive interview earlier this month, “I think we win the day on the topic in a more robust immigration policy discussion.”

Cramer introduced the Eagle Act in the senate this term where the bill again failed to gain much traction, attracting just three co-sponsors. Ditto in the House where even Khanna was not among the co-sponsors of the failed bill.

We asked Khanna what the best way for backlogged migrants to get a seat the negotiating table in the new term. “Talk about how their kids are often here in school and face leaving. Talk about how their wages are being exploited in terms of H1Bs being paid under-market wages. That’s hurting the American wages. But that’s our job to get them into the conversation,” he said.

Read the full transcript of our interview with Khanna below — 

Interview Transcript: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)

Pablo: Hi congressman. May I ask you a quick green card backlog question?

Rep. Khanna: Yeah, sure. Wanna walk with me?

Pablo: Yeah, sure. Let’s do it. So Senator Cramer who sponsored the Eagle Act this term in the Senate said last week that there exists the possibility of a bill in the new Congress that actually and proactively creates green cards for the backloggers, instead of just reshuffling the current allotment…

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