Washington, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna called for abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while his Republican challenger Ritesh Tandon advocated ending country caps on green cards during a debate between the two Indian American candidates contesting California’s 17th Congressional District.
The roughly 50-minute online forum was streamed live on Tandon’s campaign YouTube channel on Wednesday evening, US time. Khanna participated throughout the debate, answering questions and delivering a closing statement.
Khanna opened by thanking Tandon for taking part. “I appreciate the civil way he has conducted himself in the past few years. And I think this is absolutely critical to democracy to be able to have a debate of ideas with people who you may not share everything in common,” he said.
Immigration emerged as the sharpest point of disagreement. Khanna said, “I would abolish ICE,” describing it as “a rogue agency”. He argued that it should be replaced with “an agency like the INS was, which is under the Justice Department, humane, focusing on going after sex traffickers, criminals”.
Khanna also called for creating more opportunities for immigrants who contribute to the US economy. “We need to be finding pathways of green cards for people who are studying here and starting businesses here and creating companies here,” he said.
Tandon, who moved to the US from India, said he had followed the immigration process himself. “I came here at the age of 28. I followed all the rules and waited my turn,” he said.
He claimed that more than 1.2 million people were caught in the green card backlog and criticised Khanna’s record in Congress. “My opponent has been in the Congress for almost 10 years. And the line has only grown longer,” he said.
Tandon said his plan was to “first of all, end the per country cap” and recapture unused green cards. He also called for action against “H-1B visa abuse”, backed voter ID requirements and said illegal border crossing should be a felony.
The per-country cap has long been a concern for Indian professionals, who face some of the longest waits for employment-based green cards.
On taxation, Khanna defended a proposed 5 per cent levy on billionaires, questioning why the economy benefited only a small group of wealthy people. “The question is why is this economy only working for a few billionaires?” he said. “We need a new social contract in America that privileges the working and middle class.”
Tandon opposed the proposal, arguing that it “taxes the paper wealth, not the income”. He also claimed that companies and residents were leaving California.
Khanna countered by defending Silicon Valley’s position in the technology sector. “No one thinks the AI revolution is happening in Austin or Miami. It’s happening in Silicon Valley,” he said.
Tandon also accused Khanna of moving the Democratic Party too far to the left. “The Democratic socialist America are putting it on the far left, and I’m afraid it is taking the America down the road of Venezuela,” he said. He added that Khanna had endorsed a Democratic socialist candidate for mayor of New York.
In his closing remarks, Tandon highlighted the fundraising disparity between the candidates. “I raised only 58,000 and you have $17 million in your account,” he said. He also pledged to serve no more than three terms and supported a ban on stock trading that would cover family trusts.
Khanna concluded by calling for unity, saying, “Ultimately, we’re all Americans, and we have to come together.”
Khanna won the June top-two primary with about 62 per cent of the vote, compared with roughly 15 per cent for Tandon. Voters will go to the polls on November 3.
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