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Republican immigration overhaul fails in heavier than expected defeat Republican immigration overhaul fails in heavier than expected defeat
(about 2 hours later)
Republicans failed to pass immigration reform on Wednesday, despite party dominance in government and a president elected on his vision to crackdown on illegal immigration, narrow legal entry and build a wall along the US-Mexico border. The US House of Representatives soundly rejected an immigration reform bill on Wednesday, as a last-minute intervention by Donald Trump failed to overcome the deep internal divisions that have fractured Republicans on this issue for more than a decade.
The measure fell short, as it was widely expected to do, but in a heavier than expected defeat, after repeated attempts to pass an overhaul of the immigration laws, despite a last minute intervention by Donald Trump: In a embarrassing defeat, more than 100 Republicans joined Democrats to reject the bill in a vote of 121-301. The measure was designed to meet Trump’s hardline vision of the US immigration system, including funding for a border wall and increased interior enforcement against undocumented immigrants.
“HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOULD PASS THE STRONG BUT FAIR IMMIGRATION BILL, KNOWN AS GOODLATTE II, IN THEIR AFTERNOON VOTE TODAY, EVEN THOUGH THE DEMS WON’T LET IT PASS IN THE SENATE. PASSAGE WILL SHOW THAT WE WANT STRONG BORDERS & SECURITY WHILE THE DEMS WANT OPEN BORDERS = CRIME,” Trump instructed Republicans hours before the vote, using all caps to underscore his intention. After the vote, a group of centrist Republicans, who triggered the latest push for immigration reform, expressed their dismay that weeks of negotiating with rightist conservatives failed to produce a viable plan.
Republicans had been waiting for the president to publicly bless their plan for weeks. Trump, whose support was viewed as crucial to winning over conservative members, swooped into a meeting with House Republicans last week for a meeting that GOP leaders hoped would rally support for their compromise package. Instead, Republican lawmakers were left unsure of whether Trump truly backed their effort. “What we witnessed today was a minority of Republicans joining every Democrat in the House to double down on a failed, broken, inefficient, unfair and at times cruel immigration system,” congressman Carlos Curbelo, a Republican from Florida, said after the vote.
The vote was twice delayed last week after Trump advised Republicans to stop wasting their time on a bill that could not pass the Senate. Congressman Jeff Denham, a Republican from California, said Wednesday’s failure showed that immigration reform must be a bipartisan effort.
The “compromise” plan was brokered by GOP leadership in an effort to quell a revolt by a handful of moderate Republicans who represent districts with large Hispanic constituencies that care deeply about the issue. “What was obvious today is that Republicans cannot pass a 218-[vote] Republican bill, just as Democrats couldn’t in 2010,” he said, vowing that this was not the end of the road for their immigration push.
The bill evolved to address two urgent crises triggered by Trump’s hardline immigration agenda: his cancellation of a program that shielded from deportation hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, known as Dreamers, and the “zero-tolerance” policy which led to the family separations. Curbelo noted that a majority of Republicans supported a plan that would offer undocumented young immigrants, known as Dreamers, a pathway to citizenship, suggesting that such a provision could be a part of future bipartisan negotiations.
The lawmakers declined to provide details on their next move. Republicans are likely to turn next to a more narrow plan that would end the separations of migrant families at the border, a Trump administration practice that drew fierce international condemnation. Senators are also considering a plan that would address this issue, though it is unlikely to happen before the Fourth of July recess.
The so-called “compromise” plan was brokered by GOP leadership in an effort to stave off a revolt led by Curbelo, Denham and other moderate Republicans who represent districts with large Hispanic constituencies. GOP leaders successfully kept them from forcing a series of votes on immigration bills that may have passed with a a majority of Democratic support but failed to find consensus among their ranks.
The measure evolved to address two urgent crises triggered by Trump’s hardline immigration agenda: his cancellation of a program that shielded from deportation hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, known as Dreamers, and the “zero-tolerance” policy which led to the family separations.
As proposed, the measure would have included $25bn for Trump’s long-sought wall along the southern border – though Trump had promised during the campaign that Mexico would pay for its construction. It would also limit legal immigration, provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and end family separations.As proposed, the measure would have included $25bn for Trump’s long-sought wall along the southern border – though Trump had promised during the campaign that Mexico would pay for its construction. It would also limit legal immigration, provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and end family separations.
Ahead of the vote, House speaker Paul Ryan, told reporters: “We’ve made it extremely clear we want to keep families together and we want to secure the border and enforce our laws.” Republican leader twice delayed a vote on the measure last week after Trump advised Republicans to stop wasting their time on a bill that could not pass the Senate.
More details soon... Hours before the afternoon vote, Trump urged Republicans to pass the legislation to show voters that “WE WANT STRONG BORDERS & SECURITY WHILE THE DEMS WANT OPEN BORDERS = CRIME”. But the instruction came after he urged Republicans to “stop wasting their time” trying to build support for an immigration bill that has virtually no chance of passage in the Senate.
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