Bipartisan group in US Senate defies Trump to unveil immigration plan

With American immigration reform efforts hanging by a thread, a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a compromise plan to protect so-called “Dreamers” and boost border security, defying President Donald Trump’s demand to embrace his more hardline plan.

The potential breakthrough, reached late on Wednesday after hours of closed-door deliberations, came as efforts to resolve the fate of 1.8 million immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children entered a crucial period in a week set aside for debate on immigration.

The Senate’s Republican leadership set today as the deadline for striking a deal, and yesterday was shaping up to be a day of consequential votes in the chamber on competing immigration plans, including the president’s.

The key will be which of the plans can receive 60 votes, the threshold for advancing legislation in the closely divided 100-member Senate.

The measure, which has eight Republican and eight Democratic sponsors, emerged from a centrist group nicknamed the “common sense coalition”.

“Our legislation underscores the broad, bipartisan commitment to creating a path to citizenship for Dreamers, who were brought to this country illegally through no decision of their own, while strengthening border security to help stop the flow of illegal immigrants,” said Senator Susan Collins, a Republican founder of the coalition.

The president’s plan protects Dreamers and boosts border security funding, but also abolishes the diversity visa lottery and restricts family reunification, a policy Mr Trump calls “chain migration”.

The bipartisan effort would make only limited changes to family reunification, and would leave the diversity lottery untouched, because it is too “politically toxic,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said.

Mr Graham said there was “growing consensus” about the plan. “I think that’s got the best chance of getting 60” votes, he told AFP.

But supporting the compromise would put members of Mr Trump’s party at odds with the president, who urged senators to oppose bipartisan plans that were different from his own.

In a statement, the president called on all senators to “oppose any legislation” that fails to address what he calls the “four pillars” in his plan. “That includes opposing any shortterm ‘Band-Aid’ approach,” he said.

The remark brought action in the Senate almost to standstill, and raised prospects that it would miss a self-imposed deadline on immigration.

Time is an increasingly important factor. For months, legislators have struggled to craft a compromise, after Mr Trump scrapped a programme that allowed Dreamers to stay, and gave Congress until March 5 to find a solution.

About 690,000 Dreamers registered under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme – plus 1.1 million others who were eligible but did not sign up – could begin to face deportation by that date if no fix is in place.

The Senate was expected to consider four plans yesterday: the president’s; a Republican bill dealing with “sanctuary cities” that defy federal orders on illegal immigrants; a measure by Republican Senator John McCain and Democrat Chris Coons that addresses Daca and border security, but not broader immigration policy; and the bipartisan compromise.

Top Republicans said Mr Trump’s plan has the best shot at becoming law out of those being considered. But Democrats have been heavily critical, making it highly unlikely that it would garner enough votes to pass.

Our legislation underscores the broad, bipartisan commitment to creating a path to citizenship for Dreamers SUSAN COLLINS Republican senator