Three Central Texas Republicans vote against bill,
Three WASHINGTON — Republican members of Congress from Central Texas defied GOP House leadership and voted against a broad immigration bill Wednesday.
U.S. Reps. Roger Williams, R-Austin, John Carter, R-Round Rock, and Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, were among 112 Republicans, many among the party’s most conservative members, to vote against the measure. All Democrats who voted on Wednesday opposed the bill.
The bill was defeated 301-121. U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, who was a co-sponsor, and Bill Flores, R-Bryan supported it.
It was meant to be a package that appealed to conservative Republicans and moderates. It included a lengthy process for young people brought illegally as children to the U.S. to become citizens and $25 billion for a wall on the southern border, among other things. The House defeated a harder-line immigration bill last week.
“This bill means more amnesty and less enforcement,” Smith said of the bill rejected Wednesday. “It gives amnesty to millions and will lead to the widespread use of fraudulent documents to obtain amnesty. The bill also allows millions of illegal immigrants to stop their deportation simply by claiming they are eligible for amnesty.
“And there is no guarantee that any border structure will be built. It’s amnesty today and border security sometime in the future, if then,” said Smith, who is retiring.
“We need to start securing the border and not reward bad behavior, and that’s what this bill did,” Williams said.
Carter did not respond to a request for comment.
McCaul said he hoped Congress could find an immigration solution.
“As a Texan and chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I know the threats along our southern border are real and dangerous,” McCaul said. “Every day, drug smugglers, human traffickers, gangs like MS-13, and even potential terrorists are attempting to sneak into our country and infect our neighborhoods . ... Our failure to address these problems will only make them worse.”
Flores said, “I voted in support of two bills that would each improve border security, implement an effective solution for our Dreamer population, transition us to a merit-based immigration system and further address the separation of families apprehended for illegally crossing our border. I am disappointed that neither of these bills received the necessary votes to pass the House. In my view, a ‘NO’ vote was a vote to maintain the status quo for these important issues – like most Texans, I strongly believe that the status quo is unacceptable.”
But to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, the two GOP bills were unacceptable: “Neither the latest order from the ever-vacillating Trump nor the Republican legislation will keep innocent children out of lock-up. Both are heartless and toothless.”