GOP leaders working to avoid showdown over DACA
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders continued negotiations Wednesday to resolve a split in the GOP caucus over undocumented immigrant children who were brought into this country illegally.
A couple dozen Republicans have joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition that would force GOP leaders to begin debate on a bipartisan bill that would offer undocumented youths known as Dreamers protection from deportation and a path to citizenship after 12 years.
Conservative Republicans have countered with a bill that would offer temporary protection but no path to citizenship.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-wis., called a closed-door caucus meeting for Thursday morning to talk with Republicans about “the big swath of views” on the citizenship issue.
Ryan is trying to hold his caucus together and avoid an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Democrats and rebellious Republicans frustrated over their leadership’s refusal to address the issue.
“I feel good about the conversations we are having” Ryan said of ongoing negotiations within his party. “We don’t want to do a discharge petition, obviously.”
Republicans are torn over whether a compromise should include a path to citizenship for the 800,000 undocumented immigrant children who were brought into this country illegally. About 14,000 of those immigrants live, work and study in Nevada.
The immigrants were protected from deportation under the Obamaera Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Donald Trump canceled that program in September and ordered Congress to provide a legislative remedy by March.
Since then, Trump has argued any continuance of DACA be contingent upon funding to build a wall along the Southwest border.
Democrats have chafed at spending money to build a border wall, and three Texas Democrats with border districts did not initially sign the discharge petition. Two of those lawmakers signed the petition this week.
Democrats and moderate Republicans need just three more signatures to reach the 218 needed to force a debate.
The entire Nevada congressional delegation, including Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, has signed the petition. Amodei said rank-and-file Republican lawmakers are frustrated they have not been able to vote on immigration reform for Dreamers.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@ reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.