Cornyn takes lead in crafting Senate immigration bil
He seeks to fashion package on Dreamers, border security by Feb. 8.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday he might want to borrow the Masai tribal “talking stick” that Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, used to ensure civility during pivotal negotiations that resulted in a short-term deal that ended the government shutdown Monday.
Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, is riding herd over efforts to fashion a much bigger deal that has proved elusive: providing, as part of an immigration and border security package by Feb. 8, the next deadline for funding the government, permanent protection to young people brought to the U.S. illegally.
Collins used the hand-carved wooden stick from Africa, reportedly a gift from Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., in getting 20 Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement. Only the person
holding the stick could speak. (The stick wasn’t foolproof, however. One senator threw it at a colleague across the room and it hit and chipped a glass elephant in Collins’ office.)
Moderate Democrats agreed to reopen the government in exchange for a pledge from Republicans to hold an immigration vote, setting the stage for a battle over resolving the status of the young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and protected from deportation under an Obama-era program that is set to expire.
Cornyn and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are now charged by Senate leaders with developing a plan to protect those so-called Dreamers, expand border security and restrict legal immigration. President Donald Trump wants to limit chain migration — legal immigrants who sponsor family members as new immigrants — and to terminate the visa lottery program.
“I’m having a minimum of three meetings a day” on immigration issues, Cornyn said.
The Texas senator has been a moderate voice among Republicans when it comes to a border wall, Trump’s signature campaign issue. Cornyn introduced border security legislation last year that didn’t emphasize a wall, instead envisioning “multilayered” elements, including a barrier along segments of the border, along with improved technology and more personnel. He said at the time that he didn’t support Trump’s request for border wall funding until a comprehensive border security plan was adopted.
Cornyn has also been supportive of resolving the status of the Dreamers but has said he wants to make sure the issue doesn’t happen again.
Cornyn said he and Durbin will act as a clearinghouse for new legislation, and will start anew, without relying on earlier plans.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed as a nonstarter a proposal from Durbin and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that Trump had rejected last week just before the shutdown.
“It’s totally unacceptable to the president and it should be declared dead on arrival,” she said. The White House did not think the plan had enough funding for a border wall and did not address chain migration.
Cornyn blames Senate Democrats for the shutdown and said $81 billion in disaster relief sought by Texas, California, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, already approved by the U.S. House, is being “held hostage” to the immigration issue and will be taken up later.
“Believe me, I share the frustration of Gov. Abbott and others,” Cornyn said. “The people who suffered deserve better.”
Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been unhappy with the pace of the federal response, on Jan. 17 extended for 30 days the state disaster declaration for 60 counties affected by Hurricane Harvey.