Mccarthy faces revolt by GOP centrists on immigration

One House member called the proposal “antiamerican” and said it was “not Christian.”

That wasn’t a Republican castigating Democratic legislation, or vice versa.

It was Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales’ description of a GOP colleague’s border enforcement bill that could block migrants from pursuing legitimate claims for asylum in the United States.

Opposition to the measure from Gonzales and other Republicans last week forced the bill to go through the Homeland Security Committee — a standard and time-consuming vetting process hard-liners had hoped to avoid.

And it created another headache for Speaker Kevin Mccarthy, R-bakersfield, right at the start of the new Congress. Mccarthy became the House leader by attracting support from some of the chamber’s more right-wing members, largely by acceding to their demands.

There has been plenty of analysis that, with such a slim GOP margin in the lower house, those members could continue to leverage Mccarthy. That dynamic hasn’t changed.

But from the outset, some other Republican members chaffed at the concessions Mccarthy made, and he quickly learned last week that they won’t hesitate to exercise their own leverage.

One of the promises Mccarthy made to the conservative wing was to fast-track a border enforcement bill.

It’s early and things need to shake out to get a sense of how the GOP majority will conduct business. But Mccarthy’s arduous path to become speaker — it took 15 votes — and the fight over the immigration bill suggest more friction ahead.

The delay for the bill carries no small significance. Cracking down on illegal immigration, restricting legal immigration and beefing up border enforcement have been Republican political touchstones for years.

Targeting — and often demagoguing — immigration has been a common denominator in the GOP’S appeal to its base. Of all things, it seemed a tough border enforcement bill was something the new GOP majority would rally around.