Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-WI), working to unite his fractious conference around a compromise immigration bill, assured Republican lawmakers during a closed-door session on Wednesday that President Trump is backing the effort.
The House will vote next week on competing immigration bills that deal with the fate of young undocumented immigrants, called the “dreamers” with no guarantee that either will pass and resolve this divisive issue.
Speaker Ryan said lawmakers will consider a hardline measure that emphasizes border security and the somewhat more moderate compromise measure, yet to be finalized, that still meets President Trump’s standards.
Ryan’s voting plan and the unfinished compromise measure were products of weeks of tense negotiations between Republicans conservatives, including the House Freedom Caucus and a number of rebellious Republican moderates. However, the moderates stumbled before the finish line. They had been gathering signatures for a so-named “discharge petition” that would have forced Speaker Ryan to bring two bipartisan bills to the floor, but the effort collapsed two signatures short of the number needed.
Democrats have slammed the Ryan plan as a betrayal of bipartisan efforts to address the fate of the Dreamers. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the Democratic whip, said he expected that he and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the Democratic Leader, will urge all Democrats to vote against both bills.
The House will consider a conservative bill, drafted by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), tilted toward hardline immigration positions. Another bill, a compromise package, which has not been finalized, will be drafted around four principles. Ryan’s office was originally expected to release the compromise draft bill Wednesday, but that timeline appeared to be slipping.
President Trump “four pillars” include a path to citizenship for the young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers;” beefed-up border security, including $25 billion for the border wall with Mexico; an end to the current diversity visa lottery system, which is aimed at bringing immigrants from underrepresented nations; and limits on family-based immigration, known as chain migration. The bill would also end the visa lottery program, transferring all of those visas to a new merit-based green card program that Dreamers and other immigrants could apply for.
Conservatives have also pushed hard to include E-Verify, a mandate requiring all businesses to verify the legal status of their workers. However, GOP leaders and moderates argue that would complicate the bill and keep it from passing. Moderates and conservaties continue to meet to try to reach a deal on the final legislative text.
Neither bill is expected to pass, according to Republicans in all camps.
