A handful of House Republicans took the first step Wednesday to force a vote on immigration bills that would provide a pathway to citizenship for so-called Dreamers.
Five GOP lawmakers, led by Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, filed a discharge petition, a procedural tool that allows them to bring up legislation for a vote without the consent of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The aggressive move comes after months of pleas from several Republicans who want to vote on legislation that would provide permanent citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., who is facing a tough re-election bid in his Central Valley district, announced last month that more than 50 Republicans had signed onto a resolution to bring up four immigration bills. Denham initially held off on filing the discharge petition, hoping added pressure would convince Republican leaders to bring up the four immigration proposals.
The petition filed Wednesday would set up a “Queen of the Hill” debate on four different bills. The one that receives the most votes would be adopted, assuming it gets a majority.
Curbelo and Denham were joined by Republican Reps. David Valadao of California, Will Hurd of Texas and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida on the petition. All five are facing competitive re-election contests.
