Republican leaders are rushing to find an immigration bill that Republicans can support, in order to avoid a forced vote next month on a series of bills that include language supported by Democrats.
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is meeting with different factions in his conference who are at odds over how to make reforms to the nation’s immigration laws and provide a legal remedy for so-called Dreamers who came to the U.S. as children.
A deal will have to happen quickly. Moderate Republicans are already a handful of votes away from the required number of signatures needed to force a vote in late June on a series of immigration reform bills, including two that would likely be favored by more Democrats than Republicans.
Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., on Wednesday became the 204th person to sign on to a discharge petition on immigration reform. If four more Republicans and all remaining Democrats sign the petition, the bill can be brought up as soon as June 23.
Ryan is trying to work out a compromise between moderate and conservative Republicans in order to prevent the last four GOP lawmakers from signing the discharge petition and forcing a vote.
Ryan has promised a vote on a GOP-led measure during the same week the discharge petition can be taken up. But first, he has to come up with a bill that can pass.
Rep. Jeff. Denham, R-Calif., a co-author of the discharge petition, said GOP lawmakers have given him commitments for the remaining signatures and he is moving ahead while at the same time negotiating with GOP leaders.
“It has always been dependent on how these negotiations go,” Denham said. “I’ve been trying to empower the Speaker and empower leadership to have this discussion. I want to make sure that not only Republicans come together but a bipartisan bill that will have a chance of passing with 60 votes in the Senate. I’m negotiating in good faith.”
Denham said a deal is “very close,” but talks are ongoing.
Denham backs a narrow, bipartisan immigration reform measure included in the discharge petition that would legalize Dreamers in exchange for providing new funding for border security.
A second measure that would get a vote under the discharge petition, authored by Democrats, would simply legalize Dreamers.
Those two measures are unpopular with conservatives, who are seeking significant changes to the immigration system.
Among the sticking points for Republicans is whether or how to create a path to citizenship for Dreamers, who came to the U.S. illegally as children. Denham favors a plan to legalize Dreamers for a dozen years, allowing them to pursue citizenship after ten years if they meet certain criteria.
Conservatives, meanwhile, say they do not want to create a special pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, who would be essentially skipping in front of those who try to enter the U.S. legally.
Conservatives are largely backing the third measure on the discharge petition, which was authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. It would put limits on legal immigration, toughen border security, and require employers to use the E-Verify system. It would provide Dreamers with a three-year, renewable legal status but no special pathway to receiving a Green Card.
The Goodlatte bill has attracted criticism from some Republicans, who are opposed to certain aspects of a guest worker (H2-C) program that would be created as part of the measure.
Moderates oppose the Dreamer provision.
“For us, it’s important that young people brought to the country as children, the victims of the immigration system, have a bridge into the legal immigration system,” Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., said Wednesday. “It’s a major discussion area.”
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who is chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and is a key negotiator, said the talks have been difficult but have advanced the party closer to agreement after many years of dodging the issue.
“Obviously we’ve been dealing with this for decades and I don’t know if 24 hours or 48 hours will make a huge difference, but it has made a tremendous difference so far,” Meadows said. “We’ve got to finish it up, figure out if we can make a deal or not.”
The House is not in session next week. When it returns on June 5, Ryan will call a GOP meeting to discuss immigration, a GOP leadership aide said.
Ryan is holding discussions with smaller GOP groups every day.
“We are having meetings with all parties at the table,” the aide said. “We are focused exclusively right now on trying to find common ground on the front end so we don’t have to worry about the discharge petition.”
