John Cornyn tries to make Senate immigration bill more appealing to GOP

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn believes his proposed amendment to the “Gang of Eight” immigration reform package could put the legislation on track to clear the Senate and improve its prospects in the House.

The Texas Republican confirmed that approval of his amendment — described as a set of sweeping changes to the border security components of the Senate immigration reform bill — would secure his vote, as long as the existing legislation wasn’t weakened in other ways. Cornyn presented his proposal to Republicans during Wednesday’s weekly lunch of the conservative Steering Committee, and the senator said the reception it received was “generally positive.”