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 The legislation, which also funds the Department of Homeland
Security, failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance in the
Senate, continuing a political battle as the clock ticks toward the
Feb. 27 expiration of funding for the homeland security agency.
Senate Republicans say they intend to make another attempt to
advance the legislation on Thursday, partly to call public attention
to Democratic moves to block the measure, which has already passed
the House of Representatives. Both chambers have Republican
majorities.
DHS secures U.S. airports and borders and spearheads domestic
counter-terrorism efforts. It also contains the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services, a small agency that is expected to process the
millions of undocumented immigrants who may apply for legal
protection under Obama's November 2014 executive order.
 Republicans charge Obama overreached with the 2014 executive order,
which shields from deportation the undocumented parents of U.S.
citizens and legal permanent residents, as well as a 2012 order that
helped undocumented child immigrants, widely known as the "Dreamers"
program.
Wednesday's vote, in which 53 Republicans voted to advance the bill
to debate and 47 Democrats voted no, came after one Republican
senator, Susan Collins, proposed removing part of the House-passed
bill that would drain the Dreamers program of funds.
“I just think it's not right to send them back to their home
countries when many of them have known no other home than America,
and they didn’t make the decision to come here, their parents
brought them here," Collins told reporters.
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But her amendment did not entice any Democrats to vote to allow
debate and amendments on the legislation. Democrats, including
Obama, are pushing for a bill to fund DHS without any conditions
attached.
Earlier Tuesday, a Senate committee was told a government agency
could struggle to process millions of undocumented immigrants who
may apply for legal protection under Obama's 2014 executive order.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could be overwhelmed by a
surge of applicants later this year even if it hires an additional
1,000 workers as planned, said Luke Bellocchi, a former deputy
ombudsman to the agency.
Bellocchi said 4.5 million additional applications are expected in
the coming months.
(Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Bill Trott and
Leslie Adler)
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