U.S. House Republicans offer ideas, no
solutions yet on 'Dreamer' immigration
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[June 08, 2018]
By Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the
U.S. Congress on Thursday struggled to agree on immigration legislation
that could be voted on before November's congressional elections, as
party members disagreed on key issues such as the future of illegal
"Dreamer" immigrants.
House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan convened the closed-door
meeting for 235 Republican members, presenting a series of options but
no firm proposals, according to lawmakers who attended.
At a news conference following the meeting, Ryan said the next step is
to "put pen to paper" to get legislation before the full House. He
provided no timeline.
Ryan provided no timeline. But some centrist Republicans did, as they
continued to press - against Ryan's will - a rare procedure to force
House votes on immigration legislation, including a bill mainly
supported by Democrats.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Apr/09/images/ads/current/llmi_sda_042414.png)
Representative Jeff Denham, the leader of the rebellion, said that
unless leadership produces a new immigration bill by Tuesday, he will
put a "discharge petition" in motion. "We will absolutely have all 218
(signatures needed) and probably a lot more than that," Denham told
reporters.
Some of these centrists represent congressional districts with large
Hispanic populations that want Dreamer protections cemented into law.
Meantime, Ryan continued searching for a bill that most of his fellow
Republicans could instead get behind.
"Nothing was hammered out today," said Representative Peter King.
Representative Mark Meadows, who chairs an influential group of
hard-right Republicans called the Freedom Caucus, said, "There is not
consensus." Difficult issues included which Dreamers would qualify for
protections and whether they eventually could become U.S. citizens,
lawmakers said.
Many lawmakers lobbied Ryan for their pet proposals. Representative Dana
Rohrabacher even pushed his bill to create a new visa for immigrants who
would pay a $1 million fee for entry, which he said would finance
Republican President Donald Trump's desired border wall.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Jun/08/images/ads/current/pestcontrol_bch_termites.png)
White House legislative liaison Marc Short told reporters: "I think it
will be a week or so until you see final text on a bill."
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![](../images/060818pics/news_t37.jpg)
Protesters who call for an immigration bill addressing the so-called
Dreamers, young adults who were brought to the United States as
children, rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., December
20, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
![](../images/ads/current/richardson_lda_052118.png)
But he said the starting point is the immigration principles laid
out by Trump early this year: aggressive immigration security,
including the construction of a wall along the Southwest border with
Mexico, and a clamp-down on allowing family members abroad from
joining relatives living legally in the United States.
The Senate in February soundly rejected such a tough immigration
bill.
A push by House Republicans for immigration legislation stems from
Trump's decision to end an Obama-era program protecting from
deportation hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were
brought into the United States illegally when they were children,
commonly known as "Dreamers."
The future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is
now caught up in court.
As Thursday's meeting wound down after more than two hours, U.S.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a strongly worded statement
that could complicate Ryan's efforts.
Reacting to a just-released Departments of Justice and Homeland
Security report finding that one in five people in federal prisons
are "known or suspected aliens," Sessions said in a statement: "It
is outrageous that tens of thousands of Americans are dying every
year because of the drugs and violence brought over our borders
illegally."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2018/Jun/08/images/ads/current/rohlfs_sda_050614.png)
Representative John Carter, a Republican who has been a central
figure in past, failed immigration battles, was asked by Reuters
about Ryan's prospects for success now.
"Same song, third verse," Carter grumbled, adding that he remained
silent during the closed-door squabbling. "I'm trying to keep my
blood pressure down."
(Reporting by Amanda Becker and Susan Cornwell; writing by Richard
Cowan; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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