Competing Senate Immigration Proposals Fail to Clear Senate

Dallas immigration lawyers – Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C.

Dallas, TX (Law Firm Newswire) March 21, 2018 – The U.S. Senate failed to pass legislation that would help Dreamers, young immigrants who came to the United States as children. On February 15, 2018, the Senate killed four immigration bills, including a measure backed by President Trump, that would have granted permanent resident status to approximately 1.8 million Dreamers and would have provided funding for a border wall.

“President Trump has upped the ante to require that any legislation that he will sign that provides a long term solution for DACA recipients must not only fund a border wall, but must also fundamentally change the complex area of legal immigration, parts of which have been in place for more than 50 years,” said Stewart Rabinowitz of the Dallas and Frisco, Texas law firm of Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C.

“There has been no regular order in the Senate, where hearings on the various Senate immigration proposals could be fleshed out. Instead, there were quick votes that poured out all proposals,” said Rabinowitz. “Legislative proposals were made under the clear threat of a Presidential veto if the Senate bills did not meet the President’s exact formula. To maintain pressure, DHS issued megaphone level statements in support of what the President wants. The end result was that all failed to garner the needed 60 votes.”

The legislation supported by President Trump received the least amount of support in the Senate, with only 39 Senators voting for it. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said the vote was an important demonstration of the amount of support the President’s plan had. The Senate voted 54-45 on a bipartisan bill that would have helped more than 2 million Dreamers and provided funding for border security, but that bill, too, fell short of 60 votes.

President Trump worked against the bipartisan bill, which was written by a group of eight Republicans, seven Democrats and one Independent. Just prior to the vote, the President tweeted that the bill would be a “total catastrophe.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said an immigration bill will not pass without leadership from the President.