Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference opposed to immigration raids targeting Central American families with children, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. “Where do we put all of our energy?”īut even if House Democrats shy away from the immigration battle now, the thorny issue will surely crop back up in September as congressional leaders negotiate a funding package to keep the government open. “Is it worth moving forward when we know what the Senate and the president have already said?” she said, adding that the House has a long to-do list in the coming weeks. She said, for example, ICE is criticized for deportations but also plays a role in combating human trafficking. ![]() “It’s really tricky,” said Roybal-Allard, the lead negotiator on the DHS funding bill who also worked closely with progressives and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last month. But even some Democrats acknowledge the bills are largely symbolic, slated to go nowhere in the Senate. The House will vote this month on a batch of bills to create standards of medical care for migrants and to ramp up Congress’ oversight over border patrol officials. Many would rather sidestep another major fight over immigration that could roil both liberals and moderates and endanger another blowup like the brawl over humanitarian aid in June that has shaken the caucus.ĭemocrats say they aren’t turning their backs on the humanitarian crisis. “I don’t think it will accomplish anything right now,” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) said in an interview. Plus, they say there’s little point in voting on a DHS funding bill that looks more like a progressive wish list than a serious opening bid to this fall’s funding talks. It’s a headache that Democrats say is not worth fighting when the same issues are likely to resurface in this fall’s larger battle over spending with Republicans. “But she’s a smart strategist so she knows what she’s doing.”Įscobar and others argue that a must-pass bill to fund DHS would hold more leverage with the Senate than other legislation on the floor.īut that funding debate - which would be far more sprawling than last month’s humanitarian bill - could dredge up even uglier intraparty fights on immigration, such as whether to defund ICE or put strict caps on detention beds. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the subcommittee that oversees federal immigration funding. And I’ve shared my views with Lucille,” Escobar said of Rep. Still, even Escobar said she wanted to see Democrats vote on DHS funding legislation before the August recess.īorder detainees tell Pence they haven't showered for 45 days Additionally, Democrats have held a series of hearings and news conferences to protest Trump’s policies in recent days. Veronica Escobar’s bill that will be considered on the House floor later this month. While many Democrats are eager to use an upcoming DHS funding bill to force concessions from the Senate and the White House that Republicans rejected just weeks ago, they are also introducing legislation to limit family separation and increase training for immigration officials, such as Texas Rep. Pressure on lawmakers to address immigration and the humanitarian border crisis has only increased with Trump threatening to deploy his ICE officials to conduct deportation raids in nearly a dozen cities this weekend. “To give more money - it’s just impossible for some people to vote for that.” Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in an interview. Several Republicans who favor allowing Dreamers to get on a path to citizenship represent districts with large Hispanic populations, and fear a backlash if Congress fails to act.“It’s deeply difficult, with the cruelty and the abuses that are happening,” Rep. It calls for debate and votes on four different bills to replace the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which Trump ended on March 5. ![]() 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer, said the goal was to have all 193 Democratic lawmakers sign the petition. ![]() “The construction of a physical wall is an expensive and inefficient use of our taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars,” he said in a statement. Cuellar said on Tuesday he needed a commitment from Democratic leadership “saying that they will not support a border wall in exchange for (helping) Dreamers” before he could sign. One other Texas Democrat, Representative Henry Cuellar, still has not signed the petition, as well as many Republicans. Several House Republicans also oppose the construction of a wall and instead favor more high-tech solutions to border security.
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