Hoyer warns GOP: Don’t dabble with DACA compromise bill

BY MIKE LILLIS - 06/12/18 02:20 PM EDT

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) warned Republicans on Tuesday not to dabble with a bipartisan immigration bill that would provide legal protections to people who came to the country illegally as children.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), would combine the protections for so-called “Dreamers” with new efforts to bolster security at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The proposal is one of four immigration bills that would be considered if centrist Republicans are successful with their procedural maneuver, known as a discharge petition, to force immigration votes on the House floor over the objection of GOP leaders.

The Hurd-Aguilar proposal is thought to have the best chance of winning a “queen-of-the-hill” contest in which the four bills are considered back-to-back and the proposal with the most votes, beyond 218, goes to the Senate. But some Democrats are growing increasingly concerned that the Republicans may try to add tougher enforcement provisions, favored by conservatives, to win the support of President Trump.

Hoyer on Tuesday said Democrats favor a more liberal proposal, the Dream Act, to rescue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which Trump is fighting to wind down. But he noted that the Hurd-Aguilar bill enjoys more support with Republicans, and predicted that Democrats would unite with centrist Republicans to sink any proposed changes to the bipartisan legislation.

“I think Hurd-Aguilar has got the votes to pass as-is, and I think we’ve got the votes to defeat amendments,” Hoyer said. “I think that’s what our strategy will be.”

The centrist Republicans are hoping to win 218 signatures on their discharge petition by the end of Tuesday — a deadline that would force immigration votes on June 25. The petition currently has 215 signatures, but the list of potential Republican signatories is a short one, and it’s unclear if any more are willing to buck their leadership and sign on.

A failure to win 218 signatures before Wednesday would mean the moderates would have just one more shot, on July 23, to force DACA votes before November’s midterm elections.

The debate has highlighted the sharp divide within the Republican conference when it comes to immigration issues, particularly the question of how to approach the millions of people living in the country illegally.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other GOP leaders are scrambling to seal a deal between the centrists and conservatives in their conference, which would defuse the petition and prevent votes on the more liberal bills — including the Dream Act and Hurd-Aguilar — that would be discharged if the device is successful.

Hoyer, for his part, said Ryan’s motives are strictly political.

“The Speaker doesn’t want to bring [the Dream Act] to the floor because he doesn’t want his members to vote against a bill — as they will — that the overwhelming majority of the American people thinks makes sense,” Hoyer said.

“It’s not that Donald Trump won’t sign it or the Senate won’t pass it. It’s they don’t want their members to be spotted.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/39...ompromise-bill