Three Texans are the only Democratic holdouts in push to force DACA vote
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Three Texans are the only Democratic holdouts in push to force DACA vote
Written by
Nicole Cobler, Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON -- Three Texas Democrats are the only members of their party who haven’t signed a petition that would force a vote on legislation intended to protect young immigrants living in the country illegally.
Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen and Filemon Vela Jr. of Brownsville, who each represent border communities, say they want a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Donald Trump moved to end last fall.
But they can’t support the current effort to force the House to vote on several immigration bills because it could lead to funding for Trump’s border wall, which they vehemently oppose.
“Representatives Vela, Gonzalez, and I are saying ‘no’ to signing the petition,” Cuellar said in a prepared statement Thursday. “As I’ve said in the past, I cannot support a border wall, which is a 14th Century solution to a 21st Century problem. There are better ways at finding solutions to DACA, and I will continue to work in a bipartisan way in Congress to properly address these issues.”
So far, 190 Democrats and 23 Republicans have signed on to the rarely used procedure known as a “discharge petition” to force consideration of a measure that House Speaker Paul Ryan and his team refuse to schedule for a vote. Earlier this month, Ryan said he wants to avoid a “spectacle” on the floor for measures that will ultimately fail and be vetoed by the president.
With the three Texas Democrats on the sidelines, the petition needs five more Republican signatures to reach the required 218.
But most Republicans have shunned the discharge petition because they say it circumvents the legislative process and effectively yields power to the minority party.
A spokeswoman for Vela said the congressman does not plan to sign the petition because the “language” in the measures could lead to a border wall.
“I’m not ever going to be in a position where I’m going to enable or facilitate border wall funding,” Vela said in an interview with The Washington Post last week. “It’s just not going to happen.”
A spokesman for the Gonzalez declined to comment but referred to past media reports.
The discharge petition is tied to another unusual tactic called a "queen of the hill" resolution, which would trigger floor debate on four immigration and border security measures.
The one with the most votes exceeding 215 -- the current majority, because of vacancies in the House -- would go to the Senate.
The four proposals lawmakers could consider as early as June 25 include the Democrat-supported DREAM Act, a conservative immigration proposal, the “USA Act” and a bill of the speaker’s choice.
Rep. Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican who also represents much of the Texas-Mexico border, co-sponsored the USA Act with California Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar. The measure creates a permanent solution for DACA recipients and implements border security measures through technology and some “physical barriers.”
The three Texas Democrats are concerned that Hurd’s proposal, which has the most bipartisan support of the four, would give Trump his wall funding.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D- Ill., tried to reassure Vela that the USA Act does not explicitly fund a wall, The Hill reported Thursday.
"If [Vela is] correct, then that's the moment you need to reconsider,” said Gutiérrez, a Chicago-area representative. “But I don't think you stop this process from moving forward for fear of what might come."
Vela told the Hill: "I love Luis, but he last said he would build the wall himself if it meant getting DACA. If he means building a wall around Chicago, I'm all for it.”
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