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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s sweeping immigration plan has met rapid resistance from leading Senate Republicans, including some who championed a similar effort eight years ago.
Immigration activists broadly welcomed the legislative proposal, but senior Senate officials from both parties expressed skepticism about the possibility, at least without major changes, of winning the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster. which means at least 10 GOP votes.
Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., A key figure in the 2013 “Gang of Eight” overhaul that passed the Senate but died in the Republican-controlled House, called him a nonstarter.
“There are many problems, I think we can work in cooperation with President-elect Biden, but a general amnesty for people who are here illegally will not be one of them,” he said. said in a statement Tuesday, the day before Biden’s Day. sworn.
Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said he doubted Biden’s plan could pass, describing him as “on the left” of the 2013 legislation he helped craft, citing fewer provisions for strengthen border security.
Graham, who took a tougher stance under the Trump administration, said the most likely endgame is a smaller deal centered on codifying the Deferred Action Program for Childhood Arrivals in 2012, than President Barack Obama set up unilaterally.
“I think the space in a 50-50 Senate would probably be some sort of DACA deal,” Graham said Thursday. “Global immigration is going to be a tough sell given this environment, but doing DACA, I think, is possible.”
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Rubio and Graham are the two remaining GOP members of the group that drafted the 2013 bill, making their resistance an important warning to Biden. His plan would grant an eight-year course to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people who are in the United States illegally after passing background checks and paying their taxes, while tying green cards to economic conditions and relaxing asylum restrictions.
In symbolic recognition of the United States as a nation of immigrants, Biden’s plan would also change the word “foreigner” to “non-citizen” in the context of immigration law.
Of the 13 Republican senators who voted for the 2013 immigration bill, only five remain: Rubio, Graham, John Hoeven from North Dakota, Susan Collins from Maine and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska . It was produced after Obama’s reelection victory, when many Republican elites decided the party needed to adopt a more liberal immigration policy. But Donald Trump reversed the calculation during his 2016 presidential campaign, which mobilized conservative voters around an anti-immigration platform.
The Senate GOP campaign arm, which is focused on winning back the majority in 2022, quickly dubbed Biden’s immigration plan “amnesty and open borders.”
Even if all 50 Democrats unite, finding 10 Republicans for the bill would be a daunting task.
“I don’t think I can even count to one,” said a senior GOP aide who was not authorized to speak to the plan’s prospects, arguing that the path to citizenship is “a problem” for the Republicans.
The aide suggested Biden’s plan was an attempt to appease progressives, not a “take it or leave it” product. Adding border provisions could help, but it may not be enough, the aide said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Tore up Biden’s plan on Thursday, calling it a “massive general amnesty proposal that would gut U.S. law enforcement while creating huge new incentives for that people are rushing here illegally at the same time. “
Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Said he had “very serious concerns” about Biden’s immigration policy. He is delaying a Senate vote to confirm that Alejandro Mayorkas is secretary of homeland security, saying Mayorkas should first explain how he would enforce immigration laws.
The senses. Tim Scott, RS.C., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Said on Thursday they would study the plan more closely before commenting.
Among Democrats in both Houses, Biden’s plan has been met with much praise.
“Personally, I would support all of the elements in there,” said Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii.
Some Democrats want to make the plan more progressive.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Called the proposal “very, very strong,” but said she wanted more immigration detention provisions.
“It’s so wonderful to have a president who finally looks at immigrants in a positive light,” she said.
What if Republicans block the bill in the Senate?
“Reform the filibuster if the Republicans refuse to do it,” Jayapal said.
A senior Democratic official said Republicans did not appear to have the political appetite for a massive immigration overhaul, saying: “I don’t know where you would start to find 10.”
The staff member said a systematic obstruction of the immigration overhaul, along with other democratic priorities, such as protecting voting rights, would spark a debate within the party on abolishing the rule. of the 60 votes.
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