House GOP leaders work to resolve split over DACA legislation

WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders continued negotiations Wednesday to resolve a split in the GOP caucus over undocumented immigrant children who were brought into this country illegally.

A couple of dozen Republicans have joined Democrats, signing a discharge petition that would force GOP leaders to begin debate on a bipartisan bill that would offer undocumented youth known as DREAMers protection from deportation and a path to citizenship after 12 years.

Conservative Republicans have countered with a bill of their own that would offer temporary protection, but no path to citizenship.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called a closed-door caucus meeting for Thursday morning to talk with Republicans about “the big swath of views” on the citizenship issue.

Ryan is trying to hold his caucus together and avoid an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Democrats and rebellious Republicans frustrated over leadership’s refusal to address the issue.

“I feel good about the conversations we are having” Ryan said of ongoing negotiations within his party. “We don’t want to do a discharge petition, obviously.”

Republicans are torn over whether a compromise should include a path to citizenship for the 800,000 undocumented immigrant children who were brought into this country illegally. About 14,000 of those immigrants live, work and study in Nevada.

The immigrants were protected from deportation under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. That program was cancelled by President Donald Trump in September. He ordered Congress to provide a legislative remedy by March.

Since then, Trump has argued that any continuance of DACA be contingent upon funding to build a wall along the Southwest border.

Democrats have chafed at spending funds to build a border wall, and three Texas Democrats with border districts did not initially sign the discharge petition. Two of those lawmakers signed the petition this week.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said he will not sign the petition until Democratic leaders assure him that a DACA deal will not include a wall, which he called a “14th Century solution to a 21st Century problem.”

Democrats and moderate Republicans need just three more signatures to reach the 218 needed to force a debate.

The entire Nevada congressional district, including Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, has signed the petition. Amodei said rank-and-file Republican lawmakers are frustrated that they have not been able to vote on immigration reform for DREAMers.

Conservative Republicans oppose citizenship, which they have called an amnesty, and have been firm in their stance to offer only temporary protections from deportation for DACA recipients.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is leading negotiations for those who back a bill filed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which offers temporary relief for DREAMers and seeks cuts in legal immigration.

Ryan said Thursday’s meeting will last about two or three hours. He said he saw a potential “sweet spot” that would bring his party together on a compromise solution.

“When we fix DACA we want to fix it permanently so we don’t have another DACA problem down the road,” Ryan said.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.