Last week, the Freedom Caucus challenged Republican party leadership to bring up a hardline immigration proposal to the floor in exchange for their votes on the Farm Bill. What now?
While Speaker Ryan reportedly consented to bring this legislation up for a vote, a number of Freedom Caucus members still voted no on the Farm Bill because the vote had not been scheduled. The Farm Bill failed – good news – but our work is far from over.
The Freedom Caucus’ challenge comes after a number of House Republicans made moves to circumvent their party leadership in order to force a long overdue vote in the House on Dreamer protections. (See our longer explainer on this process linked below).
The discharge petition now has 213 signatures – just five away from the 218 needed to be able to advance votes on various immigration proposals without leadership. After Memorial Day recess, we expect that the petition will reach 218, but there are still a number of hurdles before it could be brought to the floor and House leadership is likely to try and interfere this effort.
Meanwhile, House leadership caved to pressure from the Freedom Caucus after the failed Farm Bill vote. House Whip Scalise has said they will bring up the hardline Goodlatte immigration proposal for a vote on the House floor ahead of a second attempt to advance the Farm bill on June 22. This timing is not guaranteed, but means that House leadership is seriously considering moving the Goodlatte bill, or similar legislation, forward for a vote.
What can you do?
Weighing in on the House Debate
Reiterate to your members of Congress our principles for immigration legislation. See here for what FCNL sent to the Hill ahead of the Senate votes on immigration. We reject the Goodlatte immigration proposal (H.R. 4760) and urge members of Congress to push for a vote on legislation better aligned with our values.
For FCNL, the only two existing proposals that meet these goals are the bipartisan USA Act (H.R. 4796) and the Dream Act (H.R. 3440), both of which would be brought up if the discharge petition on the Queen of the Hill resolution is successful.
On Enforcement Spending
Remember to keep pressuring your Senators and Representatives to reject additional spending on unjust, cruel immigration enforcement. This administration has put immigrant youth back on track for deportation, ended critical protection programs, reduced access to asylum, effectively ended refugee resettlement, stolen land to expand a divisive border wall, proposed to slash legal immigration in half, and made every immigrant a target for unjust detention and deportation.
Just in the past month, the Trump administration announced they will criminally prosecute all adults traveling in family units for improper entry – meaning that parents and caregivers are being jailed and forcibly separated from their children. The children will be funneled into government care and processed as “unaccompanied”.
Right now, members of Congress are discussing how much more money to appropriate to carry out cruel detention and deportation, and further militarize communities living in the border region. Congress needs to hear from constituents that they must ensure rigorous oversight of the deportation machinery, and cut spending for practices that are harming our community members and vulnerable populations. Contact Congress today and urge them to reject spending more on cruel enforcement, and advance Dreamer citizenship without undermining other communities.
