Centrist Republicans, tired of the lack of action on the issue of immigration in Congress despite it being under the control of their own party, last month launched a petition to try to force the House of Representatives to hold debates and votes on several immigration bills. These included one bipartisan effort, which would protect the young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.
Republicans have become divided over the issue, but almost all Democrats are in favor of the debate being held and added their signatures to the petition in late May. However, three Democrats from the border region of Texas had held out, fearing that any deal could result in the construction of the wall on the border between the US and Mexico which has been long proposed by President Donald Trump.
Two of the three holdouts, Representatives Filemon Vela and Vicente Gonzalez, declared their willingness to sign the petition on Tuesday. The effort now needs three more names to reach the 218 signatures required to force the House floor to debate and vote on the immigration bills.
Many Republicans in the House of Representatives are also against constructing the border wall, preferring to tackle border security with a more high-tech approach. Texas Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar has yet to sign and says he will only do so if the Democrat leadership guarantee they will not agree to any deal involving the wall.