Republicans in the House of Representatives will vote on immigration legislation that has long been in limbo in the third week of June. The Farm Bill, delayed by a dispute over immigration last week, is expected to be passed.
But, it is still uncertain how many immigration bills, between one and four, the House will vote on, with Speaker Paul Ryan under conflicting pressures from conservative and more moderate factions within his own party. Republicans in the House have long been divided into two groups. The first, a majority of conservatives who have mostly given their support to Judiciary Committee chairman, Bob Goodlatte’s hardline immigration bill. The second, a smaller, yet strategically-placed group of moderates representing districts that could be at risk from Democrats or have a strong Latino population.
The second group wants to offer Dreamers a pathway to US citizenship without the provisions for a border wall or the restrictions on legal immigration proposed by President Donald Trump in January.
The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) was told that the Goodlatte bill would be voted on when their votes were needed to avoid another government shutdown, but the moderates, headed by Carlos Curbelo and Jeff Denham, began collecting signatures using the discharge petition device to try to force votes. This resulted in the HFC withholding their votes on the Farm Bill until the Goodlatte bill has been voted on. Conservatives hope to alter the Goodlatte bill enough to gain moderate support.