WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following President Trump’s threat to veto any Senate-approved immigration bill that does not strictly adhere to his framework, all four immigration measures in the Senate failed to advance today.
The final proposal, Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) version of the White House immigration framework, was defeated 60-39 — receiving the lowest support of any proposal the Senate considered today.
The significant defeat illustrates the unpopularity on both sides of the aisle of the deep cuts to legal immigration the president is insisting on, and the injurious effect of veto threats to an immigration compromise.
Without a solution before March 5, thousands of Dreamers each week could lose the authorization to work in the U.S. and would be subject to deportation.
“By torpedoing bipartisan agreements without offering his own, President Trump only puts more pressure on himself to find a solution by March 5,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “With his explicit rejection of bipartisan proposals, the president set the country up for momentous — and avoidable — failure.
“Today showed that Americans overwhelmingly support a bipartisan permanent solution for Dreamers. The Senate’s stinging rebuke of Trump’s deeply partisan approach should be a wake-up call. The White House needs to work with both parties to find a solution that protects Dreamers and our border.”