‘It’s Totally Possible’: How Dems Could Push Immigration Reform Through a GOP-Controlled House

Senior Republican aides and left-wing immigrants activists said that a slim Republican majority and a Speaker of the House who is weaker than anti-establishment conservatives could allow Democrats to push through immigration reform in this year’s Congress. Washington Free Beacon.

The House Democrats could get a vote on the bill that gives citizenship to “dreamers”—illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children—residency to millions of illegal immigrants, an expansion of work visas for foreigners, and other wish-list items using a parliamentary maneuver called a discharge petition. House Democrats could join forces with five moderate Republicans and pass major immigration reform.

This would be a nightmare scenario for border hawks and Republicans who campaigned against President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, which they blame for the millions of illegal crossings on the southern border since he took office. Left-wing activists are pushing for such a scenario and see the discharge petition as a way to get a more radical bill than should be possible in a Republican-controlled House. Some senior Republican staffers, border hawks, and others see such an outcome as a possibility. They cite anger from the Democratic base and business groups.

“It’s totally possible. Current House GOP immigration plans don’t have broad buy-in from the rest of the party right now anyway,” A senior Republican aide said that the Free Beacon. “The chances only increase if the Supreme Court rules against Biden on Title 42 and [the DREAMer program].”

Should the House pass an immigration reform bill, Senate Democrats, who hold a majority, could change filibuster rules—or find nine Republicans who support the law as they did with a number of bills since 2021, including the Respect for Marriage Act and the infrastructure law—and send it to Biden’s desk.

House Republicans have a split view on how to address immigration reform. In December, Texas Republicans presented a framework that focused on building a wall at the border and strengthening domestic enforcement. According to Republican sources, the plan was designed to strengthen domestic enforcement and build a border wall. Free BeaconIt is highly unlikely that this will happen.

To pass an amnesty law through the House, five House Republicans would need to agree. A few dozen moderate Republicans are open to working with Democrats to reform immigration by signing on to 2021 amnesty legislations that are narrowly tailored. A discharge petition would allow the bill to be moved to the floor for a vote.