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Senators Wrap Four Days of Open Debate with No Deal on Immigration

HeadlineFeb 16, 2018

The U.S. Senate has wrapped up four days of open debate without advancing a single measure on immigration. In four separate votes Thursday, senators failed to reach the 60 votes needed to move forward on legislation that would have protected 1.8 million young undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers—while further militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border. The failed votes came after President Trump blasted a bipartisan bill as a “total catastrophe” and threatened a veto. This is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York.

Sen. Chuck Schumer: “There’s only one reason why the Senate will be unable to reach a bipartisan solution to DACA: President Trump. President Trump created this problem by terminating the DACA program last August. Since that decision, President Trump has stood in the way of every single proposal that could become law.”

A measure supported by President Trump got the least number of votes—just 39 out of 100. It would have sharply curtailed U.S. immigration quotas and expanded border militarization funding by $25 billion, while providing a lengthy path to citizenship for DREAMers. Unless Congress passes an immigration bill, hundreds of thousands of DREAMers could see their DACA status begin expiring as early as March 5—although two federal courts have ruled the Trump administration cannot end the program.

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